On borderland, over hills

My last couple of days in Brunei were greatly interesting. Unfortunately, due to how intense and busy they were, I was unable to update the blog. So, I will do it in lump now. I will also close with my final reflections on a small country that has aroused big controversy, and my thoughts on Brunei as a place. There is a space and time for politics, and the politics of Brunei is what comes to mind for most people when they think of Brunei, so I do want to reflect on the country independently of its politics, to focus on its people and culture. I will break this section down into mosques and rainforest, and final reflections. Brunei's second masjid negara (national mosque) is the Omar Ali Saifuddien mosque, an impressive structure located almost entirely in an artificial lagoon. It is not only of religious significance, but national, cultural, and political significance, as it is named after the 28th Sultan of Brunei, Omar Ali Saifuddien, since its opening in 1958 it has become a sym...

There is only one person in this nation of 400,000 people who could have the benefit of an eight hour time difference and still trek out of bed and into breakfast a mere half an hour before closing. No prizes for guessing who that is. It has been a fascinating day, a trying day in many ways.  But, in the spirit of adventure, I totally embrace that. What would going off backpacking be if there weren't challenges, and we didn't make mistakes?  Malaysian morning television is remarkably similar to American morning television; not so much the UK. Quite remarkably so. All the ads are the same, the women just wear hijabs. They had word-for-word Cadbury's commercials that air on UK television, re-made with Malaysian children, in Malay. I watched Buletin Pagi , seemingly Malaysia's main morning news show, while I ate my one-day complimentary hotel breakfast and made plans for how to see Brunei. It was in Malay, so I didn't get very much of it, but one doesn't need to be...