Muara, Brunei, Island of Borneo

 There are three countries which each claim a portion of the Island of Borneo including Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.

Brunei is officially the State of Brunei Darussalam, Independent Sultanate, Northern Borneo, western Pacific Ocean. It is an absolute monarchy ruled by the Sultan of Brunei, although he does have a legislative advisory body. In 1841 there was a revolt against the Sultan,  and Brunei acquired a British Governor. A co-operative relationship existed with the British until a new treaty with Britain in 1979, and full independence in 1984, with membership in the British commonwealth.

Brunei has a very small population of only 400,000 citizens, but is one of the richest countries in the world due to it's offshore oil and gas production. Citizens are provided housing, education and health care at free or greatly reduced cost. We didn't see motor bikes, since citizens are provided cars, and fuel is very cheap here. The ethnic heritage of the population is mostly Malay and Chinese. It has been a Muslim country since the early 15th century. Alcohol is not sold in the country. Our guide reported that the population is very happy with life in Brunei, and fully support their Sultan. 

Citizenship in Brunei is complicated. People may have been in Brunei for generations and still not be citizens, but be permanent resident aliens, a bit like USA Green Card holders. To gain citizenship, these people must apply to write and pass a citizenship exam which has many questions about Brunei Culture and the Monarchy history. There are also people living and working on renewable work permits who have no citizenship benefits, and must leave if their work permits are not renewed. 

We found modern buildings, but few high rises. The roads were good, with beautifully landscaped boulevards. There was virtually no trash on the streets. Housing for the population appeared very good, and there were some very luxurious estates.

The Jame Mosque, Brunei's largest will hold 5,000 worshippers.  

The Royal Regalia Museum holds a collection of luxurious items from the Sultan's coronation and other celebrations, but unfortunately was closed because it was Friday, the Muslim holy day.

This elaborate building was built for an Asian Summit meeting a few years ago

The gates to the Royal Palace.

The Sultan's Palace is the largest in the world, and has 1,788 rooms with 257 bathrooms. Unfortunately we were only allowed to look through the front gates, and saw two guards, and a very long driveway.

Although Brunei is a Muslim country, freedom of religion is allowed. This small temple is the oldest Chinese Taoist temple in Brunei.

We visited the "Joyous Garden", a lovely private Chinese style garden built by a man of Chinese heritage in memory of his wife, who had died of cancer. Entrance to the garden is free.

Beautiful small ducks in the garden. They don't look real!

A bridge in the garden.

A waterfall in the garden.

 More than 30,000 people live in Water Villages built on stilts on the Brunei River. There is an assortment of homes, schools, shops and even hospitals, all connected by somewhat rickety boardwalks. People have lived in the Water Village for more than 1,300 years. They do have electricity and fresh water is piped in, but sewage is taken away by the changing tides. We visited at high tide, so it wasn't as smelly as I imagined it would be. 

Some homes are in quite good shape.

Others look pretty shabby.

We stopped for tea at one of the homes in the water village. This was a mixture of rice and coconut milk that was steamed in a banana leaf. It had a very gelatinous texture, wasn't sweet, but tasted a bit like I imagine coconut flavored wallpaper paste!

This was a mixture of rice flour and sugar that was steamed in a spiral strip of palm leaf. It was a very sweet, bright green soft gelatinous textured roll. Definitely not for  western tastes!