I had *no idea* that I was going to Tanjung Pinang (a place I often hear my parents mention) when I got the
weekend trip to Bintan planned. Turned out that Tanjung Pinang is Bintan's capital. Bintan is an Indonesian island about 3.5x the size of Singapore, and 1hr 30mins away by ferry.
We met a wonderful Malay lady who goes shopping in Bintan twice a month because things there are supposedly very cheap. I thought it was too much work for SGD$50 in tix price & 3 hr roundtrip travel time!
Although I didn't know what to expect, I've had vague impressions of white sands, gently lapping South China Sea waves and pretty resorts from my foreigner friends who flock there each weekend. But when we first got to Tanjung Pinang, a town of ~200,000 people, the air is dusty from the motorcycles (ojek), streets are pretty cramped, hawkers of all sorts line the streets, and ohhh the heat was unbearable!
First up, a visit to the
Monument of Young Generation (the Raja Haji Fisabilillah momument), a 28m concrete structure erected in the middle of a roundabout to commemorate the Malayan king of the same name who died in a battle against the Dutch in 1784. Unimpressive.
Directly opposite it was the famed
Gong-gong statue. I had no idea what it was, only to find out that it's literally a statue of the Gong-gong (edible sea snail/ conch). Undergoing renovation. Equally unimpressive.
So by now, you can tell that my enthusiasm for Bintan is pretty much near zero. Then came
lunch at Jawa Timur (apparently a popular restaurant for tourists) - which was pretty good, except that it took ~1 hour for our food to be served. Not cool given that we were the
only patrons in the restaurant.
Lunch: Coconut rice, Ayam Penyet, Sambal Kang Kong, Fried Fish, Indonesian Vegetable Soup
Then our driver, Simon, took us to the
Guan Yin Temple, where you'll find the largest sitting Guan Yin (Goddess of Mercy) in South-east Asia. I was really surprised that the entire temple was empty, as was the rest of the sights we went to for the entire day! Even our tour group consisted of just my mother and I. (!!!)
Guan Yin Temple - very spacious and interesting architecture. All the statues and temple carvings are made in and imported from China!
Simon then took us to Sarimas
Kerepek Tempe where I learned about the famous
fermented soya bean crackers (kerepek/ our Sg version of
Keropok). The only man in the kitchen slices locally ordered Tempe, which is then dipped into a flour batter mixed with
garlic, candlenuts, coriander and cumin by a group of women huddled behind him. They then deep fry it and out comes the supposedly super famous Kerepek Tempe that I only found out about
here. I'm neither a fan of the taste nor the grease, but I enjoyed the learning process! :)
Next stop: the
500 Lohan Temple. I thought this was quite possibly the
highlight of our trip (besides the massage later on). Serene, spacious, and awe-inspiring, this is also the place to have a little picnic by the garden next to the 500 Lohans.
Lohans are apparently the Arhats that have achieved deliverance from their earthly existence in
Theravada Buddhism, and commonly act as guardian angels of Buddhist temples with their wisdom, courage and ability to ward off evil.
Magnificent 500 Lohans behind us.
Another pavilion housing a golden Buddha perched at the top of the hill overlooking the entire temple. Reminded me of Thailand!
Next up: a visit to the
Cuttlefish packaging factory to see how the local dried cuttlefish are processed (cuttlebone is removed manually, then cuttlefish is flattened under a roller), oven-grilled, seasoned and packed/ sealed. Funny how the women who were previously only chatting started to get busy with their hands as I walked towards them. >.<
I'm not a big fan of processed foods these days so we only bought 2 small packets out of courtesy. What to do when you're in a tour group of two???? Boh pian lah!
Next up: The tour was supposed to include a visit to the famous Tripadvisor rate #1
Penyengat island (since it was shown in the photo). But somehow the tour agency denied it so nvm, we paid 5000 Rp (SGD $0.60) 1-way per person for a 15min boat ride to the island. The boatman offered to get the boat moving immediately if we paid 30,000 Rp but there's really no need for that as the boat filled up pretty quickly with locals commuting between the two islands.
I
love, love, love, love, LOVE the sea! Oceans, seas, lakes, anything to do with water - I like!! :)
The first imposing structure you'll see as you exit the boat is the
old vice-royal mosque, a yellow mosque - which houses a rare 150-year-old handwritten Koran. Legend has it that the mosque was built using a mortar foundation of eggs (Note: the mortar, not the whole building). A pujasera - an open-air karaoke with a stage was also mounted there, clearly the surest way to experience the islander's way of life!
