Mr. HHH & I went Batam last Sunday, 27/7. We brought the 1-day Batam tour from Shahidah Tours & Travel. There were about 17 people who signed up for the tour, and we were the youngest couple there. Everyone thought that we are hubby & wifey. Including the tour guide and shop assistants whose shops we visited. Of course when asked, we said “Yes”… *padahal padahal…* Weird, I know….
I’ll give a summary of the places we visited, followed by the pictures to illustrate what I mentioned.
So, we were told to meet at HarbourFront Centre at 8am that Sunday. Initially, my dad was supposed to send me to Harbourfront, where I’ll just meet Mr. HHH there since he’s staying much nearer to the ferry terminal than I am.
But at 6.30am that morning, my dad called me (he was working as a part time security the other night) and asked me to drive up by myself because he was lazy to send me, can you believe that?
But that said, I am too lazy to drive up myself in the early morning actually. So I called Mr. HHH and asked him to pick me up and then go Harbourfront. It’s unjustified I know, but he came & off we drove to the ferry terminal. We were actually late for 15 minutes because my camera spoilt on that day. I was about to cam-whore in the car, but I realized that I can’t switch on my camera.
The error message was, “Lens error, restart camera”.
I was devastated. We just brought the camera last April before I went for my Dubai trip and now it’s spoilt? I was so sad that I was tearing all the way to the meet-up point.
I pestered Mr. HHH to help me send the camera for repair the next Monday morning since he will end work earlier than I will.
After check-in to the ferry, Mr. HHH tried to “repair” the camera and he did it! Basically there was just too much dust at the lens and that caused the lens to be stuck. I was elated when my camera functioned as per normal. Thank God for that!
In the ferry
Upon arrival at Batam Island
In the coach
After clearance, we met up with our tour guide, Hendry - a very friendly guy.
Our first visit was to the Pesantran (Orphanage). I donated some old clothes and they were delighted to receive them. If I had known that their condition were quite poor, I would have brought more clothes. My mum had cleared our closets, and tons of old clothes are sitting in our store room. I thought that other people may also be donating stuffs, so I didn’t bother to bring much. But I was so wrong! And I really regretted not bringing more.
Seriously, looking at their orphanage made me realized how blessed I am. I may not be as rich as some of my other friends, but I can still live in “luxury”. There’s the car, the hand phone, the laptop and I can still afford to go for a holiday. I may not be driving a Lexus or reach London as holiday destination, but those kids really made me realized how I should be contented with my life and not asking for more.
They organized a performance for our tour group, starting with:
The welcome musical performance
Reading of quran verse
An opening speech from the “CEO” of the orphanage,
Ustazah Mardiana, 75 years old
She's really friendly, I like her a lot!
A short drama from the talented kids
Finally a closure of the event with some prayers recital by an Ustaz.
Before we leave, a photo of yours truly & group photo with the kids…
I remembered one of them, who approached me before I leave, shook my hands twice and she said, “Bu, kalau senang2 datang lagi ye.” I was so emotional after that line. Really at the brink of tears which I held back, of course.
Our next stop was the Barelang Fisabillah Bridge. This is the biggest and longest bridge connecting Batam Island to Tonton Island measuring 38m high and 642m long.
After that, we ate lunch at a Padang Restaurant called
I was so hungry that I just ate and forgot to take a photo. Hahaha... But the restaurant was very cozy and nice and clean too… One of the cleanest locations I have ever seen in Batam.
The exterior of the restaurant
After lunch, we stopped at the Masjid Raya Batam to do the Zuhur prayers. A beautiful mosque, indeed. A pity I didn’t really get a clearer picture of it.
After prayers, we proceeded to visit the Kek Lapis Homemade factory. It was a mini factory, family-run in one of the terrace houses in Batam. Purely healthy with no MSG. We sampled the cakes, it was really nice but I didn’t buy it because I know that my family members and I, including Mr. HHH are not fans of kek lapis. We can eat a few slices but not when it comes to the whole cake!
Next, we were supposed to visit the Kuda Kepang Show but most of the makciks & pakciks were not keen. Apparently they were so scared of being possessed that they just refused to go. Mr. HHH & I was like, “Hello, it’s just a show!” But we were disappointed because one of the things that attract us to sign up for this tour is because of the Kuda Kepang Show. The real ones mind you, not the fake ones like in Singapore!
Before we leave for Singapore, we went shopping at 2 big malls. The initial plan was to visit Batam City Square (BCS) Shopping Mall and the Batam Mega Mall. But the tour guide was saying that there really isn’t anything interesting in the Mega Mall as it is a high-end mall. Something like Takashimaya, but Batam style :)
So as a replacement, we went to Nagoya Hills Shopping Mall instead. Here was our conversation between Mr. HHH & I.
Before the trip:
Him: How much do you want me to change money for shopping?
Me: Maybe $50. I don’t think I’ll buy a lot of things.
Him: I just changed $100, in case.
During the trip:
Me: Oh no, I can’t buy some more stuff as we are running out of cash!
Him: Let’s change another $50.
Lesson learnt: Don't trust my words when it comes to shopping!
Hahaha… yup, we spent like $150 for shopping but we bought loads of stuffs like
1)Toiletries for my Genting trip. Seriously, the shampoo in SG costs like $6+ but I got mine at only $1.50! Not forgetting the cheap toothbrush, toothpaste and shower cream…
2)A new BONIA wallet
3)A new chic black handbag (the bigger one)
4)Some undies
5)A new blouse
6)A new pair of jeans for Mr. HHH
7)A new shirt for Mr. HHH
8)Fruits
9)Chocolates – 3 types
10)Instant noodles – 10 individual packs
11)A & W for snack
12)Dinner at Godiva Coffee
All for $150.
On the way back
In the coach
In the ferry
Overall, the trip was really fun especially going with your loved ones. Batam is just like Malaysia, only a grade or two lower. If you can spare the time, I would really recommend you to go, especially if you have never been there before. I don’t think budget would be a problem.
My next holiday plan: K.L. & Genting Highlands!
Countdown to trip & end of internship: 5 days
Can’t wait!
Till then, love!
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