(06/28/04)
I went to Brunei this weekend. Before this trip, all I knew of Brunei was that its Sultan owned the most cars of anyone in the world. Also, I knew that he was one of the richest individuals in the world, if not the richest. Now I got to see up close what people with too much money do.
First, we went to the Empire Hotel. I've never seen a nicer place in
my life. I like being surrounded by marble, but this is just too much.
There's not much I can say about it that can't be seen from the pictures
or the video.
Cost? US$125 per night, comparable to a stay at your local Embassy Suites.
I think. I haven't paid full price for a hotel room in the U.S. before.
The railing in the atrium sports tiny, precise designs laid in small
pieces of marble, as can kinda be seen from the picture of the piano.
They have a government funded amusement park with roller coasters and a bunch of stuff that used to be completely free, but now it costs about US$9 for a day's worth of rides. Much like Six Flags without lines. We walked up to any ride we wanted to and was able to ride as many consecutive times as we wanted to without waiting. It's VERY weird to be able to ride the same roller coaster 4 times in 10 minutes. My whole life I've been conditioned into believing that a roller coaster is such a great thing that it's worth 2 hours of waiting, and then the Sultan of Brunei ruins it for me with his extravagant spending. I'll never go to Astroworld again.
We saw other stuff, like the Empire Country Club and Golf Club. The
mosques receive much of the same treatment as the hotels and the public
parks.
And my uncle wanted to buy a car in Brunei (where it's cheaper), so
we went and checked out a couple cars. I include this picture because
it almost appears as if a beggar child is approaching my M3. Which is
just another reminder that when I get a nice convertible to never drive
with the top down in downtown Austin.
There's gotta be a catch, right? Well alcohol is forbidden in this
country. Apple juice will do, I guess.
