The once sleepy river port on sungai Siak, has transformed into one of Indonesia’s oil capitals, with all the hustle and bustle of a modern city. Long before today\'s affordable air travel, it served as a transit point for tourists between ferries from Singapore. Following the Americans striking oil back in the 1930\'s, Pekanbaru\'s economy was heavily dependent on oil revenues and now its not uncommon to have a conversation with a Western oil executive, on a business trip when visiting.