Batam Trip (1 of 2)

Even though Batam is only an hour plus ride from Harbour Front, not one of us has ever been there. We were all expecting the beach but we were wrong, it turned out to be a metropolis.

We boarded the ferry from Harbour Front Centre and since we were running late, we didn't have time to grab a bite or a take away bag. This turned out to be a big mistake since there's no place to get some food; we all had to wait till lunch time as per our tour itinerary.



When we got to Batam, we were met by our tour guide who proceeded to give instructions on what we needed to do and where we needed to go.



Our first stop is the Polo Outlet store, after taking a quick look, we decided to go next door to get refreshments.



We then headed to a Chinese temple, for a photo opportunity more than anything else, but I found the place to be nice. It was quite serene.



Here's the rest of my friends while waiting for their turn to sit on buddha's lap.







We then went to 89 Hotel for our massage, it wasn't as relaxing as I hoped it would be. For one, the place was a bit warm and it looked like a factory more than a spa with rows and rows of mattresses on the floor. Your privacy is a curtain which sadly does nothing to keep the noise out.







After the massage, it was finally time for lunch. We headed to this big huge seafood restaurant.









Right after lunch, we were supposed to watch a magician and a cultural show, which we actually wanted to skip. Good thing the rest of those on the tour were feeling the same way so we skipped that. We proceeded to do the Flying Fox and the Paint Ball Shooting. The highlight of the tour for me.







We then made several stops to different stores, dry goods, batik, factory outlet and a mall before finally heading to the hotel.

Planking

The thing with travelling with quite a big group is that you end up with extra time while waiting for the others to finish getting ready.

We've come to learn about planking from Noel, our friend who's very addicted to Instagram. Apparently, it's a trend where one lies face down and someone takes your picture. There are many more variations to planking such as owling, teapotting, horsemaning but we didn't go there.









True, our photos are not as impressive as this photo:



But we did try to make it our own by coming up with our own styles.







Check out other great planking photos here: http://www.geekosystem.com/best-planking-pictures/

Joining a Tour Group

We saw a very good deal through one of the many discount sites for our trip to Batam and the requirement is for us to join the tour instead of a free and easy trip that I prefer. Here's my pros and cons list.





The Pros:

1. The immigration card is already filled out; all you need to do is sign it. This helped us a lot since we got to the ferry terminal a bit late.



2. Everything is discounted. We paid only $88, about 3000 pesos (exclusive of taxes) which includes the fare, the overnight hotel stay, transportation, lunch, massage and the other activities.

3. You are in the confines of a cool shuttle that takes you everywhere you need to go.



The Cons:

1. You have no say as to who you'll be with in the tour. We were quite unlucky because we were joined by a very rowdy and noisy group. A couple of them talk at 10 decibels louder than required. Imagine having to endure the noise the entire day even while we were having our massage.

2. You make several stops to shops that don't interest you.





3. Waiting. You have no choice but to wait till everyone gets on the bus. The rowdy group took their sweet time at the mall and was late even if we were all informed beforehand to be on time. (It was our last stop and almost all of us were just itching to get to the hotel and rest.)

We were all staring at the mall entrance hoping for the members of the rowdy group to finally show up.



4. If you're travelling as a couple, it's quite awkward as you might find yourself, joining a big group of friends for lunch. Here we are joined by a couple, they were seated at the head of the table. We did try to make them feel at ease.



Overall, joining a trip is okay if you really have nothing planned and can't be bothered to create an itinerary. I was observing the tour guide the whole time and I don't envy her job. Taking care of a big group, making sure that we all stick to schedule and catering to some of the whims of the guests are just too exhausting.

Here we are with our friendly tour guide, Sinta.

 

Khoo Teck Puat Hospital

We all know how hard it is to get sick. It is doubly hard to be sick when you are an OFW and you don't have your family with you.



Em-J fell sick for almost three weeks requiring several trips to the doctor and finally a hospitalization but only after he insisted on it. The health care system here is a bit different, you actually have to go to a general practitioner to be checked. After a not so thorough check-up, they ask you to take meds and return if your condition doesn't improve. You return, they provide you with meds again. When your condition still doesn't improve then they can recommend for you to go to a hospital.

The hospital performs several tests and asks you to come back if your condition doesn't improve. You return and you finally get admitted. This is what happened to Em-J thus the prolonged suffering. If this happened in Manila, you go straight to the hospital if it's more than three days and you still have a fever.



 The admission process is also quite hellish. We got to the hospital around lunch time, was told that there was an available room at 2pm and was finally admitted at close to 6pm after repeated follow-ups and angry voices.



Thankfully, the not so okay service ends at the ER. Most of the hospital staff were very nice and helpful. The food was even first rate.



The room was also very impressive as they made sure that the patient is as comfortable as possible. The control panel is just within an arm's reach where the Em-J can control everything from the room temperature down to the music that's playing and even surf the internet.




They even provided toiletries.



They also made an effort to install panels by the headboard to cover the all sorts of scary looking plugs.



He was confined for 5 days with no conclusive findings.

Noel's 30th

I have been feeling a bit bogged down with so many things thus the lack of posts and I owe it to Analyn and her friend, my only two loyal readers who reminded me to post an update.

For Noel's birthday (today), we were supposed to go to Batam but because it took a while for everyone to confirm if they're joining the trip, we had no choice but to postpone it to next Saturday but we couldn't let his special day pass without celebrating it so we decided to have just a simple dinner.

Noel was very indecisive so everything was very last minute. We decided to go to Holland Village and try a Mexican restaurant for something different.

Since we were all unfamiliar with the place, we decided to take the train to Orchard and take a cab from there.







Abby, Eco, Em-J and I got there first and I loved the different vibe of the place. It feels like a beach is just nearby.







We all played it safe with our orders at Cha Cha Cha.





I decided on the beef burrito which was a bit too messily served to my liking, nevertheless, I did enjoy the flavors.





We washed all the food down with a glass of margarita.





We were still planning to go to Clarke Quay but the birthday celebrant wasn't feeling too well so we decided to just have dessert.





We shared a fondue and a couple more specialty ice cream creation which we all enjoyed.







We headed home at nearly 12. Here's Abby while waiting for a cab.



The celebration continued at home with a little videoke.

Don't mind my sheets which I hung to dry. I had the best spot as I was sound asleep a few minutes after the session started.



Abby and Eco, being the sweetest, bought a birthday cake for him just now.



Happy birthday, Lo!