Brunei - Borneo - page 410

wrong with priceless gold and jewels). We particularly like the mother of all beer mugs,
given by Queen Elizabeth II.

BOAT TOUR

Water-Taxi Cruise
The best way to see BSB's water villages and the sultan's fabled palace, Istana Nurul
Iman, is from a water taxi, which can be chartered along the waterfront for about B$30 to
B$40 (a bit of negotiating will occur, but at least you know the locals can't claim the pet-
rol is expensive!). Finding a boat won't be a problem, as the boatmen will have spotted
you before you spot them.
After you admire the palace's backyard, your boatman can take you further upriver to
Pulau Ranggu , an island that's home to a large colony of proboscis monkeys. The best
time to head out is late afternoon, as the monkeys are easiest to spot around sunset.

EAST OF CENTRAL BSB

Brunei Museum
( 224 4545; Jln Kota Batu; 9am-5pm Sat-Thu, 9-11.30am & 2.30-5pm Fri, last
entry 30 min before closing; ) Brunei's national museum, officially opened by Queen
Elizabeth II in 1972, is a decent place to blow an hour of your time. It definitely feels a
little dated.
The oldest pieces are in the newest, most well-kept section of the museum: the Islamic
Art Gallery , which displays ceramics from Iran and Central Asia and blown glass from
Egypt and the Levant dating from the 9th and 10th centuries. Other highlights include illu-
minated manuscripts of the Koran, tiny Korans the size of a matchbox and gold jewellery.
The Brunei Traditional Culture Gallery spotlights Brunei's role in Southeast Asia's
history, cultures and commerce, and has a section on Western trade and intervention in
Brunei, starting with the arrival of the Spanish and Portuguese in the 1500s. There's some
frankly creepy, life-sized depictions of Malay rituals like weddings, child-rearing and
(ouch) circumcision, and a collection of Brunei's famous ceremonial cannons, known as
bedil, some with barrels shaped like dragon heads.
The Natural History Gallery is a decent introduction to Borneo's extraordinary biod-
iversity. Quite a few of the stuffed animals look to be on their last, moulding legs.
At the time of our visit there was an entire wing devoted to oil and gas extraction, the
technology behind it, the good it has done for Brunei and an extensive exhibit on the king-
dom's long-term plan for its economy after the oil runs out. Just kidding about that last
bit.

MUSEUM