Bandar Seri Begawan

Brunei

23 June 2026

Hello,

A word about Brunei:

Brunei is an Absolute Hereditary Monarchy. The Sultan is the Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Head of State.

Brunei enjoys massive oil and natural gas reserves.

The citizens receive housing subsidies, automobile subsidies, free education and free health care.  Everyone is neat and well-dressed.

I do not see a motor bike or motorcycle or any public transportation vehicle.

Late model cars and SUVs speed along multi-lane roads and streets.  All the roads are modern and immaculate.

The citizens I meet are civil and generous.  At the airport the Currency Exchange Agent cheerfully exchanges US Dollars and Thai Baht to Brunei Dollars.  The Telephone Company Agent patiently inserts a Brunei SIM card.  He then calls DART, the local ride app, and books a taxi for me from the airport to the hotel.

The hotel staff are exceptionally helpful.

My English-speaking guide/driver is knowledgeable and patient with his slow-moving passenger. In fact, all the customer-contact people including shop-keepers and restaurant staff, perhaps everyone speaks English.

The crosswalks along the main streets have “zebras” at many locations.  As I walk along a sidewalk and approach a crosswalk, traffic in both directions comes to a stop as the drivers anticipate that I may turn and try to cross the road.

On my long walk from the hotel to the Twenty-fifth Anniversary Monument, a driver stops, comes out of his car and asks if I need help or want a ride somewhere.  He asks several times.

The only complaint I have is the limited selection of mostly bland menu items.  (I’m spoiled, I admit.  I do live in Thailand.)

I made two decisions regarding this final Photo Gallery from Brunei.

Normally I post a photo gallery with a specific location or subject.  For example, Mosque or Temple, Special Scenery, or Flora or Fauna.  

This time the photos I selected are in chronological order: From my first Buffet Breakfast that coincided with the Muslim New Year Celebration to the final night shots and the illuminated bridges.

I also edied the photographs or left them in their original configuration to try to match the theme of the title of the gallery: “Out and About in BSB.”

Finally, my recent chore has been to identify each image to the best of my ability.  Google Lens!

So please, come out and about with me as I visit the capital city of this unusual little country.

Cheers,

Jan