Brunei

Introduction

Brunei01

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A thriving oil trade has brought Brunei great wealth, and today the country's population are like spoiled children: free health care, tax-free income, low loan rates and free education are all handed to the populous on a silver platter. The people seem pretty content with their strict Muslim Sultanate ruling family, as dissent for the increasing fundamentalism of national laws is slight.

What is interesting about Brunei is that despite the relative wealth afforded to Bruneians, many still live in very traditional ways. In Bandar Seri Begawan, some 30,000 Bruneians still live in water villages, built entirely on stilts over the Brunei river. The apparent contradiction between a nation as wealthy as Brunei and a population living in water villages is what makes Brunei a fascinating place.

Brief History

The Sultanate of Brunei was very powerful from the 14th to the 16th century. All of Borneo was under its control, as well as the southwestern Philippines. The current ruling dynasty dates back to the middle of the 15th century, a period when Brunei had a close relationship with the Malay kingdom of Malacca.

In the 16th century, Brunei lost Manila to Spanish forces and at one stage, the Spanish took Brunei itself before being defeated in what is known as the Castille War. Brunei's regional power continued to gradually fade as European influence increased in South East Asia.

The final blow for the Bruneian Empire was in the 19th century during the reign of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin II. In 1841, James Brooke, an English adventurer, arrived in Sarawak. There was a rebellion against the Sultan of Brunei, and a prince in charged of solving the problem, sought Brooke's help in restoring order. Brooke and his crew managed to bring about a peace settlement without bloodshed, and this enhanced his reputation amongst the native people. In return of the assistance, the prince bestowed Brooke the title Governer, which made him the effective ruler of Sarawak. In 1842, the Sultan appointed James Brooke as the Rajah of Sarawak in return of an annual payment of an agreed sum of money. Sarawak at that time was only an area around Kuching. Throughout the rule of the White Rajah Dynasty, the Sultans of Brunei ceded further stretches of territory to the White Rajahs through a series of treaties and agreements. In 1846, Brunei ceded Labuan to the British. Beginning 1865, North Borneo was leased to a series of chartered companies, and in 1946 it became a British crown colony.

In 1888, Sultan Hashim Jalilul Alam Aqamaddin signed a treaty with the United Kingdom which placed Brunei as a British protectorate; Britain took charge of foreign representation of the Sultanate. A rebellion in the 1960s against the monarchy, known as the Brunei Revolt, was suppressed with the help of the United Kingdom. The rebellion was partly responsible for a failure to create a North Borneo Federation and affected Brunei's decision to join the Malaysian Federation in 1963.

On 1 January 1984, Brunei Darussalam ended its status as a British protectorate and became a fully independent state.

Geography

Brunei occupies 5,270 km² of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. It is made up of two unconnected parts; the western section home to 97% of the population, while only 10,000 or so call the mountainous eastern exclave of Temburong home. Brunei borders Malaysia and the South China Sea.

Regions

Brunei is organised into 4 districts (daerah):

• Belait
• Brunei-Muara
• Temburong
• Tutong

Cities

• Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital city, once known as Bandar Brunei.
• Bangar, the small district capital of Temburong.
• Muara, the country's main port, just north of the capital
• Tutong
• Kuala Belait, an oil producing town in the country's south west.
• Sukang, right next to Kuala Belait.

Sights and Activities

Kampong Ayer

Kampong Ayer (English: Water Village) is a district of Bandar Seri Begawan and home to 30,000 people. All of the buildings in the Water Village are constructed on stilts above the Brunei River and roughly one out of ten people in Brunei live here. Kampong Ayer contains many small villages that are linked together by almost 30 kilometres of foot-bridges, although speed boats nowadays are a more important mode of transport, especially on some longer distances. There are over 4,200 structures including homes, mosques, restaurants, shops, schools, and a hospital and on top of the foot-bridges there are 36 kilometres of boardwalks connect the buildings.

Ulu Temburong National Park

The Ulu Temburong National Park, one of the natural highlights of Brunei, is comparable to Borneo's many other parks, including those in Malaysia. It is located in the remote part of the Batu Apoi Forest Reserve and can be accessed only by long boat. The main feature of the Ulu Temburong National Park is the canopy walkway, suspended from the treetops, 50 metres above the forest floor. From the canopy walkway there are tremendous views of the virgin forest and you can see wildlife including birds, butterflies and monkeys. Most people visit on tours which can be arranged in Bandar Seri Begawan or the administrative centre of the Temburong District, Bangar.

