Batam Trip 2

Day 1 - 11th Jan 2013

Harbourfront 1

Went Batam Trip with my xiao gu, uncle and grandma from 11th Jan to 12th Jan 2013 (My xiao gu bought the voucher deal online - 2D1N). I met up with them at Harbourfront Ferry Terminal at 7am (soooo early....sleepy....) and went to collect out ferry tickets. When we got our immigration cards, the DOB and names were printed wrongly. So we had to wait for them to re-print the cards again. Then we went to have our breakfast at Toast Box, after that we went to take our ferry. We reached Batam (Harbour Bay Terminal) at around 9am, the terminal was super empty...then we got out to find our day tour guide. The guide's name is Louise, he eh...looks really sissy for a guy. My grandma still asked mi whether the guide is a guy or a lady...hohoho...Then the guide gave us our return ferry tickets and told us to board the bus first. The bus was a old model type, like those old old school buses, and the seats are super cramped and the walkway also super cramped. Luckily mi and my grandma are very quite thin, we can squeeze into 1 row. But my xiao gu and uncle had to sit on separate rows, cos too cramped for them. There was a couple, the husband was quite big sized, he had to squeeze into the seats with his wife...After everyone had boarded, we set off to the 1st attraction - Batam Chocolate House. The guide was speaking in 2 languages, Malay and Mandarin, cos he said his English cannot make it. Anyway there were Malays in our group too. There was a young Malay couple with a super cute baby sitting at the end of the bus...the baby really cute...We bought a few chocolate back, and my grandma got to talk to another elder from our bus...and was chatting happily...

Mi Le Fu

After the chocolate house, we went to Mi Le Fu Temple (Maha  Vihara Duta Maitreya). The temple was quite large and there were 3  levels. And there were alot of cute Mi Le Fu statues around the  temple...you see the Mi Le Fu holding microphone, music  instruments...etc....inside the temple, there were also quite a few  Budhha statues, even have Wen Shu Bodhisattva. But the temple  looks like newly built....There was a guy who keep talking to my  grandma, then after that, switched to talk to my uncle and he really  keep talking...like trying to get people to join their temple....We  were the last ones to go up the bus... :P....The Malay groups didn't  went down and the other family of 6..doesn't seems like to be  coming for sight-seeing....After this, we made our way down to a  Polo Ralph Lauren Outlet for some shopping. But when we looked at the prices, not so cheap leh...even after discount...anyway also nothing to buy after seeing the prices...hahahaa...My grandma ended up talking to the same elderly again there...and we got her up the bus when she started to tell her sad story again....After this, the guide brought us a house where layer cakes are made..but the bus can only stop along the main road and we had to walk in to the house. It is called Diana Layer Cakes. Basically he brought us there, then let us try on the layer cakes and u tell him how many boxes and what flavor you want, and the guide will take down all the orders and help us make orders.The cakes will be given after the cakes are delivery to him later in the afternoon. After tasting the layer cakes, we went down to Otak Otak Factory. It was a small shop which sells alot of different flavors of otak...ohh!!..the otaks are nice...i like their sotong otak...really got sotong inside...and the otak putih..it's a white colored otak (like fish cake), which you need to dip in a sauce..very nice to eat...We bought 25 sticks for SGD$9.....After the otak tasting, we made our way to have our lunch...all hungry....The lunch place is the same place which i went the 1st time i came to Batam...except the show is not included here..The guide made it optional for us...So when we arrived, the guide first brought us to walk through the shop to buy coffee powder....Then we went to the restaurant to have our lunch...My xiao gu and uncle got the super big coconuts...they said it was sour....kekeke...The food were the same as the previous time i came....But this time we were seated with the family of 6...Wah...when they sat down with all the goods bought from the provision shop there, they started to scope whatever food that was on the table....(Machiam a bunch of hungry ghosts just got released out..). We can't even turned the lazy daisy to our side to get the food......But we still managed to get food to eat...Then they were complaining on the coconuts tasting sour and no flesh inside..and the fish was abit stink....Bought slippers for my grandma too (She wore a pair of 'open-mouthed' shoes to Batam...faintz..).

