We are docked in Brunei. The cruise director just announced that our temperatures would be taken as we disembarked. Anyone showing signs of illness (and also those on a blacklist of countries) would not be allowed to disembark. Recovering from a cold, I worried that I might not be allowed to leave the ship, but the nurses cleared me.

We received a wonderful welcome, from boys and girls dressed in traditional costumes, and a band playing traditional music. Our tour took us to several sites in the city, about 30 minutes drive from the port where we docked. Among the highlights was the Sultan’s Palace, with more than 1,700 rooms. We were allowed only to view the palace of one of the world’s richest men from the outside.