Day 5- I woke up to my alarm at 6:30 am. I packed up a few more things and freshened up to go downstairs for breakfast. The coffee shop was really full and I had to wait a few minutes for a table. I quickly grabbed my food selections. The breakfast buffet was pretty decent and I always order an omelet. The sausage was a little spicy this morning but I had lots to drink to cool off the burning sensation.
After breakfast I went up to my room and finished the rest of my packing. I checked out at 8:30 and had a 4000 Rp bill for 2 local calls. After paying my charges and having my credit card deposit receipt torn up I made a call to my taxi driver to take me to Batam Center terminal. While waiting for the taxi driver to arrive I chatted up with 2 of the girls working at the front desk. They sure look pretty good. They were the type of girls I would have like to have met on this trip.
The taxi driver came by a few minutes later and he took me to Batam Center. The fare was 40,000 + 10,000 tip for a total of 50,000 Rp. When I entered the ferry terminal I was greeted by a lady that worked for the JW Lounge over there. It’s like a VIP lounge and it only cost S$5 to enter. I still had to pay the mandatory terminal fee of S$7 for exiting Batam. The staff at the lounge took care of my immigration and customs formalities for me and also secured my boarding pass. I didn’t have to do anything. They did it all for me while I relaxed in the lounge and had some snacks and drinks in the meanwhile. It much more quiet in the lounge and the chairs are more comfortable than the hard plastic seat in the main waiting area for the ferry.
They even had a free WI FI in the lounge but I couldn’t use it because my netbook’s battery was completely drained already. About 15 minutes before departure time the staff called us and they escorted us to the gate and were able to board the ferry through a special exit to avoid the boarding queue.
Boarding for the ferry was fast since it was open seating. The ferry this time was a newer one with 3 X 3X 3 seating with 2 aisles. The ferry that I took 3 days ago was older and only had one aisle with 5 seats on each side. The ferry ride took the usual hour to get to Singapore. The water was a little choppy along the way.
When the ferry docked the passengers exited with their luggage. I went out without my check in bag since they took care of it for me. I just went through immigration and then found my suitcase on the conveyor belt and it was easy to find since I had the only bag on the belt. I grabbed my suitcase and went through customs and the x-ray machine. I had no problem getting through the process in Singapore and with less scrutiny than in Indonesia.
After leaving the arrival area I went to the restroom and then exited the door to the taxi queue. There wasn’t much of a queue as I was the only one in line for a taxi. The driver was lazy and I had to put my bags into the trunk myself. The taxis here use the meter so at least I won’t get ripped off like in other countries. When the taxi reached Geylang I got out of the taxi and paid the fare of S$10 + S$3 tip. I also had to take my bags out of the trunk after I paid the taxi fare.
There were no bell hops so I brought my bags into the hotel myself. I checked into the hotel at 1:30 pm. I unpacked only what I’ll be needing for the trip. I don’t see an in room safe in the room so I’ll have to use the safety deposit box downstairs. I also see an Ethernet outlet in the hotel room but I’ll have to check how much the charge will be since I remember on the hotel’s website stating that LAN is available for a fee. I was able to find one outlet that was universal that I was able to plug in the 3 pronged cord of my netbook to charge it up.
I went out about 5:00 pm to find someplace to eat and also to look for a breakfast place for tomorrow morning. I also need to buy some water since there’s only 2 small cups of water in a sealed plastic cup.
The room at the Fragrance Emerald Hotel in Geylang is really small. The shower has no curtain so water will be splashing all over the bathroom floor and toilet. The desk is also dinky in size. The room is general considered basic. It doesn’t compare to the Good way Hotel in Batam which is way bigger and nicer. For what it lacks in amenities the Emerald Hotel does have a good location if you like to hang around the Geyland area.
After I returned from my dinner which I had near Lorong 18. I had a plate of fried chicken ($6) and fried rice noodle ($4) in addition to a bottle of water ($1) for a total Of S$11. I picked up a couple bottles of water and also exchanged $50 US to Singapore dollars. I stayed up in my room until 7:00 pm.
I left at 7:00 pm and walked around the various Lorongs trying to find the massage houses and freelancers. I had a hard time locating the red light houses but when I finally came upon Lorong 18 then wow, the whole street left and right have the houses of pleasure. I walked down the Lorong from one end to the other and finally one of the bosses at the end of the road talked to me. He was very convincing but I was thinking in the back of my head that the girls might not look that good. He was stressing that the girls give good service and may not look sexy but the girls know how to take care of your needs.
I decided to take the chance and try the Geyland house experience. The going price is $80 for 45 minutes. The vast majority of the girls are Thai. I was thinking to myself that you can get these girls for half the price in their native Thailand. When I saw the girl she was more chunky than I would like. I can tell that she has fake boobs.
I started my session at 7:30 pm and the bell rang at 8:15 pm to mark the end of the service. When we were starting to dress the bell rang a second time which means the time is up. She rushed to get dressed and go back to the fish bowl. She had to leave quickly so I was unable to get her picture.
When I was walking along Lorong 18 passing up the houses I noticed that the punters were out in force at 8:30 pm. I think I was out too early. That could be the reason why I thought the business at the houses were slow. But I was wrong in my logic because people were out everywhere. I still haven’t seen any freelancers yet. Either they went chased out of the area by the police or they moved to another location or maybe it was just too early for them to come out.
After walking around for another half hour I decided to head back to my hotel room at around 9:30 pm. I was thinking about going to Orchard Towers but I forgot to bring the MRT map with me on this trip. I didn’t see any taxis that were for hire. They all had the hired sign on because they already had a fare. I hope I don’t have a problem finding a taxi tomorrow morning to take me to the airport.
I decided to write my trip report on my word program until I can get an internet connection to send out some e-mails. I stayed up late tonight to make sure that I pack up what I can so I won’t have so much to do tomorrow morning.