Salamat Detang from Brunei

Think you have nice beaches? Ha

You aint seen nothing until you’ve seen the long stretch of beach along the coast of Borneo/Brunei. Seeing it from above was wonderful. We could also see lots of oil rig platforms out in the sea. 

Coming from a bankrupt country to one of the wealthiest countries in the world seems a bit weird. 

Brunei is Sultanate Nation whose head of state the Sultan of Brunei is one of the weathiest rulers in the world estimated to be worth 28billionUSD. 

Brunei,  officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with its territory bifurcated by the Sarawak district of Limbang. Brunei is the only sovereign state entirely on Borneo; the remainder of the island is divided between its multi-landmass neighbours of Malaysia and Indonesia. 

As of 2020, the country had a population of 460,345 of whom approximately 100,000 resided in the capital and largest city of Bandar Seri Begawan. 

Its official language is Malayand Islam is the state religion of the country, although other religions are nominally tolerated. 

The government of Brunei is an absolute monarchy ruled by the Sultan of Brunei, and it implements a fusion of English common law and jurisprudence inspired by Islam, including sharia.

Britain's protectorate over Brunei ended on 1 January 1984, with Brunei becoming a fully sovereign state.

Brunei has been led by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah since 1967, and the country's unicameral legislature, the Legislative Council, is simply consultative and are all appointed by the Sultan. 

The country's wealth derives from its extensive petroleum and natural gas fields. Economic growth during the 1990s and 2000s has transformed Brunei into an industrialised country, with its GDP increasing 56% between 1999 and 2008. 

The House of Bolkiah maintains political control by providing a welfare state for its citizens, with free or significant subsidies in regards to housing, healthcare and education. 

It ranks "very high" on the Human Development Index (HDI)—the second-highest among Southeast Asian states after Singapore, which it maintains close relations with including a Currency Interchangeability Agreement. 

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Brunei is ranked twelfth in the world by gross domestic product per capita at purchasing power parity. 

I was shattered when I arrived but went out for a wander and found I was staying in an area awash with shops, restaurants and cafes. Many of the shops are basic but every now and then there are some western style places too. I went into a department store that housed a supermarket and spent hours ogling at all the things I wanted but cant take home. 

It was too hot and I was too tired to venture far but watch this space. I will be out on the prowl.