batam city tour

last may 5-6, we had a get-away in batam, indonesia. this one is different because we did not visit a beach, but we went to batam city for a city tour, massage, and hotel stay. 

we boarded at the harbor front ferry terminal. it's a bit odd for the ferry to show the film titanic to the passengers. entertainment or horror? hahaha! umm, we are in a boat. titanic is a big boat... that sank.

we did not sink. hehe. we arrived at the sekupang, indonesia terminal at around 9am local time.

i know what a "city tour" means - you will go to some shops where they will lure, almost force, you to buy goods. this was what happened on a china trip some years ago! but ok, we went to the city tour anyway. no harm in trying :)

our tour guide was agun, a cool dude with a raspy voice and a lot of benta jokes (at least for me). i like him. he didn't force us to buy stuff. we went to a lot of shops that sold "grade a" fake bags and clothes. very reminiscent of greenhills or ever or waltermart in the philippines. at may grade grade pa talaga ang kapekean! hahaha!

we also went to food item shops. we bought luwak coffee (alamid coffee in the philippines), coffee beans that have been through the worst in life. hahaha!

we also visited a temple (apparently the biggest in batam). i wanted to try the incense thing, but mike was afraid we might do it the wrong way and we would look like fools. hehe ok, we stayed away from the incense and the kneelers.

there was also a "cultural show" where 2 male dancers performed while a band played some local musical instruments. i wish they showed more gusto while dancing, but mike said if you do the same thing day after day then you wouldn't be able to hide the boredom. ganun? come on dancers! energy! energy! you could do better than that! this is coming from a person who's always charged with energy day and night (sarcasm). then... the male dancers became perya performers when they started to remove husk from a coconut using their teeth, and when they started to eat fire, walk on fire, and eat bubog. peryatik! hats off to manongs! you did well!

lunch was good! i would like to believe they were authentic indonesian dishes. beef dish was very similar to our tapa if only it had more vinegar and salt. was yummy! kropek was superb hehehe! when i go places, i like to taste all the dishes so i just take a little bit of everything (menos empacho) so i could say, "i tasted em all!"

massage was next. agun taught us the phrases to mutter if you want to make the massage harder or softer. i had memory gap so i couldn't remember how to tell auntie to make it softer. i said, "soft" but auntie just chuckled and gave a hard massage anyway. hahaha! it was a bit brutal but i liked it! one of the best massages i've had.

we stayed harmoni one hotel. it was a very big hotel, a bit old but still ok. we loved our room and bathroom.

we had dinner at nagoya mall. another mall that's not even at par with our sm malls! hehehe. but the food is definitely cheap :) and that's what's great!

we capped the night with a glass of beer and a lot of fickle mindedness (mine) and finally hit the sack. it was a tiring day.

i wish we skipped the city tour on our first day and just enjoyed the facilities at the hotel. loved the pool! an afternoon dip would have been perfect. we ended up doing our hot dip after breakfast. hot because the sun was so out and about!

 i tried to use the bath tub too (and silently apologized to other people who don't have water to drink). it was very relaxing - my first bath tub experience. i wonder why i've never tried it before (again, apologies to the thirsty).

overall, it was a good (and cheap get-away). my thoughts:

• batam is very similar to the philippines... complete with sari-sari stores, turu-turo, ambiance that's very pinas-like.
• i wish they showcased more of the historical, cultural spots, museums instead of counterfeit goods shops.
• in batam, a liter of petrol is cheaper than a liter of mineral water. "why not drink petrol instead?" asked agun.
• we wanted to dare and ride their public transpo, but agun discouraged us for safety reasons. "don't play play!"
• i wish they don't allow smoking inside malls, hotels. God bless the children and other 2nd hand smokers.
• in batam it feels like you are a millionaire!
• would i recommend this tour to others? yes, but skip the city tour! just a relaxing stay in the hotel is worth it!