When I first visited the kingdom or Sultanate of Brunei, in 2010, I was full of anxiety and curiosity. Anxious was how to visit this world's richest kingdom from a small neighboring city of Miri, Sarawak and curious was what could I find inside the city. Since this little Sultanate had no manufacturing base to begin with, it was never on my biz travel agenda.
But I was always curious to know how their people enjoyed their lifestyles since nobody pays personal income taxes. I wanted to hire a car and drive across but realizing the rental rates were high, I took a hirer taxi instead, and could enjoy better sightseeing and taking pictures.
It was breeze crossing the checkpoint but nothing really captivating for some 30 minutes except seeing the Shell petroleum signs everywhere, which was understandable. The streets were same as any in Malaysia, none was painted with gold, except the magnificent palaces, which were really golden and enticing from afar. Few cars were on the roads and local people seemed carefree and relaxing.
Some tourists took short boat trips to enjoy the serenity and silent splendour especially viewing the splendid palaces and mosques from the waterfront, undisturbed. I found one small eatery said to be owned by a Singaporean which served non-halal food, to my surprise and delight.
Then I was driven to a 6-star Empire Hotel and Golf Resort to realize what true luxury was about. It has its elegance, sprawling premises and design beauty, but it was under-used, since the occupancy rates were low. The service was great but prices were much higher than elsewhere.
It was easy for those with Singapore Dollars as they could be used as exact equivalents to their Brunei $. At least, I have now visited all the original Asean countries.
No comments :
Post a Comment