Bandar Seri Begawan

Friday, Feb.15
Arriving at the Brunei airport, I see two Caucasian young men collecting their backpacks. Ah, backpackers. Paul is Aussie from Perth. Csanad (Cs is pronounced CH) is Hungarian. Csanad has earlier contacted an Indian man who finds us and takes us to the Youth Hostel. We arrive at the hostel late, 9:30, check in, and leave for something to eat at an open market. We are bunking together, sharing our days, and will travel together to Kota Kinabalu in several days. The following day, we are joined, during our Brunei stay, by Anna, from my time in Sumatra, and another Aussie, Jade, from Brisbane, and Mandy from the UK. Thursday, we take a water taxi out into the jungle to see proboscis monkeys, then back to have a bite to eat in the water village (this is where most of the Brunei have homes on stilts over the water), again a bite, in the evening, at an open market, and a walk through a 6 star hotel. Earlier in the day, we visited the Brunei Museum. Abdul, a Brunei, has been very helpful in instructing us on how to make the trip to KK. He has acted as our guide for the day. Care will be taken through this section of the trip.
Brunei is controled by the 29th Sultan, and control is the correct word. There is no democracy here. Laws are Sharia laws. I believe that's what it's called. There is little room for individualism. It is clean, except in the water village and on the river. There is little concern, as in most of SE Asia, to disposal of plastic. Plastic is everywhere. Every little purchase is carried away in plastic. Packaging will be a tremendous dilemna for the future. Today, Friday, is a day of rest and catching up on the internet and walking around. This internet site is not equipped for transfering pictures. Maybe, I'll find a better location this afternoon.
On a health note, I've been waiting to see how long till I get what is commonly referred to as "Bali Belly". I don't think I need to interpret that one. So far, so good.