Getting a little behind here.

Continuing after the hash on Wednesday last week...

On Thursday Vijen took me golfing after work. This morning, like many before it, I spend watching DVD's drinking Nescafe 3-in-1 instant coffee. Vijen and Lorrie's housekeeper returned from holiday in the Philippines earlier in the week, so she was there to keep me company. When Vijen finished work at noon (yes, that's a 4 1/2 hour day!) we had a brief lunch and set out for the RBGCC - the Royal Brunei Golf and Country Club. This course is associated with the Empire Hotel, and so I can only assume that it is one of Prince Jeffri's ventures. For those of you that do not know, Prince Jeffri (italicized because his name can only be whispered when in public) is the sultan's brother and is responsible for spending vast amounts of money (tens of billions) on overly glamourous buildings and parks, and expensive government programs. He now lives in exhile in England, apparently housed in a palace rivalling Buckingham...
Anyways, the RBGCC was very popular amongst the royalty for a long time, with annual fees somewhere around 60,000$B. It has decreased in popularity recently, and the yearly cost is closer to 6000$B, comparable to the other courses in Brunei (there are something like 8 in total in this tiny country). Vijen knows someone, though, which is ever handy in a place like this, where corruption is still prevalent though not acknowledged. For 25$B, instead of the usual 90$B, he and several other expats could golf 18holes.
Strictly a driver, I enjoyed the scenery and the sounds. The afternoon sun was hot, the bugs were out, the hornbills hooted above, the monkeys threw half eaten nuts in our direction. A superbly designed course, surely of world-class standards, the fairways were tucked into the gaps between the dense jungle. I thought of my uncle the whole time, knowing that he'd really go nuts over this course...

That evening Lorrie joined us for dinner out at an indian cafeteria, one of my favorite types of food here in Brunei.

The next day I don't know what I did. I do know that we went to the Empire Hotel for a phenomenal BBQ Buffet. Now, I have been to many BBQ buffets since arriving in Asia, and I'm not saying that the Thais don't know how to host a BBQ Buffet, but this one was over the top. It was rather expensive, 40$B, but the chefs had prepared fresh everything. Lamb chops, Australian beef, local fish, chicken, king crab, giant prawns, mussles, oysters, clams; a Mongolian grill; Sushi, Thai salads and curries, Malay noodles... The list goes on. We were seated outside where alcohol consumption is 'ignored' and watched the sun set over the palm-lined beach. After eating too much food I had about three plates of dessert. Throughout dinner a trio of Philippino singers entertained the dining crowd with live music. Very nice atmosphere.

An interesting side note: Rooms at this world class 6-star hotel start at 199$B, about 140$CAD. Apparently the Empire will not recover the money it cost to build it even if it was fully booked for the next, oh, say 20 years. I forget the exact number, but it was big - the resort did cost several billion to construct...

I was scheduled to visit Vijen's school in the morning, bright and early, so we all went to bed early. This was a problem for me based upon the unhealthy mass of dense food in my belly. I don't remember sleeping that night...

Now nothing could really prepare me for what happened the next day.

Bright and early at 6:45 I was up, reluctantly. We left for STPRI (have no idea what the acronym stands for), an all girls school based on Cambridge's curriculum (all exams are sent to Cambridge for re-marking). Vijen's classroom/studio is in an outbuilding a short walk from the main school; it brags his own parking lot. Nice place; no students here yet.
We walked over to the cafeteria to drink Teh Terak, a beverage that has almost become a necessary part of my morning. Walking from the art/design studio to the cafeteria we passed hundreds of girls, and boy did they take a liking to me. We had our tea, then Vijen showed me around the school, introducing me to a few teachers. On the way to the auditorium for the Hari Raya concert a few girls stopped us to take photos of me. Felt a bit like I was on exhibit. One girl, who later turned out to be one of the sultan's daughter, asked Vijen if she could borrow me for...

...the day. A request I met with a laugh, but later in the day we encountered her again, and again she requested my company for the day. I'm sure she was just joking. She is only 17... Also muslim... Male conversion alledgedly involves a few careful snips which I will not ellaborate upon.

I was photographed extensively, as it seems that every girl at that school had a camera. Must be my height, or my white complexion.

The Hari Raya concert was well done, mostly music and dance, but traditionally Bruneian.

I was eager to hide from the overly-eager teenage girls, so I went across the street to use the internet. This tactic did not work too well, as a rather large group found me; more photos.

****

Later that day one of the teachers I met came to pick me up for a camping trip that we arranged earlier in the day at STPRI. Every weekend (bruneians get friday and sunday off, but work saturday) he takes his kid to a Malaysian Island near Pulau Labuan where he 'camps' off his speedboat. The island was a protected marine park, and the single resort had sporatic power. I took a bungalow, nixing the original plan of sleeping in a hammock because of the threat of rain. We ate BBQ lamb, chicken and bratwurst - not too shabby, eh! Also drank a heck of a lot of Carlesburg. The next day I slept in late, eating a quick camp breakfast of eggs and beans. The resort was located on one end of the island (only a few hectares large), and I was urged by Barry to go up the beach. Up the beach in one direction was an illegal Philippino refuge camp, apparently VERY poor, and in the other direct was an illegal Malaysian village. I opted to walk towards the village. I beachcombed for Cowrie shells for a long while, getting a lot of sun despite the cloud cover. Later we headed to the more developed island of Labuan, a major distribution port for Borneo. This was all well and fine, but as we left Brunei on a speedboat I was technically an illegal immigrant to Malaysia - must avoid the authorities at all costs!

I don't think I will ever get caught up. I have to go to a hash run right now. Will try to rap things up later.