Brunei
During our Thanksgiving break of November 2003, we took advantage of travel specials offered at the end of Hari Raya, a major Muslim holiday, to visit the country of Brunei. Located on an island that is also home to East Malaysia, Brunei is an oil-rich nation whose Sultan is the world's richest monarch. We stayed at the fabulous Empire Resort and Country Club, and were lucky enough to see the Istana, the Sultan's palace, opened to visitors for the three days following Hari Raya. This was well before the hedonistic royal family decided to clean up their reputation in the Islamic world by imposing a very harsh version of Shar'ia law--hypocrisy knows no religious bounds! Please click on either the image or text below to tour these destinations .
