{"country":{"title":"Brunei","name":"Brunei","slug":"brunei","flag":"🇧🇳","subtitle":"","summary":"","prose":["We spent a few days exploring the island of Brunei, unknowingly arriving in the middle of Ramadan. That timing ended up shaping much of our experience, giving us a deeper look into local customs and daily rhythms. We stayed at the Empire Hotel & Country Club, an enormous self-described “7-star” property built by the Sultan, where even basic services felt uniquely tied to the cultural calendar.","After landing, we were gently reminded by our driver that eating and drinking in public during daylight hours wasn’t the norm during Ramadan. One of our most unexpected moments came at the hotel cinema, where we bought popcorn for a screening of Dune, only to be told we couldn’t bring it into the theater—despite being the only guests there. That night, everything came alive after sunset as locals broke their fast with large communal buffets, dates, and drinks, while we joined in on the evening meal alongside them. It felt like Thanksgiving.","The next day, we explored with a local student guide. The highlight of that tour was the water village of Kampong Ayer, where homes sit above the water and boats function as everyday transport. We also passed the gates of the Sultan’s palace, Istana Nurul Iman, before ending the day near another grand mosque as the call to prayer echoed across the city.","Brunei felt quiet, orderly, and deeply shaped by tradition—an experience less about constant activity and more about observing a rhythm of life very different from our own."],"pop":"450k","lang":"Malay","adv":1,"vis":0.3,"rar":91,"daysOnGround":3,"mapsUrl":"https://maps.app.goo.gl/vwquz1oBXc3nXFjEA","countedDate":"16 Mar 2024","countryNo":87,"firstArrival":{"date":"2024-03-14","airport":"BWN","from":"SIN","carrier":"SIA","num":"148","duration":"1h 47m"},"hero":"1716901727521-1FCXAXEB4FRV0QBVRXW1/maxandhailey_travel-borneo-brunei+-+10.jpeg","art":"brunei"},"ui":{"words":{"signoffTop":"Jumpa","signoffEm":"lagi.","signoffGloss":"Until next time."},"copy":{"recap":"Arriving unknowingly mid-Ramadan shaped our time in Brunei. At the Empire — the Sultan's self-described seven-star hotel — we bought popcorn for a screening of Dune, the only guests there, and couldn't bring it in. After sunset everything came alive, locals breaking their fast over communal buffets, and we joined in. It felt like Thanksgiving. A student guide showed us the Kampong Ayer water village, boats doing the everyday work of cars, and the gates of the Sultan's palace. Quiet, orderly, and a rhythm of life different from our own."},"facts":[{"idx":"1521","h":"The Venice of the East","p":"When Magellan's expedition called at Brunei in 1521, the chronicler Pigafetta marveled at a city built entirely over the water. Kampong Ayer still stands — a stilt town of schools, mosques and fire stations, home to thousands, five minutes by water taxi from downtown.","chip":null},{"idx":"One small sultanate","h":"The island is named after it","p":"\"Borneo\" is simply what European visitors made of \"Brunei\" — the world's third-largest island ended up named after this small sultanate, which once ruled much of its coastline.","chip":null},{"idx":"1,788 rooms","h":"The largest home on the planet","p":"Istana Nurul Iman, the sultan's palace on the Brunei River, is the world's largest residential palace — 1,788 rooms, 257 bathrooms and a banquet hall that seats thousands.","chip":null},{"idx":"≈ 70%","h":"A country still under canopy","p":"Roughly 70 percent of Brunei remains covered in rainforest. In Ulu Temburong you can cross a canopy walkway some 50 meters up among the hornbills — while most of the park stays off-limits to everyone but scientists.","chip":null},{"idx":"1991","h":"A monument to a barrel of oil","p":"In Seria stands a monument to a single barrel of crude — the Billionth Barrel Monument, raised in 1991 to mark the one billionth barrel pumped from the field beneath it.","chip":null},{"idx":"Darussalam","h":"What the full name promises","p":"The country's full name, Brunei Darussalam, means \"Brunei, Abode of Peace\" — an Arabic honorific the sultanate has carried for centuries.","chip":null}],"pronti":[],"planning":false,"regionsTotal":null,"regionsNoun":"regions","airportNames":{},"cityMetro":{}},"stats":{"nights":2,"trips":1,"stops":1,"distinctStops":1,"hotels":1,"flights":2,"galleryPhotos":22,"galleryVideos":7,"archivePhotos":25,"places":5,"visited":5,"regions":3,"regionNames":["Brunei-Muara District","Daerah Brunei-Muara","Daerah 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