Brunei: Where all that glitters is gold

MANILA, Philippines - Brunei is the land of gold — black and otherwise.

This nation on the northwest coast of Borneo may only measure 5,765 sq. km., but it’s worth its weight in black gold.

At Brunei’s Oil and Gas Discovery Centre, we learn that oil was struck near the Seria River in 1929 (after two British gentlemen sniffed it out three years earlier), and since then Brunei has produced over six billion barrels of crude oil — most of which is sent to Singapore for refining. At present they collect about 200,000 barrels a day and this year they’re aiming much higher: 800,000 barrels every 24 hours. After all, demand from India, Russia and Korea is high.

With a gross domestic product of approximately US$16.95 billion, what does this small sultanate do with all its oil dollars?

Why, spend some of it on gold, of course.

A palace in the sun

Istana Nurul Iman, the palace of Brunei’s current Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, is covered in gold. Our guide Sandra Tang informs us that if something golden is within reach, like a wrought-iron fence, then it’s only plated in 19-karat gold; if it’s out of reach, like the many domes that dot the city skyline, then you’re talking 24-karat purity.

“There are 1,788 rooms in the palace. At one kilometer long it’s the largest residential palace in the world.” Tang rattles off more stats: “One story is 50 acres. The sultan has over 400 cars — 98 Rolls-Royces and everything else you can think of: Porsche, Ferrari, Bugatti, Maserati … even a Formula One car. The palace gets 130,000 visitors a year, but it’s only open for Hari Raya and invited guests.”

It’s not Hari Raya and neither are we the sultan’s invited guests, so we don’t get a glimpse of the exalted garage nor the banquet hall that can seat 4,000 people. Instead we get the next best thing: a visit to the Royal Regalia building, a museum dedicated to the sultan and all the grand trappings of royalty.

All things luxe & royal

There we learn that the sultan’s favorite sport is polo, and that he owns 300 Arabian and Argentinean horses. He’s also a skilled pilot, flying both planes and helicopters. His marriage was arranged at age 19, and he was crowned at 21. At three kilos, the gilded, jewel-encrusted crown was so heavy during the crowning that his chin had to be supported by a solid-gold hand. Wearing the crown is a heavy responsibility literally and figuratively, but Tang says the hand signifies the people’s support.

Regarding the royal artifacts, Tang says the philosophy was “When in doubt, decorate in gold.” The sultan’s father gave him a golden kris dagger when he was crowned, which symbolized the passing of power. He also received a golden spear and shield, and a solid-gold cat statue that was a present from the 14th-century king of Java. (At the time, royal objects were made out of solid gold because people didn’t have the technology yet to make hollow objects.)

The kris, which has been passed down from the 16th sultan to the incumbent 29th, is especially precious: “It is said that whoever owns the dagger has the right to rule Brunei,” Tang says. “That’s why it’s under a lot of security!”

On the ground floor you can also view the golden carriage that carried the newly crowned sultan through the streets, while the upstairs galleries are filled with room after room of gifts from around the world — from other Muslim royals and even a jeepney artwork from the Philippines. 

Also on display is the jacket the sultan wore during his 26th jubilee. Tang tells us that each gold button on the front of the jacket — there are five — is 10 karats of gold. Heavy metal, indeed.

Even the mosques are money

While the Royal Regalia pays tribute to all things luxurious and opulent, on the other end of the spectrum are Brunei’s places of worship, the Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah and Omar Ali Saifuddien mosques.

The former is the biggest in Brunei, with 29 gold-plated domes and 29 steps to honor the 29th sultan, according to Joanne Tang, our main guide and Sandra’s younger sister. We take off our shoes, don the requisite black robes and enter the bigger dome for male worship. A three-ton crystal chandelier imported from Austria hangs over the 3,500-capacity prayer hall. “If the sultan is in the country, he goes to this mosque to pray on a Friday,” notes Joanne. 

The female prayer hall is smaller, darker, and can fit 1,500 — half the capacity of the male hall — the reason being that women usually pray at home.

All the granite, marble and gold used in building the mosques are imported. “The only gold Brunei has is black gold,” intones Joanne.

Even the water village has gold

Proof of just how much Bruneians love their sultan comes when we visit the Water Village on a different day: a few families here hold a permanent open house for tourists, and we sit for an afternoon snack of tea, custard cookies and rice cakes in a village family’s sala. Our silent but smiling host presents a yearbook of sorts: we are urged to leaf through its colored pages, with 60 or so pages devoted to studio portraits of the sultan and everyone in his family line; the yearbook was presented to this homeowner during a special event — the sultan’s birthday, during which tens of thousands line up for an audience with the ruler of Brunei. It’s clear that this homeowner treasures this yearbook as much as he would a family photo album.

