I lived in Brunei Darussalam for two years and some months. We were stationed in the exciting city of Kuala Belait (KB), near the border of Malaysia, where we would make regular trips to stock up on beer and wine, which can not be sold (legally) in Brunei. I joined up with three other expats - a Scotsman, an Irishman and an Englishman, [no, I`m not telling a joke!] to form a folk group called The Belaiters (pronounced "Blighters"). Fortunately two of the others were good guitarists so I could get away with a bit of background strumming.
Realising that most of the great cities of the world had songs written about them, I thought it was time to celebrate KB in song. So I wrote this to sing at some of our performances. It will not make a lot of sense to people unfamiliar with the delights of this great cosmopolitan city, but I`ll be happy to answer any questions about the lyrics.

In Brunei, I mainly sang this song to expat audiences, but, since I put it up on YouTube, it has become a big hit with the locals. Quite unexpected as my songs about other places, e.g. Hong Kong have had very little impact.

Lyrics:

Driving down the road from Jerudong
Don`t just stop when you reach Tutong.
With a little bit of luck you might
Make it all the way to Kuala Belait.

...I`m going back to KB, baby.
...That`s where I want to be,
...Where the teapot sits on the roundabout
...And the donkey nods at me.

In the middle of the city we`ve got Jalan Pretty.
That`s where all the action is at night.
You can have a lot of fun in Bandar Sri Begawan
But you can`t beat Kuala Belait.

...I`m going back to KB, baby.
...That`s where I want to be,
...Where the teapot sits on the roundabout
...And the donkey nods at me.
...Bandar Seri Begawan
...Is not the place for everyone.
...`Cause I love - that`s right -
...I love Kuala Belait.

This city is expanding at a furious pace.
New buildings going up all over the place
The High Court will open - one of these days.
(Spoken: Well ... it might.)
I love Kuala Belait.
We`ve got plenty of rice and the noodles are nice.
This town is a gourmet`s delight.
You can`t go wrong with roti kosong
At New Akbar in Kuala Belait.

In KB town you can watch the sun go down
Sitting on the sand at night.
See the oil rigs burning bright, while the sand flies bite.
On the beach at Kuala Belait.
Let me make this clear -- I really like Seria
The billionth barrel is a wonderful site,
But nothing can compare with the excitement in the air
In downtown Kuala Belait.

For more about The Belaiters see:
http://www.geocities.com/rayyoong/brunei8.html

Submitted by:liver

Tags:Folk , Song , Brunei , Borneo , Bandar , Kb , Bsb , Seria , Shell , Lumut , Tutong , Jerudong , Jalan , Pretty , Bahasa , Melayu , Irony

Added:02-May-2007