The world is so big, those scenery that you have never seen are far more vast than you imagined, those who see from the book, what others hear from the mouth, are not as real as your feet on that land, it is better to see than to hear, break through the preset pride and prejudice, in order to feel the fun of travel! For Brunei, a halal country in Southeast Asia, few people have set foot here, but only those who have been there have a say!
Travel, not only a kind of enjoyment, but also a kind of learning, its significance is: to experience different processes, in-depth understanding of a country's history and culture, customs, and finally to see, learn knowledge, customs and culture to share with people who do not have the opportunity to go abroad, Brunei's luxury is no less than Dubai, but Brunei's style of doing things is very low-key, the outside world knows little about Brunei's affairs, and it is rare for a person to bring fire to a country's tourism industry!
When it comes to Brunei, the outside world knows very little about it, Brunei's presence in the entire Southeast Asia region and even in the whole world is low, mainly because Brunei is not a country with the tourism industry as the economic pillar, and there are very few people who have been to Brunei, in fact, there are a lot of Chinese in Brunei, mainly Fujianese, Hakka, Teochew people, travel to Brunei feels very cordial, and the use of Chinese can also be unimpeded, not to mention, now Brunei implements visa on arrival for China, only need to provide round-trip air tickets and hotel reservations, The visa fee is 20 Brunei dollars (about 110 yuan), at present, you can fly directly to Brunei from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Changsha, Nanning, Hangzhou and other places in China, or choose to transfer to Brunei from other countries in Southeast Asia, it is recommended to take Royal Brunei Airlines, from Nanning to Bandar Seri Begawan direct flight 3 and a half hours!
Here are some of the things I saw and heard in Brunei:
1. Brunei is located on the north shore of Borneo in Southeast Asia, Brunei and Sarawak and Sabah in Malaysia are collectively known as the three states of North Borneo, and is an absolute monarchy, implementing the "king system", Brunei is a small country with a low sense of existence, with a land area of 5,765 square kilometers and a population of only 450,000 (2023), of which 73.5% are Malays, 9.5% are Chinese, and 17% are of other races. At the beginning of the 16th century, the Sultanate was at its strongest, but from the middle of the 16th century, it was invaded by Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, Britain and other countries, and in 1888 it was completely reduced to a British protectorate, and in 1941 it was occupied by Japan, and in 1946, Britain regained control of Brunei again, and it was not until January 1, 1984 that it became fully independent, and joined ASEAN on January 7 of the same year.
2. Brunei is very rich, in the whole Asian region is an outstanding existence, mainly due to its geographical location, in 1929, Brunei people first discovered the existence of oil, since then, wealth has snowballed rapidly, especially from the 20th century 70 years, Brunei will be the entire country's industrial focus on the oil export industry, Brunei up to the royal family, down to the common people are following the common benefit, before only heard of the example of the poor getting rich overnight, But it is rare to see an example of a country suddenly getting rich, which is unimaginable to the world, especially the United Kingdom, Brunei's crude oil and natural gas to create an industrial value of 50% of the country's GDP, in the entire Southeast Asian region, Brunei's oil reserves and production after Indonesia, ranking second, Brunei's GDP in 2022 at constant prices will be 18.70 billion Wenyuan (about 14.01 billion US dollars), per capita GDP is about 31,100 US dollars.
3. The currency of Brunei is the Brunei dollar, which is pegged to the Singapore dollar at a 1:1 exchange rate, 1 US dollar is about 1.33 Wen Yuan (July 2023), that is to say, according to the current exchange rate of the US dollar to RMB 7.28, one Wen Yuan is about 5.47 yuan, and the per capita income of Brunei is 2000-3000 Brunei dollars, and the consumption in Brunei is as follows: Hainan chicken rice 3 Brunei dollars, LAKSA rice noodles 3 Brunei dollars, grill chicken chicken steak rice 5 Brunei dollars, and the starting price of a taxi is 5 Brunei dollarsThe average price of accommodation is 60-100 Brunei dollars, the average price of snacks in Katong Night Market is 1-2 Brunei dollars, gasoline is less than 1 Brunei dollar per liter, and mineral water costs 1 Brunei dollar a bottle.
