First Day
It took us one hour from Makassar to Soroako. The travel felt short because Yamin liked to tell something, anything, such as about his experiences or else.
Before we landed, I looked through the window. I could see the Lake Matano. It was big and really beautiful. And I also could see the housing. It was very well planned.
When I stepped on Soroako, I could see the airport was small. The view was beautiful. The air was not as hot as at Makassar but not also cool either.
Bapak Maryanto picked us. After we got our bagages, he asked us to check in at the dormitory and have lunch. Eating again... argh I felt so full. After we kept our stuffs, we dined at the restaurant of the dormitory. They served European and Indonesian food. But, the aroma of the the dining room was more European.
After we had lunch, we went to Bapak Maryanto's office and discussed about the plan that we would do for a week.
After discussion, Bapak Maryanto showed us around, especially the housing of PT INCO's employees. It was like not in Indonesian. To me, it was like the housing in US (maybe...) that I saw on TV.
Before Bapak Maryanto took us to the dormitory, he dropped at a restaurant to buy some food for his son. I saw that the housing for local people was really different from the INCO's.
When We arrived at our rooms, I checked the room and took some pictures. It was surprising to me. Even it was called a dormitory, it was like hotel room.
In the evening, we couldn't take rest. After having dinner (European food again...), we discussed more about our plan. I had to stay late to prepare and was drowsy. But, I had a big responsibility that I couldn't go to bed... :(
Even it is called dormitory, but the rooms are just like in a hotel. The dormitory belongs to PT INCO (PT International Nickel Indonesia), a mining company from Brazil. It is a place to stay for the company’s guests and bachelor employees, and also for contractor’s employees. Currently, it is operated by Luciana Group.
The dormitory is more like a motel. The guests can park their cars in front of their rooms. The room is large enough with:
• a queen size bed with two side tables;
• a dresser that also can be used to work with a laptop;
• a coffee table with 2 armed chairs;
• a medium size television;
• a medium size refrigerator but empty (not even water);
• a three doors closet.
The bathroom is completed with hot and cold water. There is a terrace at the back of the room. But, the view is not too good. There is also a laundry service.
There is a restaurant that serves buffet three times a day. The food served is European and Indonesian, but European is more dominant. It is because the guests are more expatriates than Indonesians. Other facilities are a bar, billyard tables, and table tennis. The facilities are limited because the guests are there for work not for pleasure.
