Friday, December 4, 2009

another postcard



Apa Khabar?
How are you? in Malay.
Absynthe and I received a postcard from Brunei today! I bet none of you have ever had a card from Brunei, have you?
I bet most of you couldn't find Brunei on a map - I found out it wasn't quite where I expected it to be when I looked it up.

So, here are some facts about Brunei:

> it is a Sultanate formed in the 14th Century and was a British Protectorate for nearly 100 years
> Brunei (pronounced /bruːˈnaɪ/ in English), officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace (Malay: Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: بروني دارالسلام), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia
> it is one of the smallest countries on earth, being only a little over 2200 sq mi.
> His Majesty Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah is the head of state
> a soul and jazz singer, known as Zul F, (Haji Mohammad ZulFakhari bin Haji Muksin) won the Brunei Idol in 2005, and sang before the Sultan at his 60th birthday party
> a Pittsburg Penguin, named Craig Adams, was born in Brunei and raised in Calgary
> the Istana Nurul Iman palace (meaning Palace of the Light of Faith) is the world's largest residential palace (and the world's largest residence of any type)
> the interior of Istana Nurul Iman was designed by Khuan Chew, Design Principal of KCA International, whose other works include the Burj-Al-Arab, Dubai
> it was built in 1984
> Brunei became independent from Britain in 1984
> oil wealth allows Brunei to have one of the finest health care systems in Asia
> there are five hospitals in Brunei
> the population of Brunei is around 385,000
> the government owns a cattle farm in Australia
> the farm is larger than Brunei itself
> Brunei's coastline is 161km
> the weather is tropical, hot, humid and rainy
> typhoons, earthquakes and severe flooding are rare in Brunei

info sourced from: wikipedia, lonelyplanet, cia factbook and tourism brunei

23 comments:

  1. His majesty's name is quite a mouthful to say the least.

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  2. Jazz: isn't it just?
    I couldn't find if he had a nickname as the idol winner has.

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  3. Char: and it was #899 of the cards sent from Brunei. as a comparison, my last card sent from Canada was #85373. but there are fewer people living in Brunei than in the city I live next door to!

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  4. Beautiful postcard! Even more amazing is where it comes from - so close to the Indonesian islands (where I was born). I'm surprised they have managed to stay an independent country - maybe because it's Muslim?

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  5. Jeannette: I imagine the Sultanate has a lot to do with that. and the oil. though, apparently they need this farm in Australia because pretty much only chickens and eggs are domestic - everything else is imported.

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  6. And I learned from Oprah that they pay no taxes whatsoever.

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  7. I'm loving seeing the Arabic script; so beautiful intermingled with our Englishy stuff.

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  8. Thanks for all the good information. Now I'm a little bit wiser.

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  9. I grew up in Sarawak which is a neighbour of Brunei. We share what was British Borneo,

    In July, my 13 yr old son Sam and I went to brunei

    People think oil rich Brunei is in the middle East.

    You can eat a rice dish for $1 necause the government subsidises rice. It is called nasi kodok.

    http://ann-mythoughtsandphotos.blogspot.com/2009/09/scenic-sunday-brunei-palace.html

    http://ann-mythoughtsandphotos.blogspot.com/2009/09/brunei-airport.html

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  10. Fascinating! I didn't know anything about Brunei other than how to pronounce the name! I had no clue that it was even in Asia. Thanks for the geography lesson. I'm going to look for pictures!

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  11. Meant to add...how funny they have their own version of Idol! Now that's one I would watch!

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  12. Geewits: funny, I didn't see that little fact anywhere - well hidden, I guess! is this where Oprah stores some of her millions?

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  13. Jocelyn: it is beautiful, isn't it?

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  14. Nora: you are welcome!
    I love the internet. I have looked up so many things from the postcards I've gotten. I keep adding to my list of places I want to see in person.

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  15. Ann; I knew it was in that area somewhere, but I didn't realize it was on an island.
    thanks for your links, I'd forgotten you were there!

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  16. Susan: you can check out Ann's blog and I included a link to the tourism website - lovely photos.

    and I know! I thought that was funny that such a small country as this even has an Idol!

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  17. Getting a postcard, from anywhere is always exciting. And, with the internet, not happening nearly enough these days. They are such artifacts! Thanks for sharing!

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  18. Very interesting, and yes I can tell your a kind Canadian, says one to another. Love your blog

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  19. GDP: although this Postcrossing is all done through the internet, but with family and friends... it's all email.

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  20. Violet, it's a beautiful card! I'm waiting for my postcrossing card... :)

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  21. Mary: it is so much fun to see a card with a pretty picture on one side and real handwriting on the other sitting in your mailbox - have fun!

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