Brunei travel guide

Normally, we don't do hotels here at Globe Spots, but when the construction price tag is in the US$1 billion region, it qualifies. Every part of this hotel is built with the best materials, and the foyer is 80 metres high. All this splendidness is the brainchild of the black sheep of the royal family of Brunei, Prince Jefri. A lot of things can be said of Jefri, but before he got sacked as finance minister, he had wasted billions on personal expenses, including gold-plated toilet brushes, 2000 cars and a yacht named Tits, with two tenders called Nipple 1 and Nipple 2. If that isn't class, we don't know what is.

A tasteful and modest piece of architecture that shows what oil money can buy. It was built in 1958 with the finest materials from all over the world; marble from Italy, stained-glass and chandeliers from England, granite from China, carpets from Saudi Arabia and a golden dome. In the artificial lake stands a replica of a royal boat. It's clearly the city's proud landmark and is considered among the most beautiful mosques in the world.

The Proboscis monkey is the largest monkey in the world and is a seriously threatened species that only live in Borneo. There are an estimated 20.000 left and, surprisingly, Brunei is the home to half of them, where they live along the banks of Brunei River. The males are easily recognisable with their potbellies, big blobby noses, and permanently erected penis (we kid you not). They are quite shy and keep to the shadow during the heat of the day, so the best time to observe them is at dusk along the river bank.

Brunei River, which snakes through the capital, is home to about 30.000 people who live on stilts in water villages. Neighbourhoods are connected by a maze of wooden walk boards balancing several meters above the water level. Longer distances are done by zigzagging water taxis that shuttle between the city and the villages, and every point in between. Some have called it The Venice of the East, though that might be stretching it a bit too far, but it's probably the liveliest area you will experience in Brunei.