4. Brunei is too small, two days of play time is enough, Brunei's public transportation is inconvenient, the locals do not need, because almost every household has a car, foreign tourists come to Brunei can choose to rent a car or use Dart to take a taxi, the starting price is 5 Brunei dollars, the airport to the city taxi needs 10 Brunei dollars (about 55 yuan), there are only dozens of taxis, at the airport or Brunei city to buy a phone card containing 4G traffic needs 10 Brunei dollars, Brunei environment is good, the streets are very clean, and it is also very quiet, This is a safe and wealthy small country in Southeast Asia after Singapore, and it is worth mentioning that Brunei is free of smoking and alcohol, and tourists need to pay taxes for bringing tobacco and alcohol into the country!
5. Brunei's food style is biased towards Indian style and Malay style, and the locals are very fond of eating chicken products, such as fried chicken, grilled chicken, grilled fish, grilled chicken butt, grilled chicken thighs, grilled chicken neck, grilled chicken feet, etc., these foods can be seen everywhere in Brunei's night markets, and a skewer of grilled chicken butt only costs 1 Brunei currency.
6. Every Friday in Brunei is a public holiday, on this day, Bruneians will choose to take a holiday, or go on a day trip to Temburong National Park, of course, although there are fewer entertainment activities in Brunei, but the shops will sell VCDs and DVDs, and it is also a good choice to stay at home and watch discs!
7. Brunei is a halal country, Islamic culture prevails here, exquisite mosques can be seen everywhere, most of the mosques are open in the morning and open for an hour in the afternoon, female tourists need to dress neatly when entering the mosque, pants, skirts, etc. should cover their knees, and they should wear robes provided at the door, men are not allowed to wear bathrobes, shorts or loose T-shirts, and they can not make loud noises in public places, yellow is the symbol of the royal family, do not wear yellow clothes when entering the palace, and do not touch the people who are praying.
8. The current king of Brunei is Haji. Hassanal. Bolkiah, he ascended the 29th Sultan of Brunei in 1976, and is still the king today, because of the existence of oil, Bolkiah ranked first in the list of "Fortune" magazine in 1997, becoming the richest man in the world at that time, but now how much wealth Bolkiah has, no one knows, the Brunei royal family is well versed in the truth that "if you are poor, you will be good alone, and if you reach it, you will help the world", and the wealth created through oil is not all in the bag, but a considerable part of it is used to plan the welfare system for the people of Brunei, This has allowed Bolkiah to strengthen its firm position in the hearts of the people of Brunei!
9. Brunei's welfare is all-round, in terms of education, the people of Brunei are free to enroll from kindergarten, until the highest degree that can be achieved is free, and even, Brunei will also issue subsidies for outstanding students in various names, if you want to study abroad, Brunei will also provide free study paths, the only condition is that when you succeed in learning, you need to return to China to contribute; In terms of medical treatment, Bruneians only need to spend 1 Brunei dollar for medical treatment, from consultation, medicine, examination, surgery, hospitalization are free, if the country cannot be treated, Brunei will also arrange for family members to accompany to seek medical treatment abroad, all of which are free; In terms of housing, Brunei residents can choose to spend 1 Brunei dollar to buy a piece of land to build a house by themselves, or they can choose to pay 100 Brunei dollars per month to live in a state house, the latter will be owned by the owner after 30 years, and most people choose this way!
10. Brunei is a "polygamous" country, the current king Bolkiah is 77 years old, he has three wives, when he married his first wife Salah (now the queen), Bolkiah was 19 years old, and the two had 6 children after marriage; Bolkiah was 35 years old when he married his second wife, Miriam (a flight attendant, divorced), and the two had 4 children after marriage; Bolkiah was 59 years old when he married his third wife, Yazlina Mazha (TV journalist, divorced), and the two had two children after marriage; It is worth mentioning that both Miriam and Yazlina, when they divorced and were stripped of their royal titles and expelled from the palace, they were given a large amount of gold, silver and jewelry, which was enough for them to spend the rest of their lives without worry!
