Balikpapan Tua and Baru - Old and New

A lot can happen in two and a half years, and nowhere is this more true than in Indonesia's oil capital - Balikpapan. The city has gone from barely tolerable, to quite a nice place to live, thank you very much. Just don't tell Jill Farquhar and head office at TotalFinaElf - they still think it's a hardship posting!

June 2001
	When we first arrived, there were great hopes for 'the new hotel'. Well, the Gran Senyuir has been finished, but if truth be told, it is a bit of a disaster. It looks flash, but the food and service are far from good. Rumour has it though, that improvements are on the way!

August 2001
	DFS - Duty Free Shop arrived, amongst stiff opposition from the local population and business leaders, so much so that it had to black out its windows. Nevertheless, it sells some whisky, gin, Baileys and (if you're lucky) wine - all at prices which don't require a small mortgage!

October 2001
	Fast food hits Balikpapan, in the shape of Pizza Hut. Everything is the same as it would be in the UK, except you can't have any pork on your pizzas, and the service is friendly and efficient.

March 2002
	A rumour had been going around that there was going to be a new delicatessen and sandwich bar, which would replace Wisma Patra. Frankly, I didn't believe a word of it until I visited it after Elizabeth was born. 'Deli-Cafe' serves cappucinos with chocolate muffins, or roast beef and salad sandwiches, and you can also buy fresh beef, ham, cheese, youghurts, sausages, scotch eggs, cornish pasties and (best of all) fresh milk!!!

October 2002

No longer do we have to go to Balikpapan Plaza to visit Hero and buy our groceries - a new Hero has now opened in Balikpapan Baru. It's twice the size as the old one, with twice the range of goods. The fridges and freezers seem to work, you can get your trolley down the aisle, and there seems to be less mice and rats. The fruit and veg are still as mouldy as ever, as is the ever present aroma of durian fruit....

October 2002
	Right next to the new Hero, is something trluly amazing - Guardian Pharmacy. This is something of Singapore standards, and although they don't have quite the same range of goods, you can buy Tampax, Dove cream bath, Pears shower gel, nappy cream, baby paracetamol and Colgate toothpaste!

November 2002
	For the most part, the expat community is relatively satisfied with life in Balikpapan, but we now have something we have never experienced before - a choice! The Blue Sky Hotel has opened a new cafe in town - De Cafe - offerring us an alternative venue for cappucino, delicious cakes, chocolates, pastries, bread, affordable wine, cheese and sausages.

December 2002
	It has been 8 months in the construction, but the new Unocal 'RABC' has opened. All the old stuff is there, but now you can get it in comfort. And you are probably less likely to see as many rats or mice inside...

Enough's enough Balikpapan - our hardship allowance is under threat!

So... here we are.... all the things we can now get in Balikpapan....without too much difficulty...
...fresh milk...	...ham...	...cheese...	...wine...

...shower gel...	...toothpaste...	...tampax!

	And finally, here are some views of Balikpapan Baru - a new part of town which is being bulit, offering us a myriad of new opportunities