Sandra also tells us that when the sultan came to the Water Village for a visit, one of the homeowners — a relatively well-off travel agent — installed a gold toilet specifically for the royal to use, but alas, we weren’t shown the fabled bathroom so this story has acquired the status of urban legend in our minds.

A hotel built by & for royalty

We come face-to-face — or rather, back-to-bed — with Brunei’s more luxe side at The Empire Hotel and Country Club, which is about 20 minutes away from the city. We are told the sultan’s brother started building a royal getaway on this vast, 180-hectare property but never finished the project, so the government took over and continues to operate the hotel. With 500 rooms, 16 villas, and nine swimming pools, you need a golf cart to get around without expiring from the effort.

Upon the invitation of the sultan, Michael Jackson supposedly performed in the hotel lobby 10 years ago, but further checking reveals that he actually performed in the nearby Jerudong amphitheater along with Janet Jackson and Phil Collins. The free concert was a New Year’s gift from the sultan to the Bruneians.

We are lucky enough to sleep in the Deluxe Room (B$500/night) — two steps up from their standard room, which is called a Superior (B$400/night). The beds aren’t typical hotel sizes but were designed and manufactured according to the original owners’ specifications, so the linen had to be made to order as well — no joke as we’re talking high-thread-count Egyptian cotton and pillows stuffed with down feathers from Italy. Each bed has special timber supports for the back, so we had such a good night’s sleep it was hard to rouse in the morning.

Empire’s PR and marketing communications manager Hafiza Mohamad toured us around the property and, though we already felt privileged with our deluxe accommodations, we’re definitely small fry compared to the royalty and heads of state who’ve stayed at the hotel.

Mohamad showed us the Emperor Suite, where former US President Bill Clinton stayed during APEC 2000. Voted “best presidential suite” by Asian Golf magazine, the 675-square-meter room contains its own 63.25 sq.m. swimming pool and Jacuzzi, over which a movie screen descends so that guests can view the latest DVD releases. Cost per night? Over B$16,000.

When Prince Charles and Camilla visited Brunei they stayed in an Empress Suite, which is similarly outfitted with 21-karat gold-plated bathroom fixtures, an Italian baby grand piano, Baccarat crystal and 19-karat gold thread woven into the carpets (enough to cover 14 basketball courts!). The only thing the Empress Suite lacks is the pool. It’s also a little less expensive at $9,000 a night.

Rumor has it that US President Barack Obama will be coming in October for the ASEAN summit.  I wonder which suite he’ll choose?

For regular hotel guests like us, there’s still a lot to ogle and experience in the hotel. For example, you can have a photo taken beside the largest ruby in the world, which is displayed as casually as a flower arrangement in a corner of the hotel lobby. Or how about a limited-edition crystal-and-gold camel from Baccarat, of which the Empire has two out of only four in the world — one located in the lobby and the other in the Emperor’s Suite?

Other wonders on view include 370 pieces of tiger’s eye inlaid into the gold-plated stair rails of the main atrium, while other semi-precious stones like lapis lazuli and malachite are found in various areas and among the furnishings in the top suites. And such vast quantities of Italian marble were used to build the hotel that a special region in Italy had to be reserved to supply it. Today it’s so rare you can’t get it anymore. Limited-edition Murano vases, titanium dinner and cutlery sets, an 18-hole golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus? All yours for the experiencing at the Empire Hotel and Country Club.

If you can’t stay at the Empire, the hotel offers a great afternoon tea by the Dorchester Hotel that is popular with day-trippers, while Mohamed says their Chinese restaurant is very popular for Sunday brunch, complete with Asprey bone china and silverware.

Brunei is a land of many riches — material and otherwise. Its people live without taxes, with free education, housing and medical care. And they love their sultan, whose majesty is best expressed, not only in displays of wealth, luxury and opulence, but in his legendary kindness and care for his people. 

But you can forgive us tourists for simply gawping at all the gold. 

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Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) offers daily flights from Manila to Brunei. A special deal is ongoing: fly to Brunei from US$187 only. RBA also offers Royal Brunei Holidays, special travel packages inclusive of hotel accommodations and tours. Visit www.flyroyalbrunei.com, e-mail mnlsales@rba.com.bn or call 864-0801 to 03 to book your Brunei adventure.