My visit to Brunei was rather random.  On my first independent travels flying from Indonesia to Australia with Brunei Air knocked a hundred pounds off our ticket – so we ended up going via Brunei.  There we stayed with the daughter of my friend’s next door neighbour (talk about random connection) who couldn’t have been sweeter.  The most distinctive thing I remember is the oil wells everywhere and a trip out on a river.

When: June 1994

Surprises: the HUGE empty airport (to cater for the mass exodus for pilgrims),

Tips: It is a dry country – don’t expect to drink any alcohol