Other sights and activities

• Jame Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque in Kampong Kiaron.
• Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque
• Arkib Negara - or the Brunei National Archives, contains the country's public records and archives. Popular with researchers.^[2]
• Muzium Teknologi Melayu - or The Malay Technology Museum, provides insights into Brunei's traditional and technological innovations.^[2]
• Galeri Seni - or Art Gallery, serves to educate visitors about art heritage. ^[2]
• Muzium Brunei - or Brunei Museum, displays a variety of historical items, including several gilded Holy Qurans and other Islamic artifacts.^[2]
• Pusat Latihan Kesenian dan Pertukangan - or Brunei Art's and Handicrafts Training Centre, also houses a handicraft shop where silver goods and sarongs, among other items, are available for purchase. ^[2]
• Bubungan Dua Belas - one of the oldest surviving buildings in Brunei; also offers a beautiful view of Kampong Ayer. ^[2]
• Bangunan Alat Kebesaran Diraja - or The Royal Regalia Museum, housing collections of items used for the Sultan's Silver Jubilee festivities, as well as a multitude of gifts from foreign governments.^[2]
• Taman Warisan Tasek Merimbun - or Tasek Merimbun Heritage Park, where visitors can enjoy trekking around Brunei's largest lake. It is a forest reserve in the middle of the city. It features a natural waterfall. There is also an exhibition hall displaying the flora and fauna of the area.^[2]

Events and Festivals

Weather

Brunei has a tropical climate with hot and humid conditions year round. It doesn't have specific wet or dry seasons, although rain falls heaviest between September and January at around 300 mm a month. February to April is the driest and sunniest time of the year, a good time for a visit with only around 120 mm of rain in March. The country has a mean average temperature of around 28 °C and high humidity. Temperatures are around 31 °C during the day and 23 °C at night, with very little variation throughout the year (average highs: 30.4 °C in January versus 32.6 °C in May, average lows: 23.0 °C in July versus 23.7 °C in April and May).

Getting There

By Plane

Brunei International Airport (BWN) is served by several international airlines and is the base of the Royal Brunei Airlines. There are daily flights to and from London, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Kota Kinabalu. A Departure Tax of B$12 is payable for most departing passengers. This is payable at the airport check-in desk, in cash.

By Car

The Pan-Borneo Highway, a joint project with Malaysia, connects Brunei to the Malaysian part of the island, both Sabah and Sarawak. You can travel quite easily across the borders with a rental car or your own car, but have the right documentation and insurance and driver's licence and you will be fine.

By Bus

The main overland route to the west is between Kuala Belait in Brunei and Miri in Sarawak, which is a straightforward journey by bus or taxi. It is also possible to travel between Bandar Seri Begawan and Limbang and Lawas in Sarawak and onward to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, but it is a long and tougher journey compared to taking the boat.

By Boat

Daily ferry connections operate out of the Serasa Ferry Terminal in the port town of Muara, connecting Brunei to the Malaysian island of Labuan. The journey takes about an hour and a half. Water taxis run regularly to the Temburong district as well as the Malaysian towns of Limbang, Lawas, Sundar and Labuan.

Getting Around

By Plane

There are no domestic flights in Brunei.

By Taxi

Taxis are quite expensive in Brunei and the cost for one way from the airport to the centre is approximately BND 25. You can find taxis easily around the airport (arrival area) or around the city (bus station).

Getting a Tour

There's variety of transit tours available for transit passengers, if you are in the airport you can look for the airlines ground handler and they will assist you to the tour department. The tour department can be found in the transit area as well as in the arrival hall itself.

By Car

The best developed road network is in the Brunei-Muara district, including a coastal highway which runs from Muara to Jerudong and then on to Tutong. You can rent cars at the international airport or Bandar, either driving yourself or hiring a car with a driver that can double as a guide. Traffic drives on the right and you need an international driving permit. You will get a temporary Brunei driver's license when showing your national driver's license as well.

