Blogs from Batam, Riau Archipelago, Indonesia, Asia - page 3

Asia » Indonesia » Riau Archipelago » Batam November 27th 2007

Batam is one of the 3,000 islands which make up the Riau Archipelago and is closest to Singapore which is only 5o minutes away by ferry (Batam Fast). the island is developing into a major tourist destination because of its proximity to Singapore. Many tourists come from nearby Singapore for a short holiday, duty free shopping and great seafood. For instance, in our tour group, me and my friend were the only Filipinos out of 12 people. the rest were singaporeans who were having holiday at the Holiday Inn and other hotels. Despite the budding economy, Batam retains the rural charm, peaceful spots with quiet beaches. Fishing villages supply delicious seafood to visitors. We had our sumptous lunch at Golden Prawn restaurant. While in Batam, we visited Maha Vihara Duta Maitreya, one of the largest ... read more

Been to Bintan?

Asia » Indonesia » Riau Archipelago » Batam December 8th 2006

Welcome to Bintan!

Joanna and Stephen Hogan

Not many people have. None that we know anyway. It's an Indonesian island about an hour's ferry from Singapore, known for....well, not much, hence its anonymity. But it's going to get a lot bigger if the Indonesians have their way. What with people's general reluctance to go places that have seen trouble in recent years, such as Bali, the Indonesians are building up Bintan as a new 'resort destination'. It's an island about the same size as Singapore but with a fraction of the wealth. But a slew of hotels have been built in the last few years, along with golf courses designed by such luminaries as Greg Norman, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus. The resort area occupies the north quarter or so of the island, nearest to Singapore. It's guarded at each end by a ... read more

Greetings from Bintan Island

Asia » Indonesia » Riau Archipelago » Batam December 4th 2006

Mona Darrell

We left for Singapore on Friday night with a little sadness. We loved Bali so much we could have stayed there. But Alas, the travel itinerary said we had to go. Our flight was pretty uneventful except for the fact that we were booked on a discount airline which doesn't allow more than one suitcase each and they shouldn't weigh more than 20 kilos each. Well good thing we had one of Darrell's connections with us, cause they wanted to charge us US$4 per extra kilo we had - and that just happened to be 78 kilos! Ha! We were so over that the guys just laughed at us. He would have had to charge us $320!!! but took pity on us and only charged $80, PHEW! As soon as we landed in Singapore and started ... read more

Holiday Inn Escape

Asia » Indonesia » Riau Archipelago » Batam October 23rd 2006

Resort

Budokan

. I would call it “passion” for one’s work and yes, I found it in every single staff member who seemed to enjoy their work to the fullest. We decided to give ourself a break this Deepavali & Hari Raya holidays to escape from the stresses of work and Singapore. Even though it was only a miserable 2D1N getaway, it was better than nothing. While 2 days did not do much magic to really de-stress me, I was contented to simply catch my sleep at night in the comfortable and spacious bedrooms. We nearly missed our 8.55am ferry to Batam due to extremely long queues at the custom. We were quite worried because we were already running late. Luckily, the ferry was delayed until after 9am before it started sailing. It was more than 3 years ... read more

A laundry bag comes in handy while taking a cab to the city (for vomit purposes)

Sumatra Beginnings.

Asia » Indonesia » Riau Archipelago » Batam September 22nd 2006

TSA

Semester Break! Finally a long chance to travel. This is a log of 3 of us getting to, around and from Northern Sumatra. It will most probably be a log of actual prices we paid, times trips took and where we went more than what we did...because I think we may have spent more time on busses than off of them. It will be, as you probably have noticed, in several parts.... read more

Ramadan and terrorism... no it's not the Middle East

Asia » Indonesia » Riau Archipelago » Batam September 30th 2005

dizzytravel

Palau Batam, Indonesia: Sept 30 – Oct 7 We took a fast ferry 45 min. from Singapore to a little island resort where we are spending the week. We were upgraded to a one bedroom suite which gives us a lot more room and our own kitchen… even his and hers bathrooms. The resort is quite nice with a huge pool and a lot of amenities though it is a bit run down. Indonesia’s tourism industry has taken a blow over the years with the Asian economic crisis, terrorist bombings, and environmental disasters like the recent tsunami. Indonesians are very hospitable and especially love children. Zachary knows everyone here and is the little prince of the hotel. While we’ve been here, more bomb blasts have hit Bali and though we are no where near there ... read more

Brief history of Indonesia

The Dutch began to colonize Indonesia in the early 17th century; the islands were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. Indonesia declared its independence after Japan's surrender, but it required four years of intermittent negotiations, recurring hos...more history

Forum Topics for Batam

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