Debrief - Platform Trip Jan2009

Now that I'm home and comfy, I can mull over (publicly, of course) the trip and note down some high points and, er, low points.

Generally a successful trip, progress was made professionally even if life itself was on hold. God knows how these people live like that.

The bad news: Low Points

• Getting off the chopper knowing we were effectively in prison for 28 days.




• The first Sunday, when we finally received the internet-enabled laptop we'd campaigned for, during the (enforced) room-cleaning exercise I knocked a bottle of water over it. It stopped working for a heart-stopping two hours, finally drying out later in the day after many false dawns. I was apoplectic with stress, shame etc etc.




• Spending 7 hours in one day Skype-chatting with Pete to try to iron out some bugs, with client demo approaching. Not my finest hour - some choice language, spite, pedantry, general prima donna behaviour. Ask Bart, he was there.




• Succession of odd roommates which included, but were not limited to: "Spit Boy", a young man with a habit of hawking, spitting, gargling, gagging loudly in the bathroom at 4am; and "The Beast", a very troll-like chap we first encoutered in the canteen - he was so fierce-looking I actually sat at another table. Sure enough on return to our room there he was, reeking of smoke. Priceless.




• Walking back down the gangway after being bumped from the first to last chopper on the last day. We found out when we took our bags to the helipad. Now that's disappointment.

The good news: High Points

• Seeing real plant data on our screens - back-slaping all round and hysterical emails back to the boys onshore.




• Finally getting on the chopper home after being bumped. See video.




• Spending hours saving the virtual world, playing "Age of Empires" with Bart - whole evenings of potential boredom gone in the blink of an eye.




• Sticking to the fitness program. The gym was well-equipped and empty after 9.30pm every night.




• Some excellent people-watching, mostly at mealtimes. Americans, Thais, some Brits, Australians, all human life was there. Speaking of which:




• Excellent food. This is normal in the oil industry. For me it was a return to youthful days - huge intakes of comfort food, meat, desserts, offset by regular hard sessions in the gym. I lost one pound over the 28 days according to the chopper manifests.

As promised here's the trip I did four times a day for 28 days. I finally found a way to rotate video, so you don't have to get a crick in your neck to enjoy this highly entertaining piece of action footage. My own personal road movie:

Some photos:

Does my bum look big in these?

On the way home at last. You will not find two happier people.

More arty. Well I have to keep the missus intersted.

"All human life was here"

Bart learns software, using music as best protection from my pedantic outbursts. And me constantly taking photos.

Well that about covers it. I'll be home on Friday 13th for a week of making friends. See you in New Mills.

By the way here's a bit of video from the frantic moments when we finally boarded the chopper home. What it does not show: the chopper blades were actually chopping when we boarded, which was very hollywood-ish. Normally they park it for half an hour or so. Also the noise - my phone camera obviously hated it and just plugged its ears.

Be good, see you all soon - can't wait.