5 Reasons why living in a factory in Indonesia is so fun
I’m currently in Indonesia.
I’d love to say that I’m blogging live from some holiday island like Bali, or Bandung the shopping paradise, but I can’t.
This is my current location.
I’m across the Straits of Malacca, on Sumatera Island, about 20 km northeast of Pekan Baru.
The city of Perawang is so small that it doesn’t even appear on radar. Even the line that’s the road leading to Perawang looks more like a small river than a road.
I’m here with @egooi to settle some equipment issues with a pulp and paper mill. Even then, it’s not Kleenex or pretty branded tissues we’re talking about here. It’s a company called Indah Kiat Pulp & Paper Mill. I can see the ‘huh’ looks on your faces now….hahahaa..wait, there’s more!
So..Why is living in a factory in Indonesia so fun?
#5 Indonesian style room
When we got here, most of the nicer, Western styled rooms were full up. Already we didn’t know how the better dorms were like, and when we were brought to our room..
It ain’t so bad, to be honest. But things that people normally take for granted i.e. clean bedsheets, towels, hot water and a jamban that works weren’t there. And oh, the smell..Oh yeah.
#4 Bed bugs..Phobia
The last time I stayed at a budget hotel in Melaka, this happened.
If you’ve had bed bugs attack before, you’ll know what I mean. And if you’ve not, it’s pretty terrifying. Not traumatizing, but imagine waking up to hundreds of these bites when you wake up. These guys bite so lightly that you will sleep right through it…and the next morning…jeng jeng jeng..
I hardly slept through last night. Every tickle on my body was a possible bed bug, and I ended up slapping and scratching myself for 6 hours, even if it was just my own BULU. Sighs.
#3 Steady data connection!
Before I set off from home, I happily decided that I would go for the RM36 / day unlimited roaming on Indonesia’s Indosat telco. I imagined reasonable speeds of at least EDGE, that I would settle for less than 3G, and that I would be able to surf and not be isolated from the outside.
Sure enough, I got full reception.
…of GPRS connection. All the way. Good thing or not, you tell me *facepalm*
Okay lah, at least there is connection..fine. But it took me god-knows-how-long to upload this blog post via tethered connection.
#2 Tissue dust orgy
Being a tissue and pulp factory, you can imagine the atmosphere in the factory. It’s.totally.choking.with thin fibre. It’s absolutely everywhere, and you can see it stuck on all the machinery.
It kinda looks like a scene from Santa Claus’s factory, except that it’s pulp instead of snow. And as if it’s not bad enough, the original factory in China’s much worse. No wonder the average China man has such low life expectancy. *cough*
#1 Indomie
We all LOVE Indomie, don’t we?
When we reached the food court, we couldn’t wait to gorge into a plate of steaming hot plate of Indomie for dinner. And gorge, we did.
Day # 1: Dinner.
Honestly, we expected better from the birthplace of Indomie. Still, maybe I was used to home taste.
Next morning, we came to the food court hoping to get some toast and coffee. Instead, there was nothing available, except for…
Day #2 breakfast : Indomie # 2
We couldn’t help it. There was nowhere else to eat within walking distance, and the nearest town is 2 hours by car.
And so, after a hard day’s work today, we came back to the same place, same stall, same lady, and ordered…
Day #2 Dinner : Indomie #3
All I can say about Indons is that they really, Really love their noodles.
You can probably guess by now what I will have for breakfast tomorrow before my flight. Yes, you’re almost there, no, it’s not toast or nasi lemak, but yeah I think you’ll know…hahaha.
If I’m posted here for 1 year, I swear I will ban every strand of Indomie in my kitchen when I come back home LOL.
So there you have it, 5 reasons why living in a factory in Indonesia is so fun.
Cheers!
EVo
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