Tourists overwhelmed by occasion
Monday, July 16, 2007
"LUCKY" was one word that many tourists used to describe their day out at the 61st birthday celebrations of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.
It was a day to remember for tourists who were in the sultanate this week and got the opportunity to witness the grandeur of His Majesty 's 61st birthday celebrations.
As early as 6.30am, tourists started gathering and setting up their cameras outside the Taman Haji Sir Muda Omar Ali Saifuddien to catch a glimpse of His Majesty.
Christina Suen, from Hong Kong, was in town to visit a friend and was lucky enough to join in the festivities.
She expressed her amazement in such a big ceremony and that "the people possess such respect for a much beloved ruler".
Mark and Nicole, from New Zealand who were in the state for two days only their plane developed a technical snag and were "lucky to have stopped in Brunei during this special time".
They said that back home they didn't have any event of such magnitude where lots of people come together and get involved in a joint effort.
Peter Kwekkeboom from The Netherlands was excited to see such a "colourful" event. He found out about His Majesty's birthday celebrations from the Lonely Planet publications, which is a guide for travellers. "So far, I've visited the Water Village, the night market, the Mall and thus far, it's been an interesting trip," Kwekkeboom said.
Stephanie and John Arnold from Australia deemed the entire birthday celebration event as "wonderful" and said they were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of His Majesty when he arrived at the celebration. "We've always wanted to come to Brunei" and were happy that their flight was able to transit in Brunei.
Stephanie was amazed at the beautiful traditional clothes, the swords as well as rituals of the event.
Another visitor Phil Venuti armed with a camera, was surprised the traditional culture that still exists in Brunei and added that he had actually planned to visit Brunei during His Majesty's birthday prior to his returning to America.
The Brunei Times.
It was a day to remember for tourists who were in the sultanate this week and got the opportunity to witness the grandeur of His Majesty 's 61st birthday celebrations.
As early as 6.30am, tourists started gathering and setting up their cameras outside the Taman Haji Sir Muda Omar Ali Saifuddien to catch a glimpse of His Majesty.
Christina Suen, from Hong Kong, was in town to visit a friend and was lucky enough to join in the festivities.
She expressed her amazement in such a big ceremony and that "the people possess such respect for a much beloved ruler".
Mark and Nicole, from New Zealand who were in the state for two days only their plane developed a technical snag and were "lucky to have stopped in Brunei during this special time".
They said that back home they didn't have any event of such magnitude where lots of people come together and get involved in a joint effort.
Peter Kwekkeboom from The Netherlands was excited to see such a "colourful" event. He found out about His Majesty's birthday celebrations from the Lonely Planet publications, which is a guide for travellers. "So far, I've visited the Water Village, the night market, the Mall and thus far, it's been an interesting trip," Kwekkeboom said.
Stephanie and John Arnold from Australia deemed the entire birthday celebration event as "wonderful" and said they were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of His Majesty when he arrived at the celebration. "We've always wanted to come to Brunei" and were happy that their flight was able to transit in Brunei.
Stephanie was amazed at the beautiful traditional clothes, the swords as well as rituals of the event.
Another visitor Phil Venuti armed with a camera, was surprised the traditional culture that still exists in Brunei and added that he had actually planned to visit Brunei during His Majesty's birthday prior to his returning to America.
The Brunei Times.
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