The city was originally called Bandar Brunei (English: Brunei Town). After the current Sultan’s father abdicated in 1967, the father took the title “Seri Begawan”, loosely translated to “Mr. god”. In 1970, the city was renamed in his honor to Bandar Seri Begawan (English: Town of mister god). Yes, this translation may be a bit of a stretch, but not that much of one. Check it out on Wikipedia. Saying that the city, and for that matter the whole country, is tightly connected to the sultan’s family is also not much of a stretch. You will see that almost every attraction is related to them.
You will want to familiarize yourself with the current phase of Sharia Law implemented by the Sultan. The first phase implemented in 2014 introduced fines or jail terms for indecent behavior, failure to attend Friday prayers, and out-of-wedlock pregnancies. The subsequent phases are supposed to introduce more severe penalties such as severing of limbs, flogging and death by stoning (for offences including sodomy and adultery).
I chose a three hour tour for my one day (two night) stay in Bandar Seri Begawan, because I was booked in a centrally located hotel (Radisson) and planned on seeing several of the locations by myself in the latter part of the day. As it happened, I was able to see practically everything during those three hours, including many items on the list I was planning on holding back. Specifically, I saw both mosques (Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah & Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin), the Istana Nurul Iman palace (at least what little of it can be seen from the road), the Royal Regalia museum, the open market and the water front. After the tour I went over to the water village by myself. My hotel provided a shuttle to the night market.
Why go?
- It Brunei is a waypoint to somewhere else for you, then spending a day here can be interesting. There is not enough to do here to make it a destination unto itself.
- A reason *not* to go: Spending money here supports the oppressive control the Sultan has over the country.
What you need to know:
- The language of Brunei is Malay.
- There are between 40 and 50 taxis in the whole country, so don’t count on using them to get around much. They queue up at the airport around the times that major flights come in, so you can use one when you arrive. Should you want to use one to get back to the airport when you leave, then you should book it ahead of time.
- There are buses, but I was told that they are not that reliable.
- There’s really not that much to see in the city, so you can probably see it all in one day.
- Skip the palace. You see practically nothing from the road, and perhaps a little more from the water. There is a scale replica of the palace’s throne room in the Royal Regalia museum.
- On Sunday morning (about 7am to 10am) some of the streets around the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque are blocked off from traffic, creating a pedestrian friendly area.
- They are trying to increase tourist business and recently created a ministry of tourism.
- The current Sultan holds the following positions: Head of State, Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, Minister of Finance, and Head of Religion… talk about wearing a lot of hats.
Kampong Ayer - Venice of the East
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
I was told that Brunei began with this building style and location; wooden buildings on stilts over the water separated from the “new” Brunei shore by a channel.
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Head to the link in my profile for more details: @mytravels.hdf
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Picture taken: 01/2017
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#Brunei #BandarSeriBegawan #KampongAyer #VeniceoftheEast #OldBandar #MyTravels.hdf #NationofBrunei #BruneiRiver #BruneiDarussalam
Kampong Ayer - Venice of the East
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
I was told that Brunei began with this building style and location; wooden buildings on stilts over the water separated from the “new” Brunei shore by a channel.
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Head to the link in my profile for more details: @mytravels.hdf
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Picture taken: 01/2017
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#Brunei #BandarSeriBegawan #KampongAyer #VeniceoftheEast #OldBandar #MyTravels.hdf #NationofBrunei #BruneiRiver #BruneiDarussalam
Kampong Ayer - Venice of the East
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
I was told that Brunei began with this building style and location; wooden buildings on stilts over the water separated from the “new” Brunei shore by a channel.
.
Head to the link in my profile for more details: @mytravels.hdf
.
Picture taken: 01/2017
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#Brunei #BandarSeriBegawan #KampongAyer #VeniceoftheEast #OldBandar #MyTravels.hdf #NationofBrunei #BruneiRiver #BruneiDarussalam
Interesting use of the word: UNITE
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
This race took place while I was visiting. I found it interesting that the theme was "Unite and Run as a Nation", when due to Sharia Law men and women had different start times. Things that make you go "hmmmmm"!
