Sylvester – The Detouring Doctor

Growing up my parents and all their Hungarian friends referred to New Years eve celebrations as “Sylvester”. I never knew the derivation of the word. It is not a Hungarian word and when I asked my parents they did not know either. At the ripe old age of 65 I again reflected on this mysterious description and in a “lightbulb moment” it came to me. Hungarians are a very Catholic society and I googled St Sylvester, surely there had to be one? Sure enough there was a Pope Sylvester who was canonised as a saint. He died on December 31 and henceforth New Year’s eve is St Sylvester’s day.

Our Sylvester is here in the very orthodox Muslim country Brunei. There is no alcohol served or sold here so it will be a more sober occasion for us. This is a funny little country, literally an enclave within Malaysian Borneo it is a sterile, upmarket society. With a tiny population of less than half a million it is the world’s fifth wealthiest resulting from petrol and gas. The Sultan here has had absolute power since 1984. He wields absolute power and, over recent years, has been moving this country further to Sharia law. He also owns all the mineral resources which nets him a mind boggling $3 billion per month! Our accommodation here is the opulent and grandiose Empire hotel and “she who must be impressed” is suitably impressed.

Driving into the heart of town it is impressive how orderly everything is. Traffic is light and the streets are bereft of people. The capitol Bardar Seri Bandwan, known as BSB is also seemingly a ghost town on a work day. We take a cruise through the fascinating water village before visiting the two main mosques and the museum which is devoted to the life of the sultan, of course. We have a guide who manages to bring the place alive, particularly the museum but in essence that’s all there is to this quaint, quirky country.