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.
Located on an island delta near the junction of the Barito and Martapura rivers, Banjarmasin is the capital of South Kalimantan, and the largest city in the province. Hemmed in by a labyrinth of rivers and canals, the city has been dubbed "the river city". With water enveloping much of the people\'s lives, most of the people\'s daily routines happen near water, from the floating market or "pasar ngapung" to the deep water port of Trisakti Harbor, the main trade basin of the Barito Region. Passenger ships and ferries to and from Java also carry their operation to this port.