Brunei feels like a secret - not because it hides, but because it doesn’t shout. I arrived in Bandar Seri Begawan expecting a capital, and found something closer to a quiet rhythm. Mosques shimmer in gold, their domes catching the humidity of the afternoon air, and the forest waits just beyond. The streets are calm. Nothing feels rushed.

In Kampong Ayer, the water village stretches out across the river like it has for centuries. Wooden walkways connect homes on stilts, and life moves gently above the tide. Children wave from porches, boats glide past, and the mosque’s call to prayer drifts over the water.

Brunei is devout, orderly, conservative, but it’s also deeply rooted in its traditions. It doesn’t invite you to party. It invites you to pause.