The title says it all, I over thought Brunei and I will get to that in a minute but first - I am in Brunei. Where is Brunei you ask? Well Brunei is on the island of Borneo (bet you thought Borneo was a country - but it's not). Borneo is an island made up of 3 countries - Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. Brunei is also ruled by a Sultan and is a very Muslim country, which lead me to over thinking it. As you know, I have been travelling a fair bit lately to SE Asia and in particular, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which is also a Muslim country. One think to keep in mind when thinking about Malaysia, it isn't Middle East, wear a burka type of Muslim, but rather wear a pretty floral dress to the floor along with a matching head scarf type of Muslim, so when I am in KL, I tend to dress normally and by normal, I mean normal. I don't let it all hang out nor do I stay all covered up - I am somewhere in the middle in the range of what I would consider appropriate and I have never had issues with how I have dressed, nor have I ever felt uncomfortable. Hell, down at the KLCC (big shopping mall in KL), I have seen girls with it all hanging out next to women clad head to toe, face covered, only eyes showing burkas.
When I found out I was coming to Brunei (this particular trip has been cancelled and rescheduled 3 times) I did a little research and asking around the office of what is appropriate to wear and this is where my over thinking came in. I fretted last week about what to bring b/c Brunei is a tropical country, much like Malaysia and when I am in Malaysia I often wear a cardigan, tank top and a skirt to work with a nice little wedge sandal - something generally nice a cool. But I couldn't wear that in Brunei! I mean it is a very Muslim country. My knees need to be covered, as do my shoulders and surely cleavage is a no-no. (unless I want to be in Prince Jeffrey's harem but that is another story!) Or so I thought. . . until I got to the gate at the airport in Kuala Lumpur and I saw local girls sitting there in their short skirts and bare arms.
Really, at the end the day, I think that dressing in foreign countries comes down to a few common sense things (which I didn't really use :-( )
And when it comes to the beach in places like this, you will see everything - including the lovely skirted, 2 piece burkini!
When I found out I was coming to Brunei (this particular trip has been cancelled and rescheduled 3 times) I did a little research and asking around the office of what is appropriate to wear and this is where my over thinking came in. I fretted last week about what to bring b/c Brunei is a tropical country, much like Malaysia and when I am in Malaysia I often wear a cardigan, tank top and a skirt to work with a nice little wedge sandal - something generally nice a cool. But I couldn't wear that in Brunei! I mean it is a very Muslim country. My knees need to be covered, as do my shoulders and surely cleavage is a no-no. (unless I want to be in Prince Jeffrey's harem but that is another story!) Or so I thought. . . until I got to the gate at the airport in Kuala Lumpur and I saw local girls sitting there in their short skirts and bare arms.
Really, at the end the day, I think that dressing in foreign countries comes down to a few common sense things (which I didn't really use :-( )
- Think, "would I wear this out to dinner with my parents, boss, in-laws, etc" or "could I wear this to the office and feel comfortable". If so, it is probably safe
- Don't wear anything with slogans or logos that may offend people. Personally, not the biggest fan of being a walking advertisement
- Don't always trust what you read on the internet - talk to locals about what is appropriate
- Lastly, don't over think it!
And when it comes to the beach in places like this, you will see everything - including the lovely skirted, 2 piece burkini!
