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Tuesday, May 22, 2012

GdBye SG, Hello Batam!

6TH APRIL 2012 FRIDAY
GOOD FRIDAY

This is a freaking long post with 140 over pictures, although i took over 200 pictures in total for the first day! So want to give up and skip! But well, since I am not very busy, I shall just get on with it. I really have to say, my internet connection sucks badly :(
Woke up real early and off I go! 
Cabbed to Harbourfront Centre!

I was shocked when I reached there, the place is crowded with people! Its a bad idea to travel on a public holiday.

Oh yes, and this time I bought a deal from Groupon. SGD$68 for 1 person.
Includes 2 way ferry, seafood lunch, tour, hotel stay for a night, breakfast the next morning. 
This batam trip/deal is almost similar to the one I went last year
Exchange rate:
SGD$1 = Rupiah $6600
Breakfast at Hans because the breakfast place I went to the previous time had closed down, and the cafeteria upstairs is packed with people sitting there waiting & not even eating. 

We have to munch something before I faint. Next meal is seafood lunch!
The situation is very very very chaotic I swear. I took very long to eat my breakfast and to my horror the queue is ridiculously long - less than an hour before the ferry departs and I think the queue will take me 2 hours. So we try asking the guard to let us cut queue, and many people start cutting queue and everyone is pushing one another. OMG war or what?? 

Finally boarded the ferry last min and guess what? It departs about an hour later (1 hour plus later than the scheduled time).
WHY? I am not sure but there are about 4-5 people boarded the ferry real late, shortly after they board, the ferry finally depart. I didn't know they are so good to wait for so long, but I think it might be due to the squeeze & packed situation out there at Harbourfront centre. 
GOODBYEEE!!
Saw this really nice place! Costa Rina but when I tried to google, I found nothing :( It looks like a peaceful & nice place! I want to go! 

Reached Batam! Met up with our tour guide who told us to proceed to our bus first because there are 40 more people she has to wait >_<
The problem with a bigger tour group - a lot of time spent waiting & waiting.

While on the bus, saw these 2 kids - newspaper peddlers. They go bus to bus, stood outside the door, and ask if anyone wants to buy their newspaper. Sometimes going such countries made us feel how fortunate we are. But sad to say, our this country, is no longer safe & peaceful anymore. 
I was thinking if the buses did not see them, and knocked into them while reversing? :(
The tour started and we were brought to a Polo Outlet (different from the one I went the other time). This outlet is bigger and next to the Polo outlet is a shop selling fake LVs, Gucci, Pradas, Burberry. 
Bought chewing gum & a drink there! :X 
Chewing Gum - RP10,000
Fanta - RP10,000
I AM RICHHHHHH!



Next stop: Maha Vihara Duta Maitreya Temple

The temple is huge, nice, and clean! I didn't come here the other time.





Dark skies OMG!! 


Almost no face.
Next: Bengkong Dry Market! 
Its a shop selling tidbits, snacks, coffee. (Different from the dry market I went to as well) 
Every snacks has got samples for us to try.
Lots of tidbits!
Bought 1 to munch in the hotel room later.
RP28,000
Kueh Lapis Factory! Batam Layer cake! Very niceeee! I came here the other time. 
The tour guide will bring us here, to try the kueh lapis samples and then he/she will tell us to go. On the bus, they then ask if we want to buy. They will then take down our orders and deliver the cake to us. :D

It started drizzling! So, last shot before I RUNNNN!
Tour guide told us to run to take shelter at the Cultural Show. The show proceeded even its drizzling. Its the same show and same people performing, the previous time. Imagine they are doing this every single day???

Peeling the coconut with his teeth :X
Eating charcoal, the charcoal is still burning (with fire) when the man put it in his mouth with his bare hands.
Biting the glass like as if eating a big piece of prawn cracker!
Jumping through the fire hoop.

Then we proceed to 933 Seafood restaurant (the previous time was 555 Seafood but doesn't matter because I feel that they are the same, the food they served is the same too)

The food... nothing fantastic. Singapore's Zhi Char is better!
But well for the price we paid, of course I am not complaining. So long as it can fill our tummy!
But this time we get to sit in the air-conditioned area! Like a restaurant.




