We are in the process of docking at Muara, Brunei, a large island east of Malaysia. Brunei is an independent small country that happens to be the richest in the world. Brunei shares this island with Malaysia and we'll be there tomorrow.

In the meantime, it's just after noon on Friday and being a strictly religious Muslim country, most everything is shut down from noon to 2 p.m. so the citizens can pray. We will be allowed to get off the ship at 2 to go on our excursion, but nothing happens until then.

Hassanal Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III is the 29th and current Sultan and Yang di-Pertuan of Brunei since 1967 and the Prime Minister of Brunei since independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. He is one of the last absolute monarchs in the world.

Our excursion is NOT to his palace. Thus, here's what we won't see: his three wives; five children, 7,000 automobiles, gold-plated jet or billions of Brunei dollars, each of which are equal to 74 cents US. He's been the richest man in the world -- or near the top -- for more than 35 years. The source of his income was visible from our balcony this morning: oil and natural gas rigs just off the coast.

What we hope to see on a boat trip into a mangrove is diverse animal life including proboscis monkeys, which only live on this island. They have long noses, reddish-brown skin and a long tail. We will also visit a water village, which I'll explain once I see it.

So I expect to add to this post tonight and post some pictures if the monkeys, as they usually do, come out to greet Bonnie.

****added 7:19 est Saturday. I also added a 0 to the Sultan's car collection to be accurate

The excursion was disappointing. We weren't in a mangrove with small streams that could take close to wildlife. We finally spotted a couple of proboscis high up a tree and so far away that I couldn't get a sharp photo of their orange backs, long tails and large noses.

Soon we visited the water village, which is a group of small houses on stilts on the Brunei River inhabited mostly by the few very poor in the country. We had a small lunch and made friends with a big family who had the largest and nicest home around, which of course was right next to the lunch pavilion. After a videoed Bonnie interview with the family, we walked to the bus and passed a cemetery. Among the small headstones, two probiscis monkeys romped. The day was saved.