Flag of Brunei

Flowers

Four beautiful flowers common to Brunei; rafflesia, pitcher plant, wild ginger and wild orchid.

Cloth Weaving

The card shows traditional cloth weaving of Brunei.

Congkak

The card shows a painting of mother and son playing 'congkak'. The painting is supposed to befrom 100 years ago.

Water Village

The card shows the boats of the water village Kampong Ayer.

SEA Games Village

Another wonderful sight of Brunei from my friend Haruna. She says, the picture on this card was taken 10 years ago. The countries in South-East had mini olympic games ''South East Asian Games'' SEA Games. When Brunei was host in 1999, After SEA games Event, these apartments became unused and forgotten, and Govt. decided to convert the empty buildings as office apartments for doctors and specialists

Water-Taxis in Kampong Ayer

Another lovely postcard from my friend Haruna. Water taxis, also known as 'Padian' or 'Sampan Tambang' transport people and goods from one point to the other. People carry their local business though these water taxis, saleswomen would sell their wares by paddling from one house to the other, in these 'shopping' boats. It seems like there's an entire village market on water. 

Istana Nurul Iman

This palace is Sultan of Brunei's official residence. The name 'Istana Nurul Iman' means 'palace of light and faith'. This is the largest residential palace in the world. 

Dirgahayu 60 Monument

This one of the newest monuments in Brunei that was built in commemoration of the Brunei’s Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan’s 60th birthday.'Dirgahayu 60' monument is a 'pesambah' or a gift from the citizens and residents of the country to his Majesty. On the top right corner, we can see the heavenly images of the monument at night. Thanks to Haruna once again for this card.

Chinese Temple in Brunei

This postcard shows the only Chinese temple, located in the heart of Bandar Seri Bagwan, capital of Brunei. This new temple was built in 1960.

Culture and Dance

My first card from lovely Haruna. This gorgeous postcard shows a facet of the cultural heritage of the people of Brunei. Dance is a part of the society and celebration, with a wide variety of folk music accompanying the various dance forms. 'Alus Jua Dindang ', is a popular dance form performed during weddings. 'Aduk-Aduk' is another performance of song and dance, during festivals especially harvests. 

Jame 'Asr Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque

This beautiful mosque was built to commemorate the 25th anniversary The Sultan of Brunei's accession to the throne. This mosque is located at Kampong Kiarong near the capital, hence is also referred to as the Kiarong Mosque. The shining gold domes and the surrounding ornamented towers look gorgeous in the twilight. The mosque is the largest and grandest mosque in Brunei. Thank you Haruna, for sending me this exquisite piece of living legend.

Tamu Kianggeh

Many thanks to Haruna for this card. Tamu, or the market place, stores varieties of fruits and vegetables, and is located at the centre of the capital. Also, we get the delicious sweet ‘kuih muih’. The postcard shows the market place in a hub of activity, women hustling and bustling about trying to get the best bargain. Small stores are  set up under colourful umbrellas with fresh vegetables and spices. Also, in a window, we see a shopkeeper with onions and some other exotic vegetables. I really love this postcard, as it shows a part of the daily life of the people. 

Waters of Kampong Ayer

This is a lovely eagle eye view of Kampong Iyer, sent by Haruna. As we see, speedboats are the most convenient method of transportation. Kampong Ayer is the world’s largest water village. This village is made up of a number of small villages linked together by foot-bridges and boardwalks. Private water taxis are used frequently by the people. 

Kampong Ayer at dawn

Another card sent to me by my lovely friend Haruna. This lovely place is also known as ‘Water Village’ and sometimes ‘Venice of the East’, and is an area of Brunei’s capital city. This is quite an austere view, even at dawn. We see local people crossing a wobbly bridge, going about doing their daily chores or on their way to work. On the right side, we see a full view of the bay. 

The Nodding Donkey

This card was sent by my friend Haruna from Brunei Darussalam. It shows a ‘Nodding Donkey’, or a pumpjack, busy at work at sunrise on the Seria oil Fields. A pumpjack is a type of pump, used to extract crude oil from inland well. Seria is a town in Brunei, in the Belait district, often referred to as the heart of oil production ondustry in Brunei. Numerous nodding donkeys found all over are unofficial symbols of this town. Oil was first discovered in 1929, near the river ‘Seria’, hence the name of the town. Brunei Shell Petroleum Limited is located in Panage, near Seria.