11. The rhythm of life in Brunei is very monotonous, there are no bars, song halls, baths, drinking and smoking are not allowed, life in Brunei should adapt to the simple and boring lifestyle here, nothing more than shopping, enjoying the scenery, eating and drinking tea, entertainment facilities are almost equal to nothing, seeing more splendid buildings will also produce visual fatigue, such a lifestyle is not suitable for us, no wonder Brunei is only suitable for two-day tours, but there are also people who like Brunei's way of life, the locals are particularly friendly, the quality is very good, Regardless of the staff or taxi drivers everywhere, they all speak softly and smile, although Brunei is small, but it is stable and peaceful, and it feels like a paradise like isolation, different people have different views on Brunei!
12. Brunei is not a developed country, so poor that it can only survive by selling oil, Brunei has no traffic, hurry, high-rise buildings, bustling cities, only indifferent life and indisputable welfare, Brunei has a land area of 5765 square kilometers, equivalent to 3 Shenzhen, 5 Hong Kong, 8 Singapore, although it is backed by Malaysia, but it is not as bright as Malaysia and Thailand, the gap between the rich and the poor.
13. The customs and habits of Brunei should be respected, and when visiting mosques or Malay homes, take off your shoes before entering the door to show respect; You should not use your index finger when pointing at people and objects, but you should put your four fingers together and make a fist. Do not stilt your legs or cross your feet in formal occasions; No spitting, smoking, offenders will be fined 50-500 Brunei dollars; Gifts to Malays must not have human or animal motifs; During Ramadan, Muslims do not eat from sunrise to sunset, and tourists can only eat at certain restaurants during Eid al-Fitr. Bruneians don't drink alcohol; Bruneians consider the left hand to be unclean and use the right hand when picking up and delivering food; Brunei is a monarchy, and the status of the king is very respectful, and ordinary people are not allowed to wear yellow clothes when meeting the king.
14. When you travel to Brunei, it is recommended to go to Omar Ali Saifudin Mosque, which is a large-scale, unique style of Brunei mosque, known as one of the most spectacular mosques in the Asia-Pacific region, located in the center of Bandar Seri Begawan, looks white and flawless buildings and the main vault plated with pure gold is very attractive, you can see the mosque and its reflection in the water during the day, no matter from which angle, it is a beautiful picture, here is one of the most suitable places to check in and take pictures.
15. Secondly, it is recommended to go to the Hassan Al Bolkiah Mosque, which is the largest mosque in Brunei, which was built to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Sultan's accession to the throne, as far as the eye can see, 29 giant domes made of gold, 7 arches, 15 fountains, alluding to the meaning of "Sultan's birthday on July 15", of course, the interior decoration is exquisite, and the style belongs to the magnificence and reveals a trace of majesty.
16. You can also go to the Sultan Memorial Hall (built in 1992), the ticket is 5 Brunei dollars, it is recommended to wear a sock, the air conditioner is turned on very cold, the interior and exterior display of the traditional royal chariot, crown, token, royal activity photos and other items used by the current Sultan when he ascended the throne, the most eye-catching of which is the dragon used by the current Sultan when he ascended the throne, it is said that the whole is made of gold, full of pride.
17. When you come to Brunei, it is recommended to go to the mysterious Grand Palace to check in, feel the pride of the emperor, come to the Imperial Hotel decorated with 45 kilograms of gold, sleep on the seaside until you wake up naturally, walk on the blue seaside, feel the atmosphere of the private beach, come to the world's largest floating village as a guest, come to the "One Yuan Night Market" Katong Night Market to taste the roast chicken butt, mosques, water villages, proboscis monkeys, magnificent palaces, simple folk customs, such Brunei, it is difficult not to fall in love!
18. In Brunei, the wedding is a grand and grand ceremony, first of all, it is necessary to find a suitable venue, such as a luxury hotel or private villa, for the wedding ceremony, and then, it is necessary to choose the right dress, usually the bride will choose the traditional white wedding dress, while the groom will choose a suit dress, in the wedding ceremony, the newlyweds will walk on the red carpet to receive the blessings and respect of relatives and friends, at the same time, they will complete the traditional wedding ceremony, such as exchanging rings and kowtowing to their parents, and then, they will go to the church or mosque, After the wedding, the couple will lead their relatives and friends to enjoy food and drinks in a well-prepared banquet venue, and in order to make the wedding more solemn, the couple will arrange some traditional programs such as traditional dance performances and song singing, and finally, after the banquet, the couple will give the guests souvenirs and gifts to express their gratitude.