July 14, 2009
Day 2- I got my wake up call at 4:00 am. I struggled to get up because I’m super tired from going
to sleep at 1:00 am. I’m also under the spell of a mean jetlag. I took my shower and finished
packing up my bags. I went downstairs at 5:00 am but it was too early for the breakfast buffet. I
just decided to check out at that time.
After paying for my room I took the hotel’s taxi since it was really dark and desolate outside at
that time of the morning. It only took 20 minutes to the international airport in Bangkok. I gave
the driver 800 bahts for the taxi fare , toll way, and tip. I went to the check in counter for
Singapore Airlines. The line was really short with only one person in front of me. I got my
boarding pass and then proceeded through immigration and security. They were really strict this
time with the security check and looked at all my contents in my carry on bag. The security seems
a lot tighter now.
After looking around the duty free shops I went to the entrance of D terminal gates and there was
another check there. I went through after that check and then when I got to the gate’s check in
station there was yet another security check of the hand carry bag contents. I breathe a sigh of
relief when I finally made it to the waiting area for boarding the plane.
I went in and it was quick for the passengers to board the plane. The reason was simple-the plane
was really empty. There were many rows that had no passengers sitting in them. I had my own
row of 4 seats to myself. So did some of the other passengers. We are flying in a Boeing 777-200
plane and I don’t think we had more than 100 passengers in the plane. It was really weird how
empty the plane was.
The economy class breakfast was really good. I ate my entire meal and left no crumbs. The plane
arrived in less than 2 hours to Singapore. The immigration and customs check went through
smoothly and quickly. My bags came quickly and then I proceeded through customs. I then
located a money changer and exchanged some big bills to Singapore dollars.
After that I proceeded to the taxi queue which was rather short and I only waited a couple of
minutes. The taxi driver proceeded to take me to the Harbor Front ferry terminal. He was rather
talkative showing me some of the sites as we went by. He dropped me off at the ferry terminal.
The taxi ride only took 20 minutes from the airport with smooth traffic all the way. The meter
came out to S$20 plus I gave the driver a S$5 tip.
I walked around inside the first floor that had a baggage check in sign. I found out that it wasn’t
the right place to check in. I was directed to the second floor but I found out that I had to go up
to the third floor to purchase a ferry ticket first. I went up to the third floor and saw 3 ferry
companies to choose from. There were Batam Fast, Berlian Wavemaster, and Penguin. I took the
Penguin ferry because it was recommended on the internet. I then went down to the second floor
to check in my luggage. It weight just under the 20kg free weight limit at 19.7kg. I cut it really
close.
I then walked around the building looking for something to eat before riding the ferry. I had to
settle for a ham and cheese sandwich because boarding time was getting near. I took 2
Dramamine tablets to help prevent me from getting sea sick on the ferry ride. The boarding call
came only 30 minutes after I took the pills.
I walked to the pier and just as I was about to step into the boat my legs got weak all of a sudden
as my brain started getting confused with the rocking of the boat. After stepping into ferry I sat
near to the rear. There were rows of 5 seats on the left and 5 more on the right with a center aisle.
I was able to get my own 5 seats in the row all to myself. The Dramamine started to work and I
was able to handle the rocking back and forth of the boat while waiting for it to depart.
The ferry finally departed and it was on time. The Singaporeans are really punctual when it comes
to time. After we left Singapore and got into the strait the boat started opening up in the choppy
waters. He boat ride was rather bumpy but I was able to handle it.
He ferry finally arrived at Batam Center taking almost an hour to reach there from Singapore. I
got off the ferry last so that I won’t slow anybody else down. All the local people went straight to
the customs but for people like me who needed a VOA (visa on arrival) I had to go to the 2
windows on the right. First you go to the one that has the word “bank” on it. Here is where you
pay the $10 US fee for the VOA. Then you go to the next window which says “Visa on Arrival”.
The agent asked a few questions such as to why I’m coming to Batam and such. I finally got the
stamp on the visa.
