Most years Brunei Darussalam is the richest per capita nation on earth.  A place about the size of Connecticut, but that sits on huge oil reserves means lots of money for nearly everyone.  

It's a bizzare country in some ways.  Traditional-lookng wooden Malay houses on stilts over the water are not unusual.  They have the largest "water village" existing in the world.  Yet, when you get invited into one of these homes, as you almost invariably will, you'll find these are not po' folks.  Most own a more modern house on the land, & at the end of the jetty there's a BMW to take them to it.

Nations like this struggle to figure out how to handle rapid modernity & radical wealth while not losing grip of their traditions.  The Malay are 100% Muslim, very devoted to their Sultan who basically wears every hat in his government (he is his own cabinent) & no one seems to complain.  He's got so much money that he can be very generous at handing out to his subjects.  And he likes to entertain them.

To this end, early this year the Sultan of Brunei revived an old event this year that apparently had not been held since the 1950s, when Brunei was just beginning to come into its oil wealth.  The Malay being a seafaring people love the water & boating.  So, he brought back the Brunei regatta.

Thousands of Bruneians & their immigrant laborers lined the shores, porches & water-taxi stops along the Brunei River in downtown Bandar Seri Begawan--Brunei's capital.

Races included canoes, traditional wood water taxis (Bruneians reject fiberglass as a serious boat material), 

small streamlined speedboats,

 and much more powerful & faster craft.  

 Despite oppressive heat & blinding reflections off the river, the masses stayed glued to their plases from 9 AM until 5 PM

eager to see who the winners would be.

Many are calling on the Sultan to now make it an annual event.  

So, don't pack those paddles too far back in the shed.  Soon you'll need to be practicing for next year.