Brunei

Brunei is located on the island of Borneo, and it only borders Sarawak, Malaysia. English and Malay are the two official languages. It became a sultanate in the 14th century, and its formal name tacks The Abode of Peace onto the end. The GDP is really good, thanks to petroleum and natural gas. Brunei is also rich in rainforests. Check out the Ulu Temburong National Park for some of that natural beauty. The capital city, Bandar Seri Begawan, features lavish mosques and the largest water village in the world at Kampung Ayer. You can visit that community to see homes on stilts, schools and other public buildings, the handicrafts of the residents, and a gallery all about their culture.

Food in Brunei tends to be a little spicy. It is similar to Malaysian, Singaporean, and Indonesian cuisine, and also borrows from India, China, and other somewhat more remote countries. Nasi lemak (a Malaysian coconut milk rice dish with chicken and/or fish, garnished with cucumber and egg), and rendang (a sort of caramelized curried meat from Indonesia) are typical dishes found in restaurants. Ambuyat is one truly local dish, balls of sago palm starch dipped into a sour fruit sauce. One of the healthier, more vegetarian and vegan-friendly options seems to be Chinese restaurants, of which there are quite a few.