Sights of Brunei

According to ehotelat, Brunei is a country of the Islamic world, and as is typical for such countries, the norms of behavior in public places are very strict, the sale of alcohol has been banned since 1991, and with the advent of night life in the city stops. Brunei is mainly visited by tourists to get acquainted with the brightest sights, traditions of the East, learn its history. The main attraction of the city is the Sultan’s Palace, which is rightfully called the largest residential palace in the world (205 thousand square meters). The Sultan’s Palace Istana-Nurul-Iman combines Islamic architecture, Eastern traditions and modern design trends. The best materials were brought from all over the world for the interior and decoration of the palace, the best specialists worked. The palace is open to visitors only at the end of Ramadan. The layout of the palace is simply unimaginable – 1778 rooms, 18 elevators, 44 stairs, several throne rooms, 51 thousand lamps, the largest garage for the collection of expensive cars of the Sultan, a helipad, an aircraft hangar, a stable for 200 horses – this is just a unique palace and one of a kind. Of unimaginable beauty and majesty, named after the 28th Sultan of Brunei, the Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque was built back in 1958, but to this day it shines and sparkles on the shore of an artificially created lagoon. This symbol of Islam is visible from anywhere in the country. The golden dome, 52 meters high, covered with gold, the intricately curved surface, covered with the most beautiful mosaics with a minaret of 44 meters, the interior decor with richness and chic corresponding to the external appearance – all this is a living personification of the fairy tale “A Thousand and One Nights”. The mosque is included as an architectural structure in the Guinness Book of Records. The main commercial establishment of the country is located next to the mosque. In honor of the ruling Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Muidzin, in 1992, the Jame’Asr-Hassanil-Bolkia-Moske or Kyarong-Moske mosque was built, not inferior in uniqueness and splendor to the above mosque. Golden domes, in the amount of 29 pieces, symbolize the 29th Sultan, diamond inclusions around the entire perimeter of the mosque, a turquoise-blue roof, a royal hall for ceremonies indicate that Brunei is a truly prosperous country. Nearby is a building for official receptions of foreign diplomats. The building itself is an example of British colonial architecture of 1906 and is proudly called the “House of the Twelve Roofs”. The chic The Empire Hoteland Country Club is always open for tourists. The largest pool in the world with sea water and 7 more wonderful pools, one of the unique golf courses, a sports complex – all this behind the scenes classifies the hotel as a seven-star hotel, and in terms of luxury it makes it look like a royal residence. The water village of Kampong Air is also worth a look – a complex of 28 piled villages that are over 1300 years old. The peculiarity is that despite the territorial conditions, each house has electricity, air conditioning, internet, and the area itself is equipped with a clinic, schools, mosques, police and fire departments. Nature, its fauna and flora is no less interesting and unique feature of Brunei than architectural structures. It is here that the world’s longest rattan liana and the largest flower, Rafflesia Arnoldi, grow.

Kitchen

The cuisine of Brunei is colorful and unforgettable, characterized by a combination of influences from Arabic, Indian and Chinese culinary traditions. The main diet is rice. The methods of its preparation are varied. Rice is cooked fresh, sometimes dyed with natural dyes, fried with spices, stewed, rice chips and pastries are made – it is simply impossible to list everything. A purely national dish is a mixture of rice and boiled green beans richly flavored with sauces. The climate of Brunei allows you to grow many vegetables and fruits, from the simplest to truly exotic, these are bananas, pineapples, papayas, tarapa, rambutan, langasara, an almost 3-meter long bean fruit and a small, thinnest pod – an ingredient in curry. Fish and seafood, chicken and other poultry meat are the basis of Brunei’s cuisine.

Transport

Inside the country, a network of high-quality roads for road transport is widely developed, traffic is on the left. Brunei has 2 airfields, 3 airports, and a deep water port. Water transport consists of 8 ships. The railway with a total length of 13 km is privately owned. For vacationers, a special type of transport is offered – boats and boats, horse-drawn carts.

Currency exchange

For foreigners or just tourists, it will not be difficult to exchange existing banknotes for the national currency of Brunei. At airports, hotels, local banks, shopping centers, you can pay with Diners Club, American Express, MasterCard and Visa credit cards. The financial policy of the country prefers to develop an electronic state, when almost all document flow occurs without the use of paper. Therefore, it is more profitable to have travel checks or credit cards, the exchange rate for them is higher than for paper bills. The country’s monetary unit is BND or B$ – the Brunei dollar, equal to 100 cents, it is officially pegged to the Singapore dollar. Both paper notes and coins are in circulation.