Preserving Culture Through `Rediscover Brunei Race'

Bandar Seri Begawan - Twenty-one teams consisting of 63 participants from Sixth Form Centres and Jerudong International School put their wits and physical endurance to the test in the Rediscover Brunei Race 2010 held at Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan.

The second place winners, Group `Nangka' from Jerudong International School comprising Farah Azyan binti ali Umar Safri,19, Nur Ahlina Haziqah binti haji Hamdani,18 and Hafizah binti Haji Azhar,17, said that they were surprised to have done so well at the event. They said that this was their first time participating in such an event. "It was great, we had fun, we had to think really hard on each challenge. The kite-making under the hot sun tested us physically and the ketupat-making needed a lot of concentration." They said they had very little preparation and were very intimidated going into the race but had lots of fun and learnt a lot from the experience.

Borneo Bulletin.

Day of Sacrifice

A busy day for the villagers, in a communion, to prepare the slaughter of seven buffaloes and distribute the meat to the needy and the volunteers. That took place in our mosque today to mark the Hari Raya Aidil Adha, a very auspicious day once in a year where it seems everybody, young and old, would come and converse to the mosque to give a helping hand.

And across the countries, in probably a hundred locations, the rituals are repeated.

To all Muslims, we wish a "Selamat Hari Raya Aidi Adha" to all.

Once a Fishing Village

I am quite impressed with what I saw of Oman even though only from a short span of a few days. From the moment of driving along the 3-lane Sultan Qaboos Highway to the cleanliness and well organised city and urban areas, this place has taken itself very well.

The Sultan Qaboos Highway is top notch, with maximum speed limit of 120 Km/hr, reminds me of the great motorway network in Europe. This highway serves as the main artery of Muscat, linking it with other regions but also between the suburbs of Muscat.

A cursory glance at the road traffic during peak hours provides enough proof about the increasing volume of traffic on this highway. Still, I must say, Muscat is a better city to drive than many cities in the world. As with other aspect of infrastructure and nation building, the country could not be accused of being caught napping. It has taken a prudent start of planning for the future.

Downtown Muscat

Today was about having a wander downtown. I wasn't planning to do a whirlwind tour of the whole Muscat as I only got the morning before catching the flight home. Having a look through the taxi's window was already good enough to give a good first hand impression of the place. I made a stop at the Muttrah Souq, a small souq with its own unique characters.

The most evident character is the smell and burning of frankincense and perfume oils. There seems to be plenty here and the prices are quite

cheap. The other interesting aspect of the souq is the displays of Omani silvers, pots, paintings, hookah pipes and framed knives. One could also find many stalls selling gleaming white dishdashas and embroidery. Overall a very fascinating place. Of course for size, the Al-Hamidiah Souq in Syria and the Grand Souq in Istanbul are much larger and got more variety.

On the way back while stopping over at a supermarket to buy some dates, I was startled when a familiar face spoke to me from behind. He was a fellow Bruneian who lives here. Apparently the 20 or so Bruneian families here are having a function at the nearby Ambassador's resident.

As for the Eid next week they are sacrificing a number of cows and a handful of goats - that's a lot and definitely need a lot of help. But that is not a real issue as there is a very close-knitted Bruneian community here. As for the experience of living in this place, those that have or are currently here got nothing but real praise and enjoyment of this place, some even contemplated to continue working for a number of years or even forming own company here.

A Fort in an Oasis

On the way back to Muscat, we stopped over at a small town called Nakhal and had a touristic diversion to our programme.

Standing on top of a small mount is a fort that has been re-furbished quite recently. Apparently this is a popular spot for tourists as it is the most prominent and historical structure in the area.

Originally the Nakhal Fort was built in the 17th century and was the base of one of the more re-known and powerful tribe and at that time was considered a real fortress. And standing on top of the fort offers splendid and panoramic view of the surrounding oasis and section of the nearby mountains.

The greenery of the area is such a big contrast to most part of Northern Oman. There seems to be endless stretch of date palms surrounding the fort. These are only possible because the place is sitting at the mouth of the incoming wadis which obviously carry plenty of water above and below the surface.

