Batam Trip - 19 Nov

Batam trip wasn't a gd one. The seafood lunch wasn't as good as expected. The 'old' bus was occupied wif ppl from India, The Philipines, Malaysia and Singapore..young and old (more elderly in fact). Some were 'wealthy-looking' from the way they dressed whereas some were more shabby and casual.. First time my mum met DD's mum. (",) First time we all went to Batam, first time we took such long ferry trips - one hour to and one hour back. The ferries were named Ocean Raider and Jet Raider. Why do they give such funny names? haha. Would you call your jewellery shop as Rob Goldsmith? Or your restaurant as Poison Seafood Restaurant? haha...get what i mean?

We went to a local products shop, biggest Buddhist temple in Batam, lunch at Golden Prawn Batam, Polo Ralph t-shirt shop and lastly, the new mall, Batam City Square...

Really, the seafood lunch wasn't as good as expected. There were only small lobsters, 'gong gong' (dun ask me why this name is chosen for this shell-like seafood. it actually means 'blur' in Hokkien), kan-gong (vege), fried calamari, small crabs...actually v v little 'meat'..all dishes were considered v small for the 12 of us. By the end of the meal, i felt that it's the rice and the coconut water that made me full..quite disappointed..

We bought tidbits though..relatively cheaper than Singapore..

Their rupiah monies are so hard to calculate..haha..it's app. S$1 = 5,700 rupiahs..if u have S$1K, u'll be a millionaire in Indonesia!! Batam is twice as big as Singapore, but its population is around 1 million..so u can imagine how 'cramped' Singapore is.

There were mango sellers everywhere.. I guess such Indonesians are simple-minded..they just want to sell good mangoes and earn some money enough to make ends meet, cuz they looked honest and efficient enough. They could speak some English and Hokkien and had v tanned skin due to hard work under the scorching sun. But still, they were v persistent and kept asking if tourists wanted to try their mangoes..and when they saw that you are picking their mangoes already, they would quickly pack them up and charge you..in case you change your mind..v fast and efficient..good working attitude and 'business sense'..haha..

When we were on our way back, Jet Raider stopped before reaching the shore, and two marine policemen were onboard..and i did not know why. They might be trying to capture a passenger! Anyway, the ferry was shaking v roughly..so much so that most people looked quite 'green'..

Finally, home sweet home..good experience though..but i guess it's the more expectations you have, the more disappointments you would get..this applies to everything..something which i have learnt and is still reminding me, based on the ciscumstances i have encountered..