A visit to Brunei

A Visit to Brunei I am here at their cafe waiting for more news from a conference which I am attending in Brunei. When I touched down yesterday , I was quite surprise at the size and condition of their airport. The airport was smaller than the Dhaka airport while it is now in the progress of renovation and expansion. My view is that the country should be very rich as it is rich  in natural resources. The hotel I am stayin is the 2nd biggest hotel and it is located in a mall. The mall is smaller than the Sunway carnival mall in Sebarang Jaya. The population is about 450,000 and only 15% is Chinese . There is no bicycle or motorbike on the road except once a while you see a superbike passes by. Everyone owns a car as petrol is cheap ie  S$0.50 per litre of petrol and the bank offers cash advance of S$2000 to 3000 for everyone to buy a car. Instead is deposits, they give you money to buy a car and you need to repay it over seven years. There is nothing strange as they will fall back on the guarantor if you don't pay. This is a Islamic country and they broadcast a prayer before each flight , there is no alcohol, no entertainment outlets and no cigarettes unless you go underground. You can bring in alcohol ie two bottles of wine but you cannot drink it in the public. It is a big country and roads are in good conditions . I was surprised that they have a very big convention center located in the Empire hotel and a golf course. It is really a great and beautiful resort and the people is so friendly and it is pure clean living. Lots of fresh air and sunshire. The tourist spots is the National Mosque, the Palace , the Empire Hotel resort and the border point to Sarawak. The food is almost the same as the Malay food in Malaysia but with some variations . Even their Malay language ,mandarin and Hokkien is quite similar with a local tone . Nothing to be surprised. Again, it is a place for relax , read a great book , healthy living and do your yoga to enjoy the good "chi". Namaste