KOKOLINE 2023 The Kokoda Track & Caroline Islands Western Pacific: DAY 1 to 4 (10-13 April 2023): BRUNEI – Bandar Seri Begawan

Welcome to the very first post of KOKOLINE covering the following nations:

KOKOLINE is “Koko-losil”, a famous saying amongst Generation X, describing the fabulous flavours of the breakfast cereal “Coco Pops” – like a chocolate milkshake only crunchy !!! Indeed KOKOLINE is off to a great start with the truly impressive sovereign UN nation of Brunei, which I present to you in this first post of KOKOLINE in all its glory !!!

BRUNEI (Pop 449,002) is a pleasant surprise. It may only be 8.5% the size of Tazzie but it packs a much bigger punch ! The minute I set eyes on the capital Bandar Seri Begawan I thought, this looks like Singapore only on a more compact scale and indeed my guide Wan confirmed this by saying that Singapore is Brunei’s closest ally and models itself on Singapore in many respects. The country is located on the northern side of Borneo, which originally was called Brunei Island in the 13^th Century when the first Sultan made his way to this area after Indonesian Royalty underwent a huge spill. The country is now ruled by the 29^th Sultan since the first, Hassanal Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III. Born in 1946, he is the King, Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, Minister of Defence and Minister of Foreign Affairs. He is currently the oldest living male Monarch in the world. Even though Bruneians speak a dialect of Malay they identify themselves more with Indonesia since most rural people speak and eat closer to Indonesians. Brunei is a very strict Muslim country adopting Sharia Law, which forbids alcohol so I had to go to great lengths to avail myself of some, which I shall share with you in the film…

I visited Brunei during the Holy Month of Ramadan so there were very few visitors about with most sites all to myself - the only downside was not being able to visit inside Mosques.

I landed in Brunei in the afternoon and visited the following at night: Jame Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque (Built 1994, Cost USD8m, Setas 5000), Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque (Built 1958, Cost 1m Pounds Sterling, Seats 3000) and the Local Market. This opened up a new era in nighttime photography using a dedicated shooting mode in the awesome Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, which is one of the main reasons it is the dedicated photo and video gear of this trip !!!

My second day covered a very extensive, top to toe, tour of the entire Capital: Lapau (Royal Ceremonial Hall, Sultan Crowned 1968), Dewan Majlis (Old Parliament), Tamu Kianggeh (Market, Queen Elizabeth II 1998), Malay Technology Museum (Built Shell 1984), Sultan Bolkiah Tomb, Royal Regalia Museum, Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, Kampong Ayer (Venice of the East Water Village) Boat Ride & Walk & Tea in Local House, Jame Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque, Nurul Iman Palace (Sultan of Brunei Home, Largest Guinness Book). Bandar is not an old city having been established in 1906 by the British who ruled here from 1888 to 1963, which led to total independence in 1984.

My third day took me on a day trip to Temburong National Park, 72km away to visit the dense rainforest of Borneo and travel 24km along the Temburong River, deliverance style which culminated in my 2.3km over rapids and rocks with a few bruises as souvenirs and a completely unique experience – according to the locals I am the only tourist to have ever swum in this rapidly flowing river !!!

Brunei has oil and gas to thank for its strong economic past, present and future give that there are at least 60 years of reserves left. Despite this, the Sultan has the foresight to promote electronic vehicles and solar power. This is especially ironic given that His Majesty owns 7,000 cars worth $USD 5 billion in a country that has the most cars per head of population at 1.5 covering men, women and children !!!

Here are some interesting facts of Brunei:

First Settled 6-7th C. Bruneian Empire 15-17th C. British Rule 1888-1963. Capital Bandar Founded 1906 British. Inpependence 1984.
The Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah world’s longest-reigning male monarch since 1968
Sultan Of Brunei (Born 1946) Forbes Richest Person 1988, worth $USD30b end 2022, has 7000 cars worth $USD5b (incl 500 Rolls Royces), $20k haicuts
Brunei & Bhutan only absolute monarchies left in Asia. Sultan of Brunei is King, Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Finance, & Minister of Defense
Istana Nurul Iman Palace Guiness world's largest residential palace (Sultan of Brunei): 1,788 rooms, 50 acres USD1.4 billion.
Japanese occupied 1941-1945, Sharia Law in 2014 (Stoning, Anti-Gay, Adultery), Only 7% Christian, Christmas Illegal in Public, Muslim-Christian Weddings Forbidden - Death Penalty
2nd highest Living Standard, 2nd least corruption, 3rd largest oil producer in SE Asia, 99% of pop has social media, 5% personal income tax
Brunei owns the Anna Creek Beef Cattle Station in Australia that is 4 times the size of Brunei & 25% the size of Tazzie & supplies all the beef.