Next I went to the immigration and customs line. I ran into trouble at the window I went to. Two
bules (white) males went through with no problems but I was getting the interrogation routine.
The immigration agent then turned my passport over to another agent. He scrutinized my passport
looking at all my hand stamps. He also ask why I’m going to Batam. Finally I was passed through
about 5 minutes after the 2 bules went through.
I went to the money changer and got 980,000 RP which made me feel like a millionaire. I then
looked for the coupon taxi counter. I was told that it was outside the exit. I found the taxi counter
just outside and to the left. I picked up my receipt for my taxi. I got in and he drove me to my
hotel which was only 15 minutes away. The fare was 45,000 Rp and I declined the 5,000 Rp
change as I gave the driver a 50,000 Rp note.
I went to the entrance of the hotel but there’s a metal detector that you have to walk through to
get into the hotel. The security is tight there. I checked in at the reception desk but I was told that
the superior rooms were full already so they gave me an upgrade to a Jr. suite. They required a
300,000 Rp deposit or a credit card. I gave my credit card because I didn’t want to give that
much cash.
I was taken up to my room and I started to unpack. I found out some of the lamps didn’t work
and that included the one by the desk. There’s a in room safe similar to the one at Nana Hotel. It
locks automatically after putting in the pin number. I hope that this safe is secured.
After unpacking I wrote some trip reports on my netbook but haven’t sent them out until I find
out about an internet connection. Oops I finally found the LAN outlet. It was hard to find but I
found it.
I finally got around to getting out at 6:30 pm. It was getting dark already so I asked for the
direction to Lucy's Oar House. All I had to do was walk across the street and there are some bars
over there already. I went to the next block and turned left and it was half a block to Lucy's.
I walked in and it was slow inside. I ordered a Bintang beer (local) which was priced at 23000 Rp.
I ordered an Indonesian dish that I hope I could eat. My order was for nasi goreng which is fried
rice but looks a little hot. Also included with the rice was cucumbers, tomatoes, 1 piece fried
wing, eggs, and shrimp chips. The meal was edible but a little hot so I downed my Bintang
quickly.
Before leaving the pub I came across the owner and I asked him about getting a Telkomsel sim
card for my phone. He had one of the girls come with me outside to a stall that sells sim cards and
she was my translator for the transaction. It only cost 15000 Rp for the sim card.
I walked out and then went into Red Cock nearby. It was slow inside with only a few waitresses
on hand. So far all the bars have only employees and no freelancers hanging around. A Bintang
beer costs 25,000 Rp here. I downed my beer and wanted to speed up my bar hopping pace. I had
started at Lucy's and then I worked my way back to the bar nearest to my hotel at the end of the
night. At least that is my plan.
The next bar that I went into was next door to Lucy's. When I walked into the Last Pub it had
some bule drinking in there. Last Pub also only have servers and no freelancers. I brought some
snacks with me so I shared it with the female employees. I took a group picture before I left. I
then made a right turn on the lane towards my hotel. I entered Red Rose pub and it was pretty
much the same as the rest of the pubs so far. A few of the bule were eating dinner and it looked
pretty good. The prices for a meal at the pubs are on the expensive side compared to eating at the
pujasera (local food courts).
My last stop for the night and my last chance to pick up a girl from the expat bars was at Ice Pub.
I liked their website and they showed pictures of a crowded bar but it was slow tonight maybe
due to the fact that this is a Tuesday and not the weekend when all the expats come out. While
drinking my Bintang beer an older waitress was chatting with me. She had an excellent command
of English so I assume that she's an old pro. She's up there in age at near 30. She was really
interested in talking to someone from where I came from.
I stayed in there a couple of hours since this is the first real conversation that I had with a girl in
the pubs over here in Batam. She eventually hinted that she wanted to go with me. I thought it
over and finally decided to go ahead with the idea. It was 12:30 already but she couldn't leave the
bar unless you pay 100,000 Rp for a work release. We agreed on a price for short time.
