12. Brunei.

Yesterday, Wednesday, was a sea day and so we had ample time just to sit and relax...if you can ever call a sea day relaxing. We took part in two rounds of trivia and took the runners up spot both times, we attended a talk about cyber crime which was mind numbingly boring, we had a swim, had ice cream, watched the champagne fountain being poured, listened to the captain's introduction speech and ended the evening up in the nightclub for a little bop. Needless to say we didn't get to bed until after midnight.

Today, Thursday, we have been in Brunei. It's a bit of a strange place.

The drive from the port into Bander Seri Begawan, the capital, did not take too long and the scene from the roadside is pretty much of impenetrable jungle. The city itself is not particularly large or busy and its main streets are wide with little traffic. However, for what is a reasonably wealthy country, and  with a mega wealthy Sultan, there is certainly a gap between the haves and the have nots.

We passed some very smart looking gated properties, we passed some very large and bleak looking housing estates (which looked empty), and we saw some pretty squalid shanty town areas.

Most days this trip, the temperature has been around 30c, but today it seemed a lot more and the heat and humidity were oppressive. Even the Aussies on board said they found it hot. Because of this, we did not explore too much in the city but we did take in the golden domed Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, saw the Royal Regaila museum, crossed the Brunei river to wander through a village built on stilts and managed a bit of souvenir shopping.

It is clear, to me anyway, that Brunei is not really geared up for tourism. But perhaps that is no bad thing. The coach journey organisation into the city and back was rather chaotic. There are very few taxis or shops catering for tourists, the main mosques and museums have limited opening times (especially for non-Moslems), and restaurants are closed between noon and 2pm for lunchtime prayers.

We got back to the ship before melting completely and went straight for a dip in the pool. Having then cooled down it was off to the Trident grill for a hot dog and chips and a cold beer. That's what holidays are all about! By then it was sunset and as darkness fell the lighting flashes were becoming ever more ominous on the horizon.