It is the first time I visited Brunei though since young it has been mentioned that Brunei has been a rich nation due to its huge reserve of oil and gas. I was being tasked together with my boss for an last minute assignment to visit some customers in East Malaysia and Brunei is our first stop. Arriving at the airport in late afternoon, the airport seems to be quite empty with people and I can see children playing around at the airport.

Soon after someone picked us up at the airport, he was bringing us to some Japanese restaurant for lunch and during the journey, we passed by a majestic palace which was said to be the residential location for Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah. The palace is named Istana Nurul Iman, located on the banks of Brunei River which is only a few kilometers south of Brunei's capital, Bandar Seri Begawan. (Tried my best to take a good photo of the palace, but what do you expect if you are sitting inside a moving vehicle ?)

The palace has been recorded into the Guiness World Record being the World's Largest Palace, spanning over 200,000 square meters of floor space. Be more surprised at the numbers I am going to show regarding this palace;

• Contains 1,788 rooms, including 257 bathrooms
• An expandable banquet hall to accommodate up to 5,000 guests
• A mosque accommodating 1,500 people
• 110 car garage (not carpark)
• An air-conditioned stable for Sultan's 200 polo ponies
• 5 Swimming pools
• 564 Chandeliers
• 51,000 Light bulbs 
• 44 Stairwells
• 18 Elevators