Miniature Houses

 After lunch, the guide bought us to Yong Heng Food Trading  Shop. It was a provision food like that..brought 2 bottle of metos  for my grandma (She kept wanting to pay for it when she doesn't  have any rupies on her..haiz...). Then after this, the guide brought  us to the golden bench where the paint ball, miniature houses and  the go kart were...So the guide told us to go around on our own  when we reached there..Then we went to see the miniature  houses...and walked 1 round inside...i tried to take some photos  for my grandma to keep her happy. Then we went to Golden  Factory Outlet, it was beside the Go Kart circuit. So we just went  to walk walk and at the same time, had some aircon...There was  selling clothes too, Polo Ralph...i bought a cap for myself...  kekeke... :)....After here, the guide brought us the batik factory (the same place i bought souvenirs last time). I bought souvenirs at the same place again this time..hahaha...Then we crossed over the 1st Factory Outlet to shop again...Luckily this time, the massage place is not nearby here..so we don't have to wait here  doing nothing for those people going for massage. After spending some time here, the guide brought us to a shopping mall - Plaza Top 100. The massage place was also nearby here, so the guide brought those who are going massage to the massage place and those who are not, will spend their time in the shopping mall (which was what we did). So we went around shopping in the mall, bought a proper shoes for my grandma and went shopping for some maggi mee in the supermarket there...got their ABC chilli sauce too....Had some snacks at Texas Chicken and it was raining at the time...Later after this, we went to Batam City Square for shopping again...We just walked around the place and had our dinner there..Ayam penyet with our otaks...After that, we went to a sports shop where mi and my xiao gu bought a pair of shoes there...very cheap (less than SGD$20)...kekeke...Then...finally is back to the hotel.....so tiring....When we reached the hotel, the lobby was super big..But the staff told us that they were doing cleaning on their water tanks, so due to this, the shower water may come out yellow and stinky (for hot water)..So ok...then we went up to our room level...wah!! the lift lobby there was super big and there were at least 2 long corridors to walk to the rooms (and there were alot of oil paintings around the hotel too)....but when we entered our room...it was small and no bathtub (i was expecting a big room and maybe got bathtub...but don't have). But luckily the hot water in my room was not yellowish and doesn't have stinky smell (My xiao gu's room shower was having the stinky smell)...So after shower, we went down to main lobby and explore (their swimming pool and gym were at level 6, and got lions with wings statues as decoration), at the same time use their wifi....there was live singing too with piano..so we just sat there and listened...then we went back up to rest for the day...

Day 2 - 12th Dec 2012
Whole night cannot sleep...due to my grandma can't sleep..she was walking around the room and the room is not so big..she walked from the bed to the door and to the toliet, then from the toilet to her bed again..and she was doing her packing...packed finished and then took out her clothes and packed again. Then she suddenly told me she was hungry, cannot sleep..So i woke up to make her coffee and she ate her bread (which she brought from home yesterday morning). Then i on tv to let her watch too and she was telling me her 'stories' again (my grandma so cute)....Woke up at 8am anyway, and got ready to leave. And also trying to convince my grandma to go take shower. Then we went down to have our breakfast provided by the hotel. Not very fantastic...so-so...The guide will come to pick us to the ferry terminal at around 12pm, so we had some free time to spare. After breakfast, mi and my grandma went up to our room..i just wanted to nua in the room, my xiao gu went walking around the hotel...i ended up sleeping on the bed while my grandma packing her clothes again..hahaha....

By noon, we went down to check-out our rooms..and waited for the tour guide to come fetch us..Then after that, we boarded the bus. The bus this time was slightly bigger but not very clean..kind of itch when sitting on the seats...then the bus went along the way to fetch other passengers from other hotels too. Then we alighted on Harbour Bay Ferry Terminal and we got to stay there for 2 hours...there is nothing to shop there..there was a shopping mall beside it but it was empty..not many shops inside...But i still brought my grandma walk around the mall and my xiao gu and uncle stayed to look after our bags (Grandma complaining again...). So we passed the time there and went to take our ferry back to Singapore. When we reached Singapore, we went to Vivo City to have our dinner. We went to 黑社会 (Bosses Restaurant), we got a set meal which was having 6 dishes. The food is quite nice..not bad...kekeke...but my grandma started grumble again throughout the dinner and our way back..and it got worse...haiz...After that, my uncle brought me home. Luckily i got a Sunday for resting...


Places visited:
1. Batam Chocolate House
2.  Maha  Vihara Duta Maitreya
3.  Polo Ralph Lauren Outlet
4.  Diana Layer Cakes
5.  Otak Otak Factory
6. Golden Prawn 933
7.  Yong Heng Food Trading  Shop
8. Miniature Houses/Go Kart/Golden Factory Outlet
9. Batik factory/ 1st Factory Outlet
10. Plaza Top 100 Shopping Mall
11. Batam City Square
12. Harbour Bay Shopping Mall

Hotel Stayed:
Harmoni One Hotel