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Head to the link in my profile for more details: @mytravels.hdf
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Picture taken: 01/2017
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#Brunei #BandarSeriBegawan #CityRunBrunei #ShariaLaw #MyTravels.hdf #NationofBrunei #UNITE
Jame` Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
This is a fairly new mosque (completed in 1994) built by the current Sultan of Brunei. It is one of the two national mosques in the capital.
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Head to the link in my profile for more details: @mytravels.hdf
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Picture taken: 01/2017
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#Brunei #BandarSeriBegawan #Jame`AsrHassanilBolkiahMosque #Mosque #MyTravels.hdf #NationofBrunei
Jame` Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
This is a fairly new mosque (completed in 1994) built by the current Sultan of Brunei. It is one of the two national mosques in the capital.
.
Head to the link in my profile for more details: @mytravels.hdf
.
Picture taken: 01/2017
.
#Brunei #BandarSeriBegawan #Jame`AsrHassanilBolkiahMosque #Mosque #MyTravels.hdf #NationofBrunei
Jame` Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
This is a fairly new mosque (completed in 1994) built by the current Sultan of Brunei. It is one of the two national mosques in the capital.
.
Head to the link in my profile for more details: @mytravels.hdf
.
Picture taken: 01/2017
.
#Brunei #BandarSeriBegawan #Jame`AsrHassanilBolkiahMosque #Mosque #MyTravels.hdf #NationofBrunei
Jame` Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
This is a fairly new mosque (completed in 1994) built by the current Sultan of Brunei. It is one of the two national mosques in the capital.
.
Head to the link in my profile for more details: @mytravels.hdf
.
Picture taken: 01/2017
.
#Brunei #BandarSeriBegawan #Jame`AsrHassanilBolkiahMosque #Mosque #MyTravels.hdf #NationofBrunei
Jame` Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
This is a fairly new mosque (completed in 1994) built by the current Sultan of Brunei. It is one of the two national mosques in the capital.
.
Head to the link in my profile for more details: @mytravels.hdf
.
Picture taken: 01/2017
.
#Brunei #BandarSeriBegawan #Jame`AsrHassanilBolkiahMosque #Mosque #MyTravels.hdf #NationofBrunei
Jame` Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
This is a fairly new mosque (completed in 1994) built by the current Sultan of Brunei. It is one of the two national mosques in the capital.
.
Head to the link in my profile for more details: @mytravels.hdf
.
Picture taken: 01/2017
.
#Brunei #BandarSeriBegawan #Jame`AsrHassanilBolkiahMosque #Mosque #MyTravels.hdf #NationofBrunei
Jollibee fast food
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
Popeye`s better watch its back! ChickenJoy anyone?
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Head to the link in my profile for more details: @mytravels.hdf
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Picture taken: 01/2017
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#Brunei #BandarSeriBegawan #Jollibee #ChickenJoy #MyTravels.hdf #NationofBrunei
The Night Market in Bandar Seri Begawan
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
The local night market. It may appeal to tourists, but is primarily an active market for locals. It serves small items, fresh fruits and cooked meals.
The Radisson hotel offers shuttle service every evening.
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Head to the link in my profile for more details: @mytravels.hdf
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Picture taken: 01/2017
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#Brunei #BandarSeriBegawan #NightMarket #MyTravels.hdf #FreshFruit #Coconut #NationofBrunei
The Night Market in Bandar Seri Begawan
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
The local night market. It may appeal to tourists, but is primarily an active market for locals. It serves small items, fresh fruits and cooked meals.
The Radisson hotel offers shuttle service every evening.
.
Head to the link in my profile for more details: @mytravels.hdf
.
Picture taken: 01/2017
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#Brunei #BandarSeriBegawan #NightMarket #MyTravels.hdf #FreshFruit #Coconut #NationofBrunei
