Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, Borneo, Indonesia

We're in Balikpapan for a couple of days.This area is on the other side of Borneo from Kota Kinabalu and is Indonesian. It is a beachfront town on the Makassar Strait, with the major industries coal mining, petroleum drilling and palm oil. The personnel for these corporations live here in an expat community. We were out and about yesterday and our guide mentioned that the average monthly wage for a worker, shop worker or the like is between $250-$350 per month. If you work on an oil rig or the service boats, your wage might be $500 per month. This is not a particularly inexpensive town to live in, as due to location many items need to be imported by boat, such as rice.
Around 80% of the Indonesian population is Muslim and the call to prayer can be heard multiple times each day over outdoor loudspeakers. There is a great local market here and lots of seafood.

Banana aisle

Boys having fun.

Local Mosque

Your local dentist?

Alligators raised for skin.

Chicken curry eaten Indo style.

Your basic squat toilet.

Mangrove swamp.

Chicken is popular.

Jumping proboscis monkey.