The island (which is really tiny) is reminiscent of Singapore in the 1960s/70s -
kampung (village) style and very quaint. Needless to say, I played an eager listener to Mom's stories of her
kampung (village) childhood. Actually the trip was really nice in that I learned a lot about my family history and especially about the life of my grandmother (popo).
Kids playing cards greeted me with excitement as I walked past them, so I stopped to say hello!
Colorful houses on stilts in the sea along with similarly colorful boats are a common sight.
We were done with Penyengat island in just about 30mins so off we went back to mainland Tanjung Pinang where we were treated to
one of the best massages of my life (on par with the AWESOME
Tempat Senang Spa at
Batam island) at
Ladies Spa (Jalan Brigjend Katamso, No. 8) - a misnomer as it's suitable for both men and women. Mom and I got the
Balinese massage (~SGD32 for 90mins) and it was really heavenly!
Dinner was at a local seafood restaurant. I thought portions were small, pricier and not as tasty as the one I had in
Batam.
Salt & pepper squid, Fishball soup (Mom loves), Sambal Kang Kong, Garlic and chilli clams, Baby cuttlefish (separate additional order) and Avocado milkshake!! :)
On our way to Akau, a night food market, we came across a rally by one of Indonesia's Chinese-Indo politician. The entire Chinese community was there to support him and it was quite a sight to catch a glimpse of the local entertainment: makeshift stage with a ladyboy performer.
Ok. Now on Akau Potong Lembu (Akau) - THE PLACE for authentic local food. This is a parking lot by day, and a crowded hawker area by night. Boasting of smells that will set your mouth salivating, this is the place to chillax and have some ching tng (cold dessert soup filled with all sorts of jellies) while soaking in the charm of naked bulbs hanging on exposed wires and wondering how life was like back in Singapore.
Tour guide Simon with his bowl of sugary cold Ching Tng dessert. Apparently opposite the road not far off is the best Crab Bee Hoon in town! ^_^
The next day was spent chillaxing at our
Bintan Cabana Beach Resort. It's a little way out, about 1 hour from the harbor but it was really quiet and perfect for a retreat.
Cute swing hanging from the tree!
|
Happy jumping shots with kelongs (floating fishing villages) behind us. :)
The calm, shallow waters stretches out for like 300m and even then, the water's barely at my hip! :P + taking a dip in the pool after
For a weekend retreat, I think
Batam is closer (45mins ferry) and cheaper. But the sea is definitely wayyyyyyyy nicer at Bintan than
Batam. The next time I'm here (not anytime soon), I might try the pujasera (karaoke) which is a favorite past time here. Apparently the island's biggest pujasera
Pinang Marina and
Rimba Cafe (133 Jalan Gudang Minyak, Komplek Rimba Jaya) is good for that.
A stayover in a Kelong (fishing village) + fishing trip is also in my list of "Somedays/ Maybes".xls. We drove past a few, and Elly's Kelong (Jalan Pantai Trikora Km.39, Bintan Utara) with clear waters and rooms surrounding fishes in enclosures comes highly recommended. Elly's also has houses on stilts that goes further out into the open sea (cooooooool) and provides a 3D/2N all-inclusive fishing package. :)
Foodprinted on 10-11 Nov 2012, Sat-Sun
Who could pass up the chance to drink at 1-Altitude, the world’s highest al fresco bar?Hands-down, 1-Altitude has the most comprehensive view of the city.
Breeze: Definitely a third date location.Sitting atop the 1924 art deco corner shophouse that is The Scarlet boutique hotel is this fourth-floor bar and restaurant frequented by yuppies drawn to romantic enclaves. 
Spend your Sundays at Halo where it's happy hour all day long.This semi-circular space’s metallic façade and slate-colored tiles add some military style to the sunny yellow-lit bar with orange stools. This outdoor watchtower space is not just airy, it also has bird’s-eye view of the surrounding residential flats.
Booze up for an easy landing at Helipad.You can’t really land a chopper on this massive roof -- the "H" is made of decorative light boxes that double up as seats -- but don’t sweat it. Instead, you get to raise your unobstructed elbows with Helipad Iced Teas and sway to the gentle Singapore River breeze.
Kinki: Whatever floats your boat, you'll find it here.
KU DE TA: Raising the roof and shooting lasers on a nightly basis.Singapