KUALA BELAIT, BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

The Sultan of Brunei is the ruler of the country Brunei Darussalam. He got his position from a line of Sultans all through out the history of this small country. I lived there for eighteen years and married to a Brunei citizen. Brunei is a very peaceful country has a population of about half a million people and it has a very low crime rate. The Brunei dollar is now about $1.41 or less against the US dollar. It is a very rich country and the main export is oil.Brunei Darussalam as is it called is a Muslim country but the government is very lenient with other religions and is not prejudiced against other religions. There is no income tax in Brunei no sales tax for most goods no business tax for companies other than corporations.Despite its small area Brunei Darussalam can be a very good and interesting tourist destination. You can still see virgin forests in Brunei you can see water villages you can see the world famous Jerudong Park which is like Disneyland. Most of all you will enjoy a tour to mosques especially the Sultan Omar Ali mosque which is nestled closed to a river and a huge mall. Most of the mosques have domes made of gold. You will enjoy shopping there too. There's less traffic than anywhere else in Asia.The food? It's so gooooooooooood!!!! You must try Malay food. It's spicy and really tasty. If you go and you use a travel agent tell them to arrange a tour with a Malay Wedding observance thown in. You'll be amazed at how huge the celebration is and how many people are invited! And you can't miss out on the food and the give-aways!!Bruneians are typically a friendly people and very hospitable. When you visit a Brunei home you will be treated like a queen or a king and served all kinds of goodies.One has to remember though that since it is a Muslim country and there are local customs and traditions you must read about what you can do and can't do while there...especially how you are dressed. You must always look decent!

I visited Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei on my World Cruise earlier this year. I must say that the display of wealth by the Sultan is most decadent considering that most of his subjects live in abject poverty. We were treated like royalty upon our visit while being fed a line of propaganda about how happy the people are who live there. For such a wealthy small nation one would think that the wealth could be a little more evenly distributed. While this is a fascinating place to see it is not someplace I could reccomend for a vacation. It struck as much like Myanmar (Burma) albiet on a much smaller scale.