Bukit Asam Part 3

The Base Camp basically has everything a guest would need: a recreation hall, a mess hall (where we dine), a swimming pool, a fitness center. The laundry is taken at around 7 and we have them cleaned and pressed at 2. Television with HBO and local channels. Sounds like heaven, eh?

So, why do we feel like we’re in a house arrest?
Because the only way to get out of the Base Camp complex is by car!

What do you do when you want to go to the pharmacy?
You call ‘the pool’.

A snack of meatballs at around 7?
You call ‘the pool’.

Need some cash at the ATM?
You call ‘t-h-e p-o-o-l’.

Someone takes your call first before you can have your ride. The type of car? Well, if you get an L-300, it means that there is no other car in the car pool. If it’s your lucky day, though there’s no other car in the pool, you’ll get the Nissan Terrano with no Busam stickers – the director’s car. And by riding that car, every security guard takes time to stand up and salute you (assuming that whoever inside is a director since the dark glass windows make it impossible for them to see who’s inside… hihihi). On normal days, you can get an Innova or a Panther – quite comfy.

There are more than 30 cars with more or less the same number of drivers. They are divided into morning shift (6.00 – 18.00) and evening (18.00 – 6.00). Every other week, they change shifts and they only handle a car with their respective partner. All drivers are outsourced employees with a contract renewal for every 4 years.

Each and every driver has their own style of driving and behavior. There is a driver who tried to make us frightened by the ghost stories which I assume were quite popular here. When I asked about this particular driver to his colleague, the driver turned out to be a ‘chicken’ himself. He'd rather take another route for his trips during his night shifts to avoid passing the front of a cemetery.:-)

There is a friendly driver who took us to Lahat. You might want to stop chatting with him if you’re sitting at the back. He tends to look back during chatting as if he were not driving!!!!

Another driver we know was the one who drove us to Palembang on a one-day trip. Though he’s young and the youngest of all-female siblings, he seems quite knowledgeable. I was impressed by the way he handled our questions patiently and he gave comments, even to the silliest matter like ‘Oh, look! How cute the ‘duku’ tree is!’ or ‘Wow!Those durians are amazing!’. Stories about his family or his activity when he was younger were only some of the subjects he told us. Quite a sensitive and open guy, I thought. And … compared to the first driver who took us the first time from Palembang to Tj Enim, I could give him an 8.5 for his driving. :-)

My friend told me not to be too friendly to the drivers. I don't see the reason to be too paranoid. They’re people, too. And, since I’m going to see them everyday, I guess it won’t hurt just to say ‘Good morning.’ or ‘Thank you’.