38 Comments » I don’t like resorts. I don’t like the sea. I don’t like massages. I don’t like getting wet. But I had such a grand time in Batam over the weekend, I think I could be persuaded to change my mind.
It was a last-minute thing. We only decided on the trip two weeks before and managed to find a date to accommodate most of us. Only Morte couldn’t make it because he’s in a new job and didn’t want to take leave.
That was a shame because Morte is our club president (some say mascot) and we really missed having someone to club.
We met at Harbourfront at 9 am on Friday to have breakfast and wait for the ferry, which was crazy because we were all terribly sleep-deprived after a week of gaming and partying.
The first photo I took that day was when we arrived at Batam.
The moment we cleared immigration, the smokers zipped off to buy cheap cigarettes while others wandered off goodness knows where. Minou and I were the first to greet our hotel transfer.
The next photos I took were of the “scenery” while our mini van drove us up a hill to our resort.
For a while, I kept seeing people squatting at the side of the road at random spots. Some were in small groups while others were alone within long stretches of maybe a couple hundred metres. They didn’t look like workers. They just looked like normal people squatting in the middle of a deserted hill trail for kicks.
We checked into KTM Resort, a humble beachfront resort which looks more like a kelong because part of the resort hangs over the sea. And there wasn’t really much of a beach.
The restaurant is huge, like a kelong seafood restaurant. In this picture below, it occupies the entire platform in the background:
While Kerr and Minou were checking in, the rest of us wandered around and camwhored.
We decided to share a two-bedroom villa. All seven of us. Haha.
We thought it would be more fun. And it was, although it’s a little hard to sleep when there’s free surround sound snoring.
The sitting room:
The master bedroom:
The other bedroom:
The perimeter:
The balcony:
The views from the balcony:
Very modest living arrangements, but nice enough. I love how there are many connected log paths and stairways in each villa compound. Gives a kind of adventure feel to the area.
We found a very unusual caterpillar.
Its coat looked like suede, almost velvet. Some of us wanted to touch it but no one dared. It looked poisonous. And it just sat there, unmoving.
We left it alone and tried not to step on it.
Here’s the stairway that leads down to the main lobby compound from our villa:
It’s very steep!
The second half of the stairway:
Looks like it was carved off a giant tree. Very treacherous!
There’s a sea salt water jacuzzi pool at the base of our villa but it looked sad and dirty on Friday. We only found out the next day that they only clean it out and turn on the jacuzzi during weekends (or by request).
After everyone had had a chance to settle down and do some cursory exploration, we crowded onto the balcony to split our amassed fortune.
Damn smokers. Always littering my photographs with their damn cigarette packs.
Lounging at the balcony was nice. It was windy and I’d only had two hours’ sleep the night before. I felt like just sitting there for the rest of the day.
But we had stuff to do! We had to eat lunch, shop for snacks, go for a massage, then have dinner!
Kerr arranged for a mini van and driver to take us around for the day.
Our land transportation for the two days, including hotel transfer, only cost S$90, which came up to S$12.80 each.
Okay, this post is getting too long and I still have tons of photos, so I’m going to continue tomorrow.
I should stop taking so many photographs. I had actually planned to have minimal photographs, just enough to record a few highlights of the trip because I wanted to rest and relax!
But I ended up taking more than 300 photos. After deleting no-goods, I still have 245 photos.
This is one of the NGs I decided to keep after all:
I decided it’s quite funny. I was posing for a wide-shot photo between three villas (ref. 10th photo from top) when the Goonfather sneaked up behind me and gave me a scare by suddenly grabbing me by the waist.
Hrmm, okay. That’s all for today. I need to go complete my Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode Two. Bye!
Kewl!
Oops, caught a typo – “catepillar”.
Oops! Thanks! :P
No sweat.
You mean like a cat? LOL.
That’s what I told her too!
“You are a cat!”
High Five!
@Sheylara: One can only wonder what the Goonfather was doing in that “view from the balcony” pic… and that caterpillar! Man, that looks right out of National Geographic:) Thanks for sharing, and look forward to more of your posts, as always:)
*High Fives Minou* Hahaha.
I don’t mind being a cat. They seem to have good lives. The domestic ones, that is.
RN1209: He was peeping into the little birdhouse. Haha. But he didn’t share what he found inside.
@Sheylara: Hey, there you are!:) I guess its one of those online blogging afternoons, yeah? Anyway, maybe the Goonfather didn’t share coz he accidentally suffocated the birdhouse inhabitants with his cigarette smoke…
@Peaches Mode: Wah, you racked up 29 posts already? Its only 6 days into 2009, bro… slow down:)
I just have a bit more time today cos I had to wake up early to wait for a courier to pick up something. Haha.
Oh my, I didn’t notice that!
What? No photos of food?
Actually, I didn’t take much photos of food this trip. Only one meal. Cos the other times I was so hungry I forgot. Lol.
@.@ caterpillar!!!! can eat one or not?
hey Shey…
batam sure looks interesting.. hmmm… i feel like taking my gal there and chilled out.. =)
anyway… me and my gal are planning to visit a children home this saturday… yeah.. i kinda miss them kids after my ‘long vacation’ in a bloody boring hospital… =P
Cool trip. And Sheylara, you look great in photos, pretty and sexy :)
I suddenly feel like bowling~
zhuzhu8376! :P
Cool trip! :D
hey Shey (black snake?)
That caterpillar looks yummy :P
Don’t you agree Peaches Mode
That must be your supper @.@”
^ haha – looks juicy zhu! Let’s share.
Peaches Mode
You prefer to Deep Fried it or grilled it? :p
Shey, later got nothing to eat liao
Sounds good if grilled (on stick). :)
I’ve been to KTM resort too. A pretty quiet place. Is it more crowded now? The last time I went, it seemed only my group of people stayed in that weekend.
okie makan time :P
zhuzhu8376: Er… you wanna eat the caterpillar? Okayyyy… it was nice knowing you…
Peaches Mode: YOU TOO!!! :P
DamnMorgan: Yep, Batam is a great place to chill out cos it’s near Singapore and it’s cheap and it has good massages! Have fun at the children’s home! Which one are you guys visiting?
hyperX: Thank you for your kind words! But notice how I don’t have any close ups… cos I didn’t wear makeup. Haha.
Wang Wang: lol… the club morte photo! You got me wondering for a while :P
Relax: Thanks! :)
rachelyn: It’s still very quiet. When we went for the complimentary breakfast on Saturday morning, I only saw at most 10 groups of people.
hey Shey
Well, that caterpillar know so juicy to me loh. :P
oops!!!! typo Know= Looks
its so nice to be sheylara. cos u get to travel and relax and look good all the time. *envy*
zhuzhu8376: It doesn’t look juicy! It looks poisonous!! lol.
timmy: Everyone can travel and relax and look good if they want wat… it’s not rocket science. haha.
hey Shey
No La, it’s only have a lot of colourful topping on it . :P
Hehehe! Good one zhu. :P
hehe…… :P
just teasing u la. but i cant go anywhere when i am in da army. thats the downside. :P
zhu: If anyone served you real food with that kind of colour, you’d be suspicious of it. :P
timmy: Haha… that’s what all guys have to go through. I fully empathise.
hi shey
erm……. i will make myself think of M&M’s , then i won’t think too much. :p
the pattern look like rubys*shine*..lolx:P
Yeah it does!!
WAPANG !!!!