A Well Cared for People
October 2: 6 pm
River View Hotel
We've rested a bit and been handed our per diem for the rest of the trip in US dollars by our 'Angel' -- Diana A Sabidi, a technical assistant at the Association of South East Asian Nations Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia. She will be with us for the rest of the trip. The bulge in everyone's wallets suddenly reminds them of home. There is a clamour around Ikram -- all want to call. The hotel will charge an astronomical $5 per minute to call India. But they tell us it will be cheaper to buy a card.
Ikram informs us that since it's a Sunday there are no money changers around. And no one will accept US dollars in Brunei. We're rich but we cannot spend the money anywhere.
8 pm: Muhibah Restaurant, RBA Sports Complex
Our dinner host is Mahmud Bakyr, national chairman of ASEAN's (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)\] cultural wing. The venue is an exclusive club for Brunei's rich and influential set.
There is an elaborate wedding type pandal at one corner of the vast hall. We wonder why.
The buffet spread is elaborate. Sup Ekor is a clear beef soup, with chunks of meat and herbs. Nasi Kebuli and Nasi Putih are good old steamed rice, elaborately garnished. There's lamb curry with potatoes (made with coconut gravy similar to the way it is made in coastal Karnataka and Kerala). The steamed fish fillet with lemon grass and crispy fried chicken with malat sauce make us spoilt for choices. The meal is rounded with a fresh fruit platter and bread and butter pudding.
As we make our way to our tables with heaped plates, the MC for the evening announces that we are going to be treated to a Bruneian cultural show. There are elaborate cultural dances, a fashion parade of ethnic and traditional dresses (which to an amateur like me look faintly Buddhist) and the highlight of the evening -- a mock Brunei wedding ceremony, complete with bride and groom. That explains the pandal.
The bride is carried in first in what we in India would call a palanquin and helped on stage after some ceremony. The MC then announces that the Indian delegation would act as baraatis and calls us up to bless the bride. That too turns out to be quite a ritual. At the bride's side is a silver tray with seven bowls of different colours, a bowl of water and some leaves. We are told to dip our index finger in each of the colours then apply it on the bride's palm. Then rinse our fingers and strew a handful of the leaves in the general direction of the bride's hands. One enthusiastic member of the team tries to do the leaf strewing the Indian way -- he throws it over the bride's head, spoiling her carefully set coiffure. There's plenty of giggling and laughter all round.
10.30 pm: Dharmendra Singh's corner store
The stomachs are full, wallets bulging and it's time go call home. Ikram drives us around in a desperate search for a money changer and cannot find one. He finally gets us to Dharmendra Singh's store.
Singh is happy to see so many Indian faces. He's helpful and even agrees to take US dollars for our calls. He has a card for B$10 (about Rs 265) that has 12 minutes of talk time to India. I share the card with three others. After making our calls, there's still plenty of talk time left. We borrow money from Ikram and pay Singh.