In Brunei, all that glitters is gold!!!!

"In Brunei, all that glitters is gold."

This contains A description of my day in Brunei and some facts I learned from my tour guide.

Brunei is a small country sandwiched in between two sections of Malaysia having recently gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. Before that, it was a British protectorate for a century. It is a Malay, Islamist, monarchy governed by sharia law. Known for its vast wealth derived from the oil reserves, the country ranks as the fifth richest nation in the world. The sultan's net worth is $20 billion. In the  royal family's 2015 wedding, The bride carried a Bouquet not of flowers but of gemstones. They live in the world's largest residential palace containing 1788 rooms.

Sharia law which was instituted in 2014, ensures that this closed and restricted society imposes harsh and barbaric punishments for such things as adultery, homosexuality, alcohol consumption, and any defamation of the profit, blasphemy, or denial of Islam.  Death by stoning is common practice for those convicted of such crimes.

Despite its religiosity, The royal family is infamous for a hedonistic lifestyle that includes opulent orgies and an obsession with wealthy, American celebrities. 

It's currency is interchangeable with the Singapore dollar. The people learn 3 languages in school and learn 2-4 other languages in order to communicate with multi-ethnic friends and neighbors. Every family has 2-3 vehicles including a mini-van. The crime rate is virtually zero here and residents rarely lock their doors. Censorship is high. If a photo of a scantily clad woman is discovered, her arms or cleave get manually blacked out by the authorities. I imagine there is a long line of men holding black out markers applying for that censor job!!

The largest prison population consists of those who overstayed their visa. Incomes are high and there is no income tax.

I took a ship shore excursion today that included three key activities:

1) We suited up in orange life jackets and took a relaxing ride along the river where where the "water village" is home to 20,000 people with 19 schools. Many of the homes are wooden and some are built on stilts. We visited the home of our boat driver where his family served tea and traditional cakes. 

2) Next stop: Royal Regalia museum provides a history of the sultans Brunei.  It is filled with opulent artifacts from the current royal family including 19k gold throne, ceremonial armor, jeweled crowns, and golden hand that held up the sultan's head as he wore his heavy coronation crown. The golden chariot used to carry the newly appointed sultan is on display in the lobby. I heard it is ONLY made of 19k gold.

Impressively, when the sultan was a prince, he was trained in all 3 branches of military. Because of his air force training, he serves as his own pilot when he travels.

Before entering the museum, we required to remove our footwear. Before leaving the first level, we had to surrender all backpacks, purses, cameras, another recording devices. They kept a large separate tub to hold all of our goods from our tour bus number 19.  Admission is free to the public.

Here is a blog post from another tourist that gives a good description of the museum:

http://blog.asiahotels.com/opulent-treasures-of-brunei-at-the-royal-regalia-museum/

3) Next, we visited the Jame' Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque (from the outside)---both sides of the street are lined with gold and it is surrounded by fountains and beautifully landscaped gardens. Built in 1992, it holds 5000 people and is topped with 29 gold domes to signify His Majesty the Sultan as the 29th ruler of Brunei. Gold dripped from every gate.

Poor in Brunei is defined as "not having a car." Cars are cheap. Gas (petrol) costs less than water. Families take care of each other, so, less than than 10 people live in nursing homes--yes, ten. The government subsidizes housing. You can buy a house for $40,000 US. The house is yours for life. If you cannot afford it, Papa Sultan will assist. Importantly, there are no homeless people. A doctors or dentist visit cost $1. If you need specialized medical treatment overseas, the government will fund your care and provide accommodation (for you and a family member).

Our tour guide seemed really enamored with the Sulton and the royal family for taking care of his people. She said he even throws parties for the people and allows the public into his Royal Polo club. He is quite accessible and anyone who wants to meet him at regular events has access to him.

Our tour guide was evasive when I questioned why the Sultan enacted sharia law just last year, especially if the crime rate is so low. She said it's just to prevent people from committing religious crimes. She minimized the whole idea. She said "if a person is caught stealing you are supposed to cut off their hand. You have not heard of anyone's hand being cut off since the new laws were enacted last year." Well, there you have it the party line.

Please forgive the typos as I wrote this on my iphone and will make corrections when I return home.

Also, I will post more photos later.

Manila, Philippines Adventure

Manila Adventure

I had quite the adventure my first time in Manila (via cruise ship). I had not made firm plans in advance for this port but I had conducted my research and brought guides and maps just in case I decided to tour independently. I met two couples who were going on an official organized tour of the slums. I agreed to join their tour but got cold feet the day before, imagining how depressing it would be and how awkward and inappropriate I would feel glaring into the lives of the very powerless and desparate of society. Instead, Although I normally avoid cruise line shore excursions, I decided to take their tour of the old walled city ( Intramuros) with a couple of shopping stops. ($59 and 4 hours) To my dismay, that tour was sold out. In the end, there were not enough of us on the wait list for them to add another tour bus. Alas, I had to make my own plans!! One of my solo dinner mates informed me a group of them were planning to take a taxi together to Intramuros.