We walked the 50 meters back to the hotel across the street from Ice Pub. I bought her a rum and
coke drink back at the bar for 45,000 Rp so that was getting her passionate. We did our thing and
she gave me a short massage to help me relax my stiff muscles. I was really getting tired from all
the traveling earlier today. I gave her 300,000 Rp for tip and she left. We exchanged cell phone
numbers before she left.
July 15, 2009
Day 3- The alarm rang at 8:30 am giving me about 5 hours of sleep on my arrival night. I was still
feeling tired but I got up and showered. I then went on line to do some computing needs. I took a
look at my watch and it's almost 10 am which is the end of the breakfast buffet. I hurried down to
the restaurant and just made it. I quickly went up to the table and picked my breakfast items. I
ordered an omelet and sat down at my table. Sixty seconds later and then the kitchen staff was
taking away the food.
I got some texts from the girl that I had last night. She asked me what I was doing and I told her
that I was going shopping at Nagoya Hill shopping center. She said that she'll meet me at my hotel
at 11:00 am but since this is Indonesian time she ended up arriving an hour later.
I went up to my room while waiting for her and worked on my e-mails. I then went back down
and then she still haven't arrived so I walked around on the ground floor of my hotel looking at
some of the shops.
When she arrived sometime after 12:00 noon we walked down the road to Nagoya Hill. The
shopping center seems OK and is just a little smaller than Pattaya's Big C on 2nd Road. We
walked around the shopping center and then I saw a Batam t-shirt in the window for sale. It ended
costing me 70,000 Rp for the shirt.
I was getting hungry so she suggested that I eat at the food court near the entrance of Nagoya
Hill. I ordered fried chicken with nasi (cooked rice). Also upon entering the mall I exchanged
money at the money changer at the entrance. The exchange rate was 9,900 Rp to the dollar. Upon
exiting the mall the exchange rate made it up to 10,000 Rp which would come out to 1,000,000
Rp for US$100.
From there we walked across the street to Central Point shopping center which was a really dinky
mall that wasn't interesting to see. I did, however, get a haircut there for 10,000 Rp. I gave the
barber a 10,000 Rp note. From Central Point we walked along the road back to the hotel. Along
the way we stopped at a bakery and picked up some treats.
We got back to the hotel at 2:00 pm and she came up to my room to talk story with me. No
hanky panky at this time. She wanted to see me tonight but I told her that I might get a massage
or look for a booking girl. If I'm unsuccessful then I told her I'll stop by at her work place at the
bar. She left at 3:00 pm to go to her home so she could get dressed and get ready for her work. I
had to give her 50,000 Rp for the taxi.
After she left I went back on line and worked on some internet projects. At around 6:00 pm I
took a walk and ate at McDonald's next to Harmoni Hotel. While I was eating the girl from last
night called me up. Since I was in McDonald's she wanted to meet me so I can buy her a meal.
When she came to the restaurant she ordered her meal and we went to Ice Pub. She kept me there
for over 3 hours because she didn't want me to get a booking girl at the massage parlor. She
ended up drinking several drinks because she wanted to get a little drunk.
I finally left there and went back to my hotel to catch up on my e-mails. She didn't call me at
around 11:00 pm so I called her but she is still working at Ice Pub. She had wanted to go to a
karaoke joint but she's not ready yet even though I already paid the bar fine. I walked over to Ice
Pub at 11:30 pm and she was busy with a customer that was buying her drinks. She told me that
she'll call me when she's finished. But I didn't get no call and it was past 1:00 am already. I didn't
want to walk back to the pub so I just watched TV for an hour and then went to sleep. Well that
was a waste of time and should have just got my booking at a massage parlor as I had originally
planned to do but she called me and look what happened.
July 16, 2009
Day 4- I woke up in the morning and was getting ready for breakfast when the girl from Ice Pub
sent me a text. She wanted to come to my room at 3:00 pm today. She said that she was drunk
last night and slept in the bar. I reluctantly replied to her that it was OK.
I went down to the front desk of the hotel and got my breakfast coupon. I also wanted them
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