Turn over wood.....Balikpapan

Yes yes..what a name for a border town on the island of Borneo in the state of Kalimantan...a big part of Indonesia. An area rich of resources from coal to oil.....helping to drive the economy for the island.

My first glimpse of it from the air and I thought...hey looks like Ipoh ....maybe a little more dense and by the ocean. Very nice view as the plane touches down on the tarmac.

The airport...very small and crowded with folks from within and outside Indonesia. For my first trip there, I didn't have any expectations so it was all good. To meet at the airport was Yong, our resident driver.

The hotel we were staying wasn't new nor was it old but it was nice. I had a huge room that nite ...and all to my lonesome self. Pretty cool. Then I saw the advertisement for a spa.....what else could I do but call and find out the cost of a massage. Not expensive at all!!

Since I was travelling from India and just had a day at home to rest...I thought this would be an excellent excuse to get a massage and chill out. The Spa was located at the basement of the hotel....a lot of nice cosy rooms....scented and all. The massage took an hour and after that I returned to my room to chill out and get ready for bed :)

The next morning we were picked up bright and early for the road trip to the mine. It's about 2 hours away down windy roads and some off road areas too. What a trail!!!

Made it to the mine and met with some of the local folks...all very nice and helpful. Got the crew ready to head out to the mine whilst I hung out at the office. Internet connection was awful so I was unable to read mails or anything.

That night we spent at the mine...accommodation was simple yet comfortable. Most importantly..I had an attached bathroom which was CLEAN. That's the most important thing for me :).

The team at the mine organised a BBQ in honour of us...lots of meat...yummm and some local food too. The PM at the mine Grahame prepared some Argentine style steak...ohh my it was awesome...salty but nice and juicy.

Following morning, part of the crew went up in the chopper to get aerial shots and I hung around the office and took photos. Check out the big toys at work.

Then in the afternoon, we made our way back to Balikpapan town..checked in and chilled out till it was time for din din. We went to a seaside seafood restaurant called Ocean..yummy food again and quite cheap...along with beers and all.

I decided to check out the "noisy bar" at the hotel and dragged the crew along. What a blast we had. They had pool tables.....so we played a bit....and then the music...wow...2 live bands who weren't too bad...and lots of SPGs hahahaah. They were trying their luck with my crew but with not much luck....they stuck to me...ANGELS....for nite at least :)

All in all...a successful shoot :)