VVhen Tourists are Cheated: Jerudong Park [A Ground Forgotten]

I've been wanted to write about this particular topic for quite a while but I didn't manage to find the time. Nevertheless, the time is now!

For tourists visiting this country in a hope to explore the so called 'kingdom of unexpected treasure', what is the first thing you see on the pamphlet that promotes this country as a tourist attraction? Kampong Ayer? Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien mosque? Definitely. However, there is always this image of local Bruneian family going together to an amusement park called Jerudong Park. You go there, expecting to see the Brunei's version of Disneyland but only to find yourself lost in a zombieland that you can't even believe it exists in the first place!

I tried to get a hold on some pictures from Jerudong Park debut run back in 1997. Shown below are some photos that I managed to capture during my visit to this once glorious amusement park that is not amusing at all these days.

The glass diamond that once sat so deeply in the hearts of many Bruneian family is nothing but memory now.

An epitome of desolation, Jerudong Park buries with it the hopes and happiness of many Bruneians who feel betrayed when this tourist attraction goes bust. The sole brainchild behind this landmark abscond with some twenty six billion Brunei dollars. Everyone in Brunei, worldwide perhaps, knows who he is so I won't mention him by name. For those who don't, safe to say that he's the brother of our beloved Sultan. That's the thing; he had a vision to develop Jerudong from a quiet little tight knit community into a flamboyant ground made to amuse even the poorest of souls who came to visit this now sorrowful monument of unexpected failure.

The LGBT-friendly arch welcoming you to Jerudong Park Playground, with horse head signifies the royal family's interest in polo.

There used to be a couple of horses in Jerudong that people can ride and take photographs. As a small kid living a few inches away from the Equator, seeing horses is really amusing in itself that unknowingly, they too have to go when this park met its fate some time after the millennium. One big mistake that the creator of this place overlooked is the fact that they did not charge fees to the public for entering Jerudong Park. VVell, everybody loves freedom but when it comes to amusement park, you had better think twice of not charging people. Think about the maintenance, the salary of those employed in this business. At the height of Amadeo scandal, Jerudong Park lost a lot because people can go in and out of the park free of charge. Attendance began to rapidly decline following the decision to ticket the entrance and rides. This should have been done from the very beginning for Satan's sake!! VVhen people are so used to have freebies, they'll spit on your palms when you try to make them pay.

The colored glass that stood the test of time, a silent witness to joy and blunder of Jerudong Park

It's embarrassing. It's totally embarrassing. As a Bruneian I feel deeply embarrassed to see foreigners bringing their kids to Jerudong Park. Like I said earlier, those tourists are cheated by our government who continues to neglect the cry of little people of trying to restore Jerudong Park to its former glory. Do they not contradict themselves talking about developing tourism industry in this oil rich Sultanate, while they don't even lift a fucking finger to change the pamphlet showing Jerudong Park from 10, 13 years ago. It's still the same image. Tourists see this and they thought it is for real. VVhen they come to JP, all they see is shit! If you're Bruneian and don't even feel embarrassed by this fact; blade to your throat and calmly greet death...

Effigy of the Forgotten...they were designed to smile at you all the time.

It is sad. It is so disappointing to realise how far back has JP regressed in recent years. Yes. That's all I can think of; how disappointed we are with the current state of this place that we used to frequent every weekend with friends and family. This used to be the place where Bruneians can truly look forward to when spending their time with loved ones. Clearly it promotes a vibrant lifestyle of spending money in your own country while attracting tourists from abroad. Talk about killing two birds with one stone. Then again, people like me are a nobody. VVho the fuck is going to listen to what I have to say, right?

The terminal: where train used to take people across the park. VVhat's left of it now is beyond bullshit...

The late Michael Jackson made his debut in this country at JP Amphitheater, attracting thousands of people from across the borders who came to see his performance. Although I wasn't able to go there myself, friends who did told me of how great it was. Even to this very day, majority of Bruneians who attended the glamorous event considered the concert as the greatest memory of Jerudong Park. As kids, we tried all sorts of ride and attractions available in the park while Los del Rios 'Macarena' was playing in the background followed by Gala 'Freed from Desire' and KRU 'Fanatik'. Those are the good times that only happened once in a lifetime. Kids nowadays won't understand shit about how great it was back then. They're too busy fiddling with iPhone and Samsung tab.

Surely not the best colors that you shine!

Most of the rides have been dismantled and sent to somewhere we know not. It's a sad fact that we can't no longer play water log, Pony Express, the Game Arcade and all those fun rides. VVhen the management was faced with internal difficulties, employees slowly began losing job and they ventured into other, more stable opportunities. JP quickly disintegrated from within. Its scars bled heavily, flooding the streets with hopelessness and sorrow.

Not like it was 13 years ago. Still, people have nowhere to go.

Ugly. Totally ugly.

I can't even remember what this was.

I stop my rants for now. I let the pictures do the talking from here.

A miniature light house in what used to be a pool of water for remote controlled boats

Abandoned in neglect and decrepitude

Bumper car! A silent blasphemy of our tourism industry

A grave with different view...

This pneumatic stegosaurus puppet is no longer functioning.

Up close and personal.

Det som en gang var.

This used to house the pirate's treasure where people lined up to take photos with friends and family.

A family of three strolling through the park.

VVe came, vve savv, it dies

You're just contradicting yourself; this is the development you're talking about...

Here stood the Sky Tower where people can see the rest of the surrounding village in Jerudong. Now, this is but a tower of nonexistence.