After my last post, I thought of making a list of things I love about Brunei. Since I do not plan on just rattling off a list without any explanation, I guess I will have to do this one at a time.
1. Nature. Since my husband and I are both science-trained, one of the things we love best about Brunei is how green and relatively unspoiled it is. It looks similar to how Subic is except maybe more lush and more green. The house we used to rent is right smack in a forest-y Kampung where it is normal for us to see monkeys, coucals, kingfishers, squirrels, various birds, monitor lizards, and yes, even snakes, just outside our house. It was quite a thrill, especially for Anika and Mateo, to have such close encounters with these ‘wild animals’ which is in stark contrast to where we live in Pinas where the ‘wildest’ creatures they can encounter aside from our golden retrievers and my mom’s lovebirds are cockroaches and rats.
We also love the fact that even in Bandar, which is the country’s capital, nature and artificial structures co-exist. Just a few steps away from the busy Jalan Tutong is the thick mangroves of the Brunei river where crocodiles are often spotted and fishing is not a pointless activity. Oh, and I do not even need to mention the liquid gold that has made this country one of the richest in the world to know that Brunei is indeed very much blessed naturally.
Litter and garbage are also relatively few. Although little things like cigarette butts and small wrappers are still sometimes seen lying around in public places, you will find it hard to see plastic bags of trash thrown just about anywhere. Also, since alcohol is prohibited in the country, you will not see even a single beer or wine bottle lying around.
I often wonder whether Bruneians really appreciate and value the natural richness that they have in their country or maybe it is also because they are well-provided by the government with what they need that they do not see the need to take more from nature. No matter which it is, I only hope that Brunei gets to conserve all of these because nowadays, when nature conservation is often such an uphill climb, this country has so much to offer.