Kuala Belait 1970s

One of my hobbies is collecting postcards. The other day I managed to acquire the above postcard. This postcard is a used one. It was sent by someone in Kuala Belait to someone in Gronigen, Holland and was postmarked sometime June 1981 about 28 years ago. Apparently he had just arrived three days in Kuala Belait and would be in Brunei for only about two more days. The card also says he does not know when he will go back to Yugoslavia. Presumably he is a Yugoslav but now that Yugoslavia has more or less disintegrated, he presumably belonged to one of the states.

Anyway, that's the problem with buying old postcards. I only wanted the photograph in front of it but I get to read the content as well. It does make the postcard more interesting knowing a tiny bit about the person who bought it and sent it to someone. Why did he pick this particular card and not another one?

The postcard depicts Kuala Belait in the 1970s. You can tell even by looking at the cars. Though there is not much change. The clock is still there. The HSBC building on the left, is that the old one? And the Shell filling station on the right? The description on the card is not very useful. It says, Kuala Belait. Sebatang jalanraya. A main thoroughfare. I don't know who did this postcard. But even in the 1970s or even now, I don't think this road was ever a main thoroughfare.

Anyway, that's Kuala Belait as depicted in the postcard in the 1970s. For a photograph that goes about 20 years before that, here is one which I borrowed from a fellow blogger who unfortunately does not blog anymore:-