101,890!

101,890 people visited the Istana this year while it was open to the public - to extend their wishes of a "Selamat Hari Raya" to the royal family. That's almost a third of the population of Brunei - a third!
That's an increase since last year, that saw 95,699 visitors.

I guess the royals must be exhausted after having received that many handshakes... (In this picture you can see the Queen, to the far right. Not my picture.)



Throughout the three days the Istana was opened to the public, uniformed personnel could be seen everywhere to make sure that everything ran smoothly.
I read that there were eight health stations throughout the palace, with six doctors, 40 nurses, 10 paramedics and 20 attendants prepared for any types of emergencies; and also there was four ambulances ready, just in case.
Members of the police force and Fire and Rescue department were also seen in every corner.


(Images borrowed from www.brunei-online.com)

For the normal people, you could also notice when you went through the entrance, a security sign illustrating appropriate and inappropriate attire for greeting the royal family. Those wearing inappropriate clothing, such as shorts, sleeveless shirts, cargo pants, printed tees etc, would be allowed to go through screening area, but they would be directed to go straight to the souvenir area and be ushered to exit straight away.

According to today's Borneo Bulletin, no major cases of illnesses or misconduct occurred throughout this years open house at the palace, which is amazing considering the amount of people that passed through!

The royal family:


(Image borrowed from http://bruneiresources.blogspot.com)