Blessings in Brunei

I am in Brunei this week for a client. “Where is Brunei?” you may ask. On the north shore of the island of Borneo. It is beautiful, lush and tropical.

Have you ever been to an amazing place and wished you had a sweetie to share it with you? This is one of those places.

My client has been generous, putting me at the country’s poshest resort, The Empire Hotel. My room is large. The bedroom part -— not including the bathroom — is bigger than my living room at home. I have a couch, a dressing area, a frig stocked with free goodies. My floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the South China Sea. The bathroom is as big as my medium-sized kitchen at home and has a bidet, two sinks, two phones(!) a shower and a separate big tub. The lights go on and off as you enter/exit the room, which I learned is actually a problem if you’re soaking in the tub not moving for 10 minutes, as you’ll be in the dark!

I could get used to this!

big-mosque
"The Big Mosque"

A private tour of the main city showcased the “Big Mosque” which has 29 gold-leaf-topped minarets (not to be confused with the “White Mosque” that only has 28), the Regalia Museum which houses all the folderol from the sultan’s 25th-coronation anniversary 15 years ago, plus room after room for all the gifts given him by foreign dignitaries (do we have a museum in the US showing gifts from heads of state?).

water-village
The Water Village

We took a water taxi to the Water Village which is home to 39,000(!) residents on stilt houses built in the river, all connected with a boardwalk maze. There are big schools, mosques, and fire and police stations on the stilts. We were allowed to tour a large house and have tea and cookies.

sunset
Sunset from the Empire Hotel

After 3.5 hours, we returned to the hotel where I enjoyed high tea. I couldn’t pass up having this very British experience in a former British protectorate. It was fabulous. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven while snacking on delicious treats, when a man starts playing beautiful music on the grand piano 10 feet from me as the sun set.

And the only thing that could make it better is if I had a sweetie to share it. But I will savor every moment and not linger on the thought of what’s missing, but instead on my amazing good fortune. Life is good. The more we focus on what is good in our lives the more we will attract the right person to share it with us.

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Comments

4 responses to “Blessings in Brunei”

  1. Midwestgal Avatar
    Midwestgal

    Enjoy! Just think about the interesting stories you can tell about it. It makes you all the more fascinating to a man! The fact that you are there alone and enjoying it proves that you don’t NEED a man, but that you WANT one. Big difference! Have a wonderful trip!

  2. Samantha Avatar
    Samantha

    Yes, just enjoy and live for now. I would not be there and wish I had a sweetie with me if I had none. I would be excited and filled up by the experience.

  3. Anna Avatar
    Anna

    DG, enjoy that lovely place, it sounds fantastic. It IS hard being on your own in a world full of couples (especially in such a potentially romantic place). Do look around and enjoy the experience, you never know when your true sweetie will turn up.

  4. Rhea Avatar

    Sounds amazing! I sometimes travel alone, but it’s so much better when, years later, you can say to someone, “Remember when…”