Brunei : paradise in the Southeast Asia

Brunei is a small country in the Southeast Asia with less than half a million people.  The country is ruled by its Sultan who succeeded his founding father from the 16th century.  With its oil and natural gas resources, Brunei chose to remind independent with support of the British.  Nowadays, Brunei still engage an army of well-trained Gurkha to safeguard its oilfields. 

(One of the beautiful mosques built by Sultans for their people)

Brunei is facing the South China Sea in the Tropical area.  The weather is hot with abundant rainfall year round.  There is absence of natural disaster such as typhoon or earthquake. With good income from oil and gas, the Sultan has provided his country free education and health care.  The country is also well served by its airline, the Royal Brunei Airline, connecting the outside world.  The crime rate here is low.  Local people are living happily in this paradise land.

(Happy children of Brunei)

 

(Houses built over the water) 

Other than oil and gas, Brunei does not have much industry.  Most of its coastal marshland and tropical rain forests are largely reminded unexplored.  The absence of tourist crowds make it a good destination to explore the nature and to enjoy its natural beauty.

(Mangrove trees in the marshland provide shelters to seabirds and marine lives)

During our short stay in Brunei, we made an interesting outing to its tropical rain forest in the Temburong National Park.  Our trip first started with an hour ride on speed boat along the narrow waterways among mangrove trees and nipa palms.  Then, a van took us into the national park. We changed to local long boat up the river.  Tall strangling figs on both sides of the river looked like giants guarding the forest from unwanted intruders. 

(Long boat sailing up the river)

(Hanging bridge inside the forest)

After the boat ride, we walked up the hill for half an hour inside the forest.  A few of us climbed up 150 feet to the tree canopy walkway.  This was my first experience up in the tree canopy.  The scenery up there was great.  Many epiphytic plants, wild orchids and inserts were found up there.  You would forget the busy city life and merge yourself into the nature.   

(Tree canopy walkway)

(Epiphytic plant growing on the tree truck)