Chapter 2: Discovering Brunei
It has only been three weeks but three full and fulfilling
weeks!
Living in such a warm weather means making the most of the opportunity to spend as much time outside as possible, enjoying our garden and the space it offers
us. With that in mind, we have been searching, or hunting should I say, for
garden furniture. Hunting is the correct term and that has come with
frustration too, sadly. As we have been from furniture shop to furniture shop,
our hopes of finding what we are looking for is dwindling away every time we go
to a new store. The choice is very slim, almost inexistent. What’s for sale is either
a set of 4 chairs with a small table, barely stable, or a very expensive set of
sofas. And why? We have come to the conclusion that there is no market for it.
Strange, right? But after three weeks in sweet Brunei, we have realised that
Bruneians do not spend any time outside at all. We never see anyone in gardens.
It’s so hot and humid that in actual fact, they live indoors with the air-con
on all the time! “They love their air-con,” a phrase said many times which has
taken its full meaning as we have been trying to buy outdoor furniture! The
hunt goes on…
Which brings me to the weather! We are almost on the equator
and it is hot! Hot and humid! Yes, it rains, pours down, actually, but unlike
other countries where when it rains, it cools down, here, it remains hot. One
day last week, as I came out of my classroom after it had rained heavily for a
while, I entered a sauna. What a strange experience! It was literally steaming
outside and everyone sort of rushed to their next room to find some cool, however
artificial. But, we’ll get used to it. The weather, I’ve been told, does not
change. Good or bad, it is predictable. There used to be a “dry” and a “wet”
season, now there is a wet season and a wetter one! That seems to be a running
joke nowadays. Despite it all, I think it was the right choice for us. We have
lived in all sorts of places, from grey and constant drizzle in Birmingham, to
very cold Beijing in the winter, and anything in between; wet summers in
France, beautifully sunny Italy etc… Wearing light clothes, shorts and t-shirts
at the weekends all year long can’t be bad!
Being able to say, “you can count on the weather!” is not
something we’ve done a lot. So, with the warmth and the sun comes a different
range of activities and entertainment. The beach is a 15-minute drive from our
house. Fantastic! Muara beach is at the tip of the peninsula (if my geography
term is correct and that remains to be said but for now, it’ll do!) and unlike
any other beach we’ve been to, was a new experience. Of course, swimming in the
sea was not new to us, but wait! Bruneians love food. “You’re digressing,” I
hear you say. They’re not the only people on our blue planet to love food, I
know, but they really do and since they don’t like being exposed to the sun too
much, when you get to the beach, there’s a very large park with hugely tall
trees shading you and protecting you from the fierce rays of the sun. There,
you have permanent bbqs for people to use. Families will go not just to the
beach, but mainly will go picnicking and spend the day in the shade of those
magnificent trees. A great idea, right! Whilst we were not prepared for that,
we still enjoyed swimming in a very warm water. And what was surprising to me
in particular was that I must have been the only woman on the beach for a long
time. A few came after a while and of course were fully dressed. It made me
feel almost as embarrassed as going to a nudist beach, except that this time
the roles were reversed! Never mind. Knowing that we can go to the beach any
time we want is such a luxury we’ve often dreamed of. Now, it’s reality.
Besides the sea, we sampled the Olympic swimming-pool too
and that is only a few minutes from our house (2 dollars/10rmb per adult, 1
dollar per child; never seen anything so cheap). The whole sports complex is
stylish, and I would say fairly new. I believe Brunei hosted the Asian games a
few years back, hence the facilities: stadium, tennis courts, several pools
etc… very impressive and so cool for it to be so close! Going to the pool was
delightful. We felt refreshed. It will undoubtedly become a weekly activity,
probably after school- cooling down and exercising. Most expats go to the Polo
Club, or the RBA club or some sort of club to exercise, swim etc… We have opted
for a closer and in our eyes a more practical solution.
And of course, on the subject of exercising and activities,
jungle walking is very attractive and excellent fitness in this weather. We
went back to Tasek Lama and did another walk. Jerudong Park and Markuching are
next on our list of places. And I am sure we will be as awed by the scenery as
we have been by Tasek Lama National Park. Jerudong Park is also home to
families of monkeys which will delight Leo, no doubt.
To close this chapter, let me end with our first visit to Kuala
Lurah, on the Brunei-Malaysia border. Brunei is a dry country, no news there.
Selling alcohol is forbidden and comes probably with a prison sentence if ever
you are caught, but consumption is allowed, a confusing state of affairs for
young people, undeniably. For us, it means going to Malaysia to buy our fix and
bring it back to our home in sweet but dry Brunei. The nearest border is Kuala
Lurah and boy, do they know what fruitful business they’ve got there. As we
couldn’t take our hired car over the border, we asked if we could walk to the
nearest shop. The answer is yes. We then crossed as pedestrians and discovered,
not without surprise though I had been given a pretty accurate description of
the place, what a seedy border town it is. To be fair, I believe, but we have
yet to go further, that the “proper” town is a few kilometres away from the
border. What is there is basic and basically you have your off-licence, cafes
and cheap restaurants, with waitresses ready for anything. It will not become
one of our regular places to eat and relax of an evening, just a quick stop to
buy our due and go.
Shopping, driving and more to come next…
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