In October, 1985, Tom visited Schlumberger’s Burma operations, meeting with clients and employees in his role as Marketing and Technique Manager for Schlumberger-ASA headquarters in Tokyo. The company’s land operations were near the Mann oilfield, southwest of Bagan along the Irawaddy River. The trip involved a flight from Yangon to Bagan, a long drive to an area across the Irawaddy from Mann, and “sketchy” rides in a small aluminum boat across the river.
At the time, Myanmar wasn’t open to the outside world and Schlumberger was almost the only foreign company of any type doing business in there.
Preparing the boat for the trip across the Irawaddy
Dawn along the road from Mann to Bagan