It is 45 years since I was last in Duri and last week I returned . I landed at Pekanbaru which is now a modern airport, stayed the night in the Hotel and set off on the famous road again. The night before it rained as only it can in this part of the world and much of the road was like a Welsh bog, the crude oil had been replaced by thin crusts of Tarmac however there were sections washed out and single file traffic at these points .It then became apparent that the 45 year lapse between my visits had seen the rise of the Oil Palm market and the big dollars it brings as about every square inch of Sumatra is planted out with it. This industry and the services required has led to the need for more than 500 Tanker trucks carting the Palm Oil from the refineries constantly travelling this road. Approx 4hrs later and with white knuckles we arrived in Duri.
My work in the Oil industry had brought me back from whence it all began and I lectured two groups of drilling engineers on how to best drill and complete their wells. Whilst in the Chevron Camp I had the driver take me to the Old Bristow Hanger it looked clean and with manicured gardens however inside the hanger was a lone Sikorsky with no people. Nothing like the hustle and bustle of years gone by with engines and airframes lined up for change and servicing. After a fantastic lunch it was back on the road again to Pekanbaru which became a nightmare as it took 6 1/2 hours to reach the hotel. Another 18hrs and I was back in Perth completely beat. The nostalgic trip was worth it and if I had never been given the opportunity by Bristow's I would not have had the possibility of another career. So its off to China in a couple of weeks followed by a trip to the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston just in time to celebrate my 70th.Its funny what life throws up at you.
Hope this was interesting to some of you. The web has been quiet of late.
Bas
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