Kai lan taste the best! I mean it.

This time I am clever! I peek at the drinks counter as we walked in. So I ordered a familiar drink - Seasons Lemon Tea. 
I order coke & sprite the other time and they taste bad. 
DaFu! Always wanted to know what is DaFu , so its is Mochi? Bought the lychee one to try. 
RP26,000
Due to the weather condition, we skipped Golden Bay City - We are entitled to Flying Fox but I have already planned to give it a miss. The bus did bring us to the place but the whole place, the road, are all covered with mud. So we proceed to the next stop: Miniature Park (We skipped this stop the previous time, so I went down to take a look)
Miniature Park - the name, you can tell or you roughly know that its mini. So what is the mini things inside?
It consists of  some different culture or style of the houses, mini houses. 
Ok, no contrast, cannot tell how small it is.
There! By the way they are the ones who boarded the ferry real late. :P
Its wet and a little ponding in there, so I did not take pictures of all the houses, only took some interesting ones.

My turn!
I saw this!! Skull is my love!
HAVE TO take a picture with it!
Next, we headed to Tua Pek Gong Temple (I went the previous time)
The toilets :(( 
But I really have to go. No flush, got to use a small pail to ''flush'' the toilet bowls after your business. And the water , if I am not wrong should be rain water. 
Indonesian kuehs! I trid the samples but its nothing fantastic. How did Bengawan Solo turn out so nice??

Factory outlets! 
I crossed over to the opposite street and saw this! Interesting. I bought 2 packets for mummy! Tidbits there are not cheap either. The uncle selling tidbits outside my office is even cheaper! 
2 packets for RP50,000

MASSAGE time!! 2 person RP450,000
The massage parlor is the same one that I went to the previous time. This time was worse, I laid face up, topless while the masseur massage my tummy. So embarrassing.

Was brought to the nearby shopping mall, BCS Mall after massage. 

Decided to give it a try!



Desserts look quite cute & yummy.

Deciding between waffles & pancake.

Camwhore while waiting for the food!
Chose waffles in the end! A little disappointed :(
Plain waffles with chocolate syrup and the teeny weeny bit of whipped cream at the corners of the plate.

HEE left with the head.
We waited ages for this! But it is very delicious! This is so far the most yummy food I have ever eaten in Batam :D
Total bill comes up to only RP50,600 (Less than S$8)

Finally on the bus waiting to go back to the hotel! 
This time my hotel is Harris Hotel! Not Harris Resort, but its Hotel. Located right beside the ferry terminal! How convenient! 
I love this hotel! The theme is very cheery! Orange, lime green colours. The staff are very very friendly.




Took pictures and enjoying my welcome drink while the tour guide is helping us with the check in.
The view from the lift lobby on the 8th floor! Very happy that I got a high floor room.

My room! Right outside the lift lobby.
The view from our room. Can see the ferries departing from the terminal. This is how near the hotel is, to the ferry terminal.
Sea View! HAHAH!








JJ!

Showered and getting ready to go dinner! Dinner is provided! 
At the lobby cafe.

I love Ayam Penyet! Was so happy when I saw the dining voucher. HAHAH! The previous time, dinner wasn't provided, Darling & I dined in at the cafe at the hotel lobby. We paid for our own dinner. I had ayam penyet as well, SGD$14-15.



Tucking in! HUNGRYYY!


Went over to the shopping mall for a walk. Could have watch a movie but we do not want to go back to the hotel at wee hours as we are not sure if it is safe. So we walked the whole mall, bought some stuff before heading back to rest!
So cute!!

Saw this shop that sells really cute & nice cupcakes!






Supermarket!
Bought A&W back to the room to munch. They ran out of ice cream. No luck :(



Duo fries set. RP47,000


RP2000-3000 for the packet ones, RP5000-6000 for the can drinks.
Saw this! Used it before as Singapore Watsons are selling them, and its good! I couldn't remember the price of it in Singapore. So I bought only 1. RP35,780 (SGD$5.50)
After I came back, and on one of my watsons trip, I check out the price and its SGD$15! NEXT TIME! 
Tea while munching on the prawn crackers! 
Good Night!!
XOXO

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