Can Crocodiles Jump in Brunei?

by Ermioni Vlachidou (Indonesia)

A leap into the unknown Brunei

A land covered in mist and forest, might have been a good tourism slogan for Brunei, although they probably have one already and I bet it is better (that’s why nobody is hiring me to write slogans). But really, I don’t think many know much about Brunei, it is a small country in the island of Borneo and it is not very easy to reach, at least without paying a lot of money. Unless of course you are in Kuala Lumpur , like I was.... First things first, Brunei is a muslim country under sharia law and a monarchy. The sharia law combined with the fact that I accidentally booked the tickets one month after the intended date could have made me cancel the plans, but I convinced myself it was a "once in a lifetime" trip. I was still, however, imaging the strictest security checks to get into the country, women only allowed to walk accompanied and of course dressed from head to toe, even after reading stories from solo female travelers explaining that there is really nothing to worry about. Until I entered the country, I had to constantly remind my self that I was being idiotic and prejudiced (because I was) and that my fear was not based on reason but irrationality harbored by the negative press countries like that have been getting. Of course blaming the media is a low hanging fruit, cause we all know about critical thinking and blah blah, but when the sirens are singing it is hard to ignore them and there is this little voice in the back of your head whispering «What if they were right?». Seeing however is indeed believing and what I saw was a country, in which, at least I, as a tourist, could easily enter, walk wherever and dress however I wanted. I didn’t feel restricted at any point. Another thing I didn’t expect is for Brunei to be actually quite beautiful. I had already seen the Mosques online and they seemed and were impressive, but their harbor, floating village and parks were also great to walk and explore. However Brunei doesn’t seem to have much for the tourist to do for more than two days. My biggest problem, though, was walking. Yeah who would have thought that an ability mastered by humans since we learnt to stand in two legs would be my downfall. Brunei is not a country made for walking, like the infamous boots. It is too hot and humid , but most importantly even though it had pedestrian streets everywhere, it didn't take more than five minutes for me to reach the highway (it is a small country) and walking on a highway alone with just the company of speeding cars that can turn you into a yummy mush when trying to cross is not the best idea.Oh and let’s not forget about the crocodiles, cause, like a sign informed me, there were in that area so people should be careful (it was mostly referring to the actual river though). So walking embraced by the sound of car engine and the terror that a crocodile can jump at me at any minute (can crocodiles jump?) I decided that going to places by foot is not really recommended. Despite that I made it from one mosque to another, but my trip from the second mosque to the night market was cut short by another highway. After that I just walked until the internet, ordered a car and slept the night away at the airport, which was quite comfortable I have to say, although frigid. So if you are planing to go to Brunei, I say go ahead. Except for the implications of kinda supporting a morally questionable institution, there is nothing to worry about. Just make sure you have a vehicle or you can rent one. There is public transport but I don’t think it is the most trustworthy or punctual, so taxis are your best bet if you don’t want or can’t rent. And as a last info, Brunei is not particularly expensive, at least for transportation, food and sightseeing, so breaking the bank for those will not be necessary. Travel Safe!