2nd time there, totally a whole new experience.
The first thing we did after landing at Batam was to drop Jiebo off to his hotel (which happen to be quite posh) because he have got no cash with him and his phone has no auto roaming; and he have to wait there for 4hrs doing nothing while waiting for the rest to return. Best thing, he's only gonna be there for the night and the next day. -.-
Anyway, so we checked in. First impression: IMPRESSED
For $90/pax we get this kind of sea-facing, tree-top, nature-style resort, only Joel Liew will think it's only Okay.
Haha. Any the case, I find it a steal.
One down point is there being no facilities but the nearest place with food and things to do is only 200m;
BUT there's 2 steep knolls in between that made every journey there feels like a route march.
First night's plan to BBQ was voided cos the charcoal was too expensive (real reason being everyone's just too lazy). So we decided to just chill in the resort after returning from breakfast shopping and the traditional (painful) Javanese aroma message. And oh! THE PLACE IS A SCAM! EVERYTHING HAS A F*CKING HIDDEN COST! They first say the driver is free, then it turn out that we have to pay him SGD$50 and this happens to almost every trip we took Zzz. The taxis are so much safer in terms of pricing than the transport arranged with the resort (though they are all equally unsafe on the road).
The second day is the highlight. The whole trip's success lies in this morning. We prayed hard for the sun. But we didn't get it. Good thing is, the rain didn't appear too; at least not until noon. So it was cloudy the whole morning. Apart from us not being able to get some tan, Joel also couldn't do his much anticipated Wind Surfing (but don't worry, a found a much cheaper version in Singapore that is kind of like a course; and it's cheap only after August next year when we become students). I did Parasailing which would have been really fun, if not that we have actually done Parachuting before. The initial take off and the eventually landing into the sea was really the more exciting part (check out the video of how Jian Yu did a failed take off LOL!) with the time in the air just feel like a flight that never ends. But I really enjoy that kind of freedom felt; if not for the constant reminder that that is the height to get ready to land when we are doing airborne (so there is this constant fear in me that tells me to "prepare for action" when there really isn't any action because it hangs). And based on our experience with the harness, we know it have to be tight to be comfortable but the instructor says loose is good; so we trust him and thought maybe it's different. It wasn't. Scammed. So I spent half the time adjusting my seats in mid-air and that's when something caught my eyes. SOME OF THE ROPES ARE HELD TOGETHER BY CABLE TIES!!! LOL. The best part is there's so much sand around it that it looks like it's gonna snap anytime soon. But I figure that falling from that height into the sea probably won't kill me but maybe just give me a good slap on my skin. Ha. Anyway, here comes the highlight. JET SKIING!!! I'm so gonna go for PPCDL course to get a license for it (actually to get a chance to play it again is more important). The euphoria I've gotten from that experience can only be described in one word: SEX. IT. WAS. FREAKING. FUN. LOL!!! Jumping up and down the water, almost falling off after making a sharp turn, speeding up after a turn to catch your own wave, raving the throttle to literally fly in the water, bumping up and down when the water gets choppy, crossing the path of a by-passing boat to hitch his trail of waves, everything just adds up to make that 10mins one of the best time in my life and the $10plus dollar f*cking well-spent. THIS made the trip a nice one. And then it rained. Just after we paid for the windsurfing (which the refund caused Gab and I to have to walk back to the beach later in the afternoon when everyone else is sleeping -.- and it is not cashed back into my account yet Zzz) and therefore have to cancel it.
And we tried to hitch a ride from Turi Beach back to our resort because it started to pour really badly and when we offered a $4 tips, the old couple was so angry. My interpretation (since the language barrier was kinda big) of it was that they don't want our money as they find it an insult; but apparently the others think they find $4 too little. HAHA.
So we hid out in our bungalow with Mie Seddap for lunch! Oh did I mention the breakfast we made was a big success? So is the lunch! With only the instant noodles and 4 eggs left, we scrambled the eggs and fry the noodle to such perfection that it felt like a restaurant-made $20-a-plate dish. LOL. (We did this actually to conserve some space for our buffet dinner but we ended up having an average of 2 packets each)
After that we napped (with Gab and I having significantly lesser sleep cos of the above-mentioned event)in the nice weather. Then we woke up at around 6 to a splendid dinner: Mediterranean-style buffet dinner with live cooking and entertainment for just $27/pax; and the ambiance was great! Totally classy, especially with the Desert Wine we brought that cost us a $10 cockage charge that I thought was worth it (though the angmohs beside were all drinking totally classier Red Wine. LOL)
Then, what happened in Batam, stays in Batam.
and the next morning we woke up, checked out, lunched at Nagoya, shopped at Batam Center and finally ferry back at 4pm. And that really summarize the whole trip. Not eventful, but happening; not exciting, but interesting. =]
