I went to Brunei Darussalam last February 24-27 to participate to the
Beach Bunch Trail Challenge 2017. This is the second time I ran outside the
country. The first one was last year’s Standard Chartered Marathon in Hongkong.
I was accompanied by a very good friend Oliver
Enot and two equally nice buddies from Manila JDV and JP.
The Beach Bunch Trail Challenge is one of the runs I considered as
having a better technical organization. Following a successful attempt of the
run last year, this year’s Beach Bunch Trail Challenge is accredited by the
Ultra Trail Mont Blanc in Europe and Hongkong’s Asia Trail Master. I took the
30-kilometer category and finished it with an unofficial time of 4 hours and 26
minutes.
The route was made up of 60 percent pavement and 40 percent beach
lines, my first time running a beach trail. In an unprecedented case I suffered
extreme pain in my left knee which I thought was brought by the accumulated
force I exerted in running the fine sand of Beraka Trail. It is very hard running
in a beach trail. The extremely hot
weather in Brunei added another physical strain but was complimented very well with
the sufficient hydration stations provided by the organizers. All in all, my
second international run gave me a different perspective in enduring running at
a varied trail features.
Meanwhile, Brunei is a beautiful country. It is a sovereign state
nestled on the north coast in the island of Borneo and a prominent neighbour of
the Philippines. It is the only independent state in Borneo, the remainder of
which being occupied by the nations of Indonesia and Malaysia. For several
years it lived up to its position as the “Abode of Peace.” It is evident that
the economic growth of Brunei is one of the bests in Southeast Asia being
attributed to the country’s oil industry. Infrastructure development can be
seen all throughout the city. The people in Brunei also exhibited extraordinary
level of discipline, resulting to very minimal crime rate. This is what I
usually observed for countries who had long been a British protectorate.
Prior to the actual event our team took advantage of touring around
the city for purposes of seeing for ourselves the prevailing destinations that
Brunei could offer. As an Islamic country with rich economy, the best mosque
structures are found in Brunei. These are also their best assets in terms of
tourism.
The most dominant of all
the mosques we visited is the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque. It is an
Islamic mosque located in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of the Sultanate of
Brunei. It is one of the most beautiful mosques in the Asia Pacific region and
is also considered a major historical site of Brunei.
Omar Ali Saifuddien is the 28th Sultan of Brunei and that
the mosque is christened after him because it was built and constructed during
his time that serves as an example of modern Islamic Architecture.
A famous identity of Omar Ali Saifuddien mosque is that its main dome is
covered with pure gold. It stands 52 meters high and can be seen from almost
everywhere in Bandar Seri Bawagan. The main minaret is the mosque’s tallest
feature. In a unique way it mixes Renaissance and Italian architectural style
(Wikipedia).
The second mosque we saw along the highway was the Jame Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque. We
just spotted it while on our way to Jerudong from Begawan. The structure is
really eye-catching as it is Brunei’s largest mosque and its four minarets are
visible from the highway standing tall over other neighbouring structures.
The last mosque that we visited is the Masjid Al-Ameerah Al-Hajjah Maryam located in Kampung Jerudong,
which is just walking distance from Starlodge Hotel. The mosque is painted
white with several green strokes in its external facets, making it very
attractive especially in the evening when it is blended with the assorted light
colors.
The mosques in Brunei are not just places of worships but are also the
premier tourist destinations. With the country having only a total of 5,765
square kilometres land area, or 2 Davao Cities being fused together, there are
no other tourist destinations it can offer other than beautiful buildings in
Begawan and other areas outside the
commercial center. Here are some pictures of some structures I saw in Brunei
out of that 3-day visit.
Among the many ASEAN countries Brunei might be a silent target in
terms of tourism but visiting it for
learning purposes and to internalize Islam religion can be a loftier option.
Also, this is a place of peace and for the peace-loving individuals, that is
why staying here for 3 days or more can be very valuable.