Although I was hesitant to venture out solo, I was not excited about roaming around with a group of Americans & Aussies who knew less than I. The next morning, I went off the ship early to visit the local info booth and collect detailed maps. They convinced me I could walk there in 15 minutes or so. I was thrilled so I met the group and thanked them for the invite but I would walk on my own.

Well, as I left the ship follow the directions into the old town, I found the path to be more confusing than I had anticipated.The extreme humidity was obstructing my ability to make clear headed decisions. I saw another couple from the ship looked equally confused and overheated. Naturally, I decided to walk alongside. I thought three heads are better than one. They seem to know less than I did, but at least I was not walking alone on this confusing path. Taxis and all forms of transport were beginning to look very attractive at this point. My couple seem to be giving up because of the heat they were ready to just walk back to the ship. I was not going to be defeated.

I had ignored several Peddy cab drivers whose sales pitch included taking me on a comprehensive tour of the walled city.  I decided to listen to one of their stories. He tried to convince me that he could give me a thorough tour, he would do the driving with natural air conditioning, (ha ha,) and he showed me all of his licenses and certifications. He told me it was 350 Philippine pesos, which translates to about seven dollars. Then, I saw the Fine Print which said 350 pesos per hour. Obviously, the pricing was all subject to negotiation. In the meantime, I had no Philippine pesos yet because there was no ATM inside the port area. I kept walking away until he agreed to 200 pesos per hour. Then, I realized now I have to tell him I don't have pesos.
 

Rule number one of the negotiation: don't negotiate if you don't even have that currency. I asked him if he excepted US dollars and he said yes. So I finally told him I would give him five dollars a half hour. I was still uncertain but another official looking man standing there listening to the story and told me that he was an official petty cab driver guy and that I got a good price. What the heck! I was really hot, really tired, and somewhat lost........ More importantly, unlike my couple who gave up and left, I really wanted to see the old walled city built in the 1600s by the Spanish. It is a UNESCO world heritage site.

So off we went on our little human-powered bike. At first it was extremely bumpy because we were riding over big cobblestones, then we almost fell off the curb. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry but the show must go on, right! I felt as though I was being videotaped for a comedy reality show. I couldn't understand half of what he was saying but at least he would point to his list of all the major sites as he talked.

 

Our first stop was the Philippine Cathedral, an impressive structure. Then, as we were driving he told me he also lives in the USA, The United Squatter Area. We were driving near it and he asked me if I wanted to ride inside and see it. I declined, knowing it would be enlightening but depressing. We made a few more stops at major sites in the old walled city. It was much more vast than I had imagined. My favorite stop was Saint Augustine Jesuit church, an amazing structure.
 

An hour and a half later we arrived at the big fort and that's where he told me the tour ends. He told me I could take a taxi back to the ship. This is despite the fact that he told me he was going to take me back there. I'm not sure what was going on but I paid him the five-dollars -every -30 - minutes fee of US$15. He kept asking me for a tip. I told him no, that's what we've negotiated. I was very tempted to give him more, but I stood my ground because I had gone out of my way to negotiate this rate.
 

I saw several large tour buses from our ship and wanted to go and beg the leader to let me join them. Knowing they would say no, I decided to find my way back. Then I saw a shop that was full of Cruise line tourists. I knew it would be air-conditioned and have a nice variety of merchandise. I went in and bought three items for $15 US. I can't believe how low the prices are here. I was really hot and tired at this point, three hours after I left the ship. Now, it was time for me to do more negotiating for a taxi ride home. The taxi driver insisted his meter was not working even though I told him I needed him to turn the meter on. I know that game well. The woman in the store told me not to pay more than 100 pesos, so at least I had a benchmark price. When he told me his meter wasn't working, he said I will charge you 500 pesos, I exclaimed, absolutely not. I was told it will cost less than 100 pesos. He kept smiling. Then I told him I have US dollars. I told him I would agree to two dollars for the ride. It was a 5 to 10 minute ride back to the port and I handed him the two dollars. He kept saying no, can't you give me more? I caved in and gave him one more dollar. So my total touring and transportation cost $18 and my souvenirs cost $15. Not bad for a nice adventure and my first visit to Manila. I had lunch on the ship and thought about heading back out to another part of town for a couple of hours or so. That heat was just too intense, and it is November. 

At the end of a long day of touring, is nothing like the feeling of returning home to your big modern, clean, air conditioned ship that contains round the clock food and entertainment!!!

Please forgive typos. I wrote this on my iphone and will make corrections at home.