Desert Tent

What a great hospitality awaiting our group, in the middle of nowhere was a big tent set up to serve us a hearty lunch. After the whole morning roaming around like a headless chicken in the shadows of big rocks, there is nothing better than to have a traditional Arabian meal and coffee.

The great danger in such a dry land is dehydration. One need to continually replenish the body with fluid and drink plenty of water. Today was not that hot in the mountain and wadis. Imagine being here in the middle of hot summer where temperature easily exceeds 45 Deg C.

Back in Time - 700 Million Years

Today we drove some 200 km westward towards the mountains, along well-built roads deep into the interior and finally along dry river beds or the wadis. It is clear that the government has poured a lot of money on building infrastructure such as raised roads from the flood prone wadis and encouraging more of the population to settle far from the urban areas and make the areas here and on the outskirts of the mountains their homes. And yet without any obvious employment and visible farm land, one would question how sustainable is the scheme.

From the coast, the Omani mountains dominate the skyline of Muscat and the northern coastal strip, reaching to 3000 meter in height. Here in the higher altitudes the weather can be quite cold and windy. The mountains are cut through by many wadis and only approachable by 4WDs. The wadis are currently dry. There has not been much rain in recent years. However, there are still occasional floods especially during the wintry months when rain water from the mountains would rush with ferocious force carrying stones and rubbles down the wadis. One has to be aware of this danger as sudden flash floods might be triggered by heavy rains far away in the upper reaches of the mountains without one realising it.

Today was about looking at the rocks. Here some of the oldest rocks could be found, as old as 700 million years old. As we progressed and discussed through the rock sequence, the whole things came back rushing in my head, after all I spent three years in my previous job studying similar rocks.

Jewel of the Persian Gulf

Now and towards the end of the year is probably the best time to visit the place because of the pleasant weather.

The place is well developed, sustained by the huge amount oil produced but more importantly helped by a forward thinking leadership.

The place I stayed, Grand Hyatt, is quite a place if that is not an understatement. Similar in a way to the Empire hotel, its 280 rooms are mostly outlandish in size. The place was full helped by the over 100-strong Chinese delegation staying over as part of the Chinese vice president entourage.

I have not had the chance to venture anyway beyond the hotel parameters yet for the last three days but looking forward for venture out once normal business is done.

I had the chance to have dinner with an Omani friend whom I used to work together with and last saw him 6 years ago. Indeed as he said things are more liberal here than some would like it to be. It seems that the whole place in the Persian Gulf are competing against each other for tourism that clubs and bars are becoming common sights.

Heading Westwards

On the road again. Arrived in Dubai or sometimes known as the Oasis City of the Persian Gulf at unearthly time of 2 am in the morning after what seemed to be an hour of waiting and circulating around in the sky before the plane was allowed to land. The airport although large and ultramodern is not really user

friendly, requiring long walk, is cramped and lacking real concept. The sights are also quite mixed. There are many transit passengers sleeping on the carpet floor which does not jive with the flashy surrounding. Nonetheless the temperature has been kind, at 26 Deg. C is a far cry from the last time when I was here in the middle of a hot summer when the temperature was beyond 45 Deg. C.

Got on a flight for the next leg to reach Oman. This is my first time ever to the city of Muscat, a place where many of our countrymen called their second home, some are even working full time for a few years now. Such is the maturity and capability reached by our countrymen that many are able to work internationally. The next few days though I won't be able to explore beyond the walking reaches of my hotel. But really looking forward towards the end of the week when I will be going off to the mountains.

Seeking the Blessing of Al-Mighty

Last night was something special. I was in the midst of ninety seven extraordinary students who are stuying at the Tahfiz Institute. After Maghrib prayer, a short speech by yours trully regarding the purpose of the event, a hajat prayer, then it was reading of the whole Qur'an in three groups to make three khatams in all.

Indeed as a new project is being embarked, I sincerely wish that the outcome will be positive and that it will bring new sustenance to our beloved land, Bumi Berkat, Bumi Bertuah, Brunei Darussalam.

“Ya Allah, jika rezeki kami di atas langit,
Engkau turunkanlah;
Jika dibumi, Engkau keluarkanlah;
Jika jauh, Engkau dekatkanlah;
dan jika sedikit Engkau banyakkanlah”

Amin Ya Rabbal Alamin.