The rig

The rig outside of Jakarta

So, as most of my friends and family know I was sent to Indonesia to work for a company drilling on an oil rig.  Coming from Canada, and Calgary especially, I had certain expectations of what the rig would look like.  I had a basic idea of what my job would entail, and I knew it would be a bit of hard work, but I had in no way prepared myself for what the accomodations would be like.  When, I first arrived at the land rig just outside of Jakarta I was in for a shock!   This rig is different than most as the accomodations are in a separate place than the rig, about 5km apart.  After driving for 4 hours with half of the drive being on bumpy dirt roads I arrived at the "camp". 

My bed - I called bottom

After sitting outside in silence for an hour or so (no one here speaks english and the rest of the crew has yet to arrive) someone shows me to my room.  It is the size of a walk in closet with two sets of bunk beds against the wall.  It reminds me of a couchette I once took on a train in Italy, only less clean.  Since there is a full moon, the room is also infested with beetles (don't ask me how that is related, it just is).  Small ones that fly, but mostly get stuck on their back and flit around.   The air-conditioning is broken and when it's 4 in the afternoon and 33 degrees outside, that sucks.  Too hot to sit in my room I go back outside and stare at the ground for another few hours until the crew arrives.   

Once the crew gets there I ask them where I can find the washroom.  The response I get is unsafe.  Well that doesn't really help me out much.  When I ask why it's unsafe the response is wait until the rig.  Hmmm, so I go off to adventure and find this unsafe washroom on my own.  So, I find the bathroom I think.  Rather it's a trailer that is filled with these little rooms with holes in the ground.  Now I am not exagerating when I say that it is honestly a 2 inch hole in the ground.  It's pretty sketchy.  Turns out the unsafe part is the large window in the side that is not covered.  Anyone and everyone can watch you squatting in all your glory.  I have no idea how long i'm on the rig for, but I already know it's too long!

First stop when I get back to Jakarta, a spa to scrub my shame away.