==BRUNEI==

I was minted in Negara Brunei Darussalam in 1993. After many adventures throughout the country, I am today a forgotten coin lying on the Pantai Seri Kenangan in the Tutong District. Let me recall my adventurous past.
I am a twenty-cent coin who started my journey around the country when a cash- ier at the Islamic Bank of Brunei handed me to a hawker who sold noodles. Ah Siong, the hawker, put me into a box where I met a lot of new friends. Some of them even came from Singapore. Although they looked different, we all had the same value.
I learnt a lot of things when I was in the box. One of my friends told me about the present ruler, whose face was engraved on every one of us except those who are much older. Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, the present ruler of Brunei, is very handsome.
One day, Ah Ling, who came and bought a bowl of noodles, received me as part of her change. Later that day, she went to Jerudong Park with her friends. Jerudong Park is the only amusement centre in Brunei. It was full of people, all of different races. There were Malays, Chinese, Filipinos, Thais and some Europeans.
After walking around the beautiful park and trying out all the exciting rides, Ah Ling and her friends went to the Jerudong Park hawker stalls to have some drinks. This was when I was given to another hawker.
The hawker, a Malay man, was a devout Muslim. He brought me to the mosque one day. I was awe-struck when I saw the mosque. It had gold-plated domes, marble tiles and there were also a lot of people who went to pray. I noticed that there were no women at the mosque.
After they had prayed, the hawker and his friends went to a coffee shop. They decided to visit one of their friends at Kampung Ayer, one of the biggest water villages in the world. As the coffee shop was situated near the river, they walked to the water-taxi point. That was when I first had a ride on a boat. The houses at Kampung Ayer were built above the water. There were small shops, schools and fire stations too.
That night, when the hawker resumed business at Jerudong Park, I was given to a young man. I later learnt that he was an architect with a great interest in cars. I remained with him for about two weeks. Most of the time, he was in his office. When he was not working, he washed, waxed and vacuumed his car. I liked it most when he went for a car ride. Sometimes he would go shopping with his fiancee. They usually shopped in de- partmental stores such as Yaohan Megamart, Tiong Hin and Hua Ho.
It was during one of their shopping trips that I was given to a cashier at Yaohan Megamart but I didn't remain there for long. The cashier gave me to another young man almost as soon as I was put into the cash register. My journey started becoming more adventurous when I was with him. The young man named Ahmad came from the Temburong District. He worked in the Brunei-Muara District, but he always returned to Temburong during the weekends.
When he was back at Temburong, which is mostly covered with trees, he went camping in the jungle. I was placed in his pocket during his journey. I got wet through when he crossed the Temburong river with the help of a rope tied across it. He spent the night in the jungle with his friends. They went out of the jungle early the next morning. When he arrived home, he gave me to his younger brother, Amin, who was also at home during the weekends.
Then I was brought to Amin's apartment at Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei. I felt very relaxed when I was with Amin. He loved to stay at home, listening to music and reading books. However, that weekend Amin's company organised a picnic. The picnic was held at the Pantai Seri Kenangan in the Tutong District. The scenery there was beautiful. Amin and his colleagues played many games on the beach. While Amin was playing football, I fell out of his pocket.
Although I have been to all the four districts of Brunei, I am interested to know more about the country, its friendly people and its history. Unfortunately, I am still lying on the beach in the Tutong District, hoping for someone to pick me up.