Brunei became my 36th country, and funnily enough, I wasn’t even planning to visit it. At the time, I was backpacking Southeast Asia alone on my very first trip around the region when a friend convinced me to book a last-minute flight from Kuala Lumpur. I knew almost nothing about Brunei except the controversial headlines online, and honestly, I was pretty nervous. As a solo female traveler, I had no idea how strict the country would be or what to expect once I arrived. I ended up spending two days in Bandar Seri Begawan, exploring the capital, visiting its beautiful mosques, taking the famous boat trip through the mangroves, and…