By Bus

There are bus services to Seria, Tutong and Muara from Bandar Seri Begawan and to Kuala Belait from Seria. There are many local bus routes around Bandar Seri Begawan but beware that they stop at 6pm prompt and after that time you'll be lucky to even find someone to call you a taxi.

By Boat

Water taxis are the most common way of getting to the water village of Kampong Ayer, with stations at Jalan Kianggeh and Jalan McArthur. Regular water taxi and boat services also ply the waters between Bandar Seri Begawan and Bangar (in Temburong).

Red Tape

Citizens of several countries are not required to obtain a visa beforehand to visit Brunei. ^[3]

Visa Exemption

• 90 days: United States of America
• 30 days: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Slovenia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom;
• 14 days: Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Leichtenstein, Maldives, Peru, Philippines, Switzerland, Thailand, Vietnam.

Visa on Arrival

• 30 days: Australia, Kuwait;
• 14 days: Bahrain, China (for tour groups only), Qatar.

All other visitors entering Brunei must have visas obtained from Brunei's missions abroad. The visas are normally issued for 14-day stays, but can be renewed in Brunei. Visitors must have an onward ticket and sufficient funds to support themselves while they are in Brunei.

Transit Visa[b]

• 72 hours: Australia, China, India among others

You can simply obtain a 72-hour transit visa on your arrival for just BND 5, the immigration only accepts BND or SGD.

Countries that do not require BND 5 entry visa are certain countries in South East Asia, New Zealand, as well as some countries in Europe.

Brunei's currency is the Brunei [b]ringgit. It is sometimes referred to as Brunei dollar and normally abbreviated with a dollar symbol and the letter B (B$). It is pegged to the Singapore Dollar at a 1:1 ratio, which is particularly convenient because Singapore is Brunei's largest trading partner. One ringgit is divided into 100 sen (cents). Coins exists in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20 and 50 sen. Banknotes are in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, 1,000 and 10,000 ringgit.

Work

Study

Language

See also Malay Phrasebook, Chinese Phrasebook

Malay is the country's official language. Other languages commonly spoken are English and Chinese (Mandarin & other dialects).

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Public alcohol consumption is banned in Brunei and the sale of alcohol is prohibited. Non-Muslims over 17 years old can however import up to two bottles of wine or spirits and twelve cans of beer. These must be declared at customs. It is advisable to keep the customs slip in case of inspection and you should of course be careful to only consume the alcohol in private.^[4]

Health

See also: Travel Health

There are no vaccinations legally required to travel to Brunei. There is one exception though. You need a yellow fever vaccination if you have travelled to a country (6 days or less before entering Brunei) where that disease is widely prevalent.

It's a good thing to get your vaccinations in order before travelling to Brunei. The general vaccination against Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio (DTP) is recommended. Also a hepatitis A vaccination is recommended and when travelling longer than 2 weeks also typhoid. Vaccination against Tuberculosis as well as hepatitis B are also sometimes recommended for stays longer than 3 months.

Finally, other possible health issues include diarrhea and other general travellers' diseases like motion sickness. Watch what you eat and drink and in case you get it, drink plenty of fluids (to prevent dehydration) and bring ORS.

There is no malaria in Brunei. Few travellers though wil visit Brunei, without paying a visit to nearby Malaysia, so having anti-malarial pills is probably recommended anyway. Dengue occurs as well, so take other general precautions as well, including sleeping under a mosquito net and using repellant (50% DEET).

Safety

See also: Travel Safety

Brunei is a very safe country with few problems for travellers. Crime against westerners is almost unheard of and walking around the capital at night poses few problems either.

The numbers to call in an emergency are:

• 991 – Ambulance
• 993 – Police
• 995 – Fire Brigade
• 998 – Search and Rescue

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet cafes are very easy to find throughout Brunei.

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

Brunei has a modern telecommunications infrastructure. To dial overseas from Brunei, dial 00 followed by the country code and the telephone number.

Telephone numbers in Brunei are assigned in the following prefixes:

• 2xx xxxx – Brunei-Muara
• 3xx xxxx – Belait
• 4xx xxxx – Tutong
• 5xx xxxx – Temburong
• 7xx xxxx – Mobile phones
• 8xx xxxx – Mobile phones

Emergency numbers:

• 991 – Ambulance
• 993 – Police
• 995 – Fire Brigade
• 998 – Search and Rescue

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