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.