Brunei, Sardinia, San Marino, Western Sahara

Asia-Brunei Darussalam-Bandar Seri Begawan  Well what a nice suprise Brunei was. This Mosque is amazing. Lots of gold and very beautiful inside and out. I also took a tour of Kampong Ayer the Water village. It was great going on a small motor boat and visiting people's homes. 

The Post Office was closed when I was there. Luckily the hotel had some stamps. This was the current definitive stamp at the time with the Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah. A nice clear postmark always a plus. 

Europe-Sardinia-Cagliari  I spent a very nice few days here. The town of Cagliari was very interesting . Walking along the old walls it was quite hilly. The food was excellent and very good value. This was the first time I had seen horse meat on the menu. The card shows Su Naraxi Barumini. It is a 2nd century BC defensive structure.  Also a World Heritage site. I hired a car to get around the Island. 

The stamp shows Ugo Lamalfa a famous Italian Politician . 

Europe-San Marino   San Marino the historic centre is a World Heritage site. Got a train from Milan to Rimini. It rained all of the afternoon that I was here.  I was in a café and the owner  found out I was Irish. He told me he visits Ireland every year on his holidays. I guess when you live in San Marino one does need to get out from time to time. 

I did not get to San Marino until 4pm. The Post Office was closed. Can you believe that? Well lucky for me the shops sell postage stamps. The trouble I had is that they had lots of stamps with the old Lire and not the new Euro . I found this one  and it shows the main square. I visited the museum there. 

Africa-Western Sahara-Laayoune  Well I really liked this place. On the way down on the plane from Casablanca you could see the different colours of the sands. A fantastic sight. Arriving at the airport I was stopped by the military and asked why I was there. I guess they don't expect to get too many tourists.  I really did not know what to expect as I could find very little tourist information. Well it is very well cared for. The Moroccans have spent a small fortune on this area to keep the locals happy. I really felt I was in the Sahara.  Got a driver and went out into the Oasis where I spent a night under the stars. Went up the border as per the UN maps with Morocco. There is an actual marker there. A great Trip. 

The Post Office was busy. Very helpful on the end of the postcard, (not seen here) the Postmaster put an extra postmark. Laayoune 24-4-2004. The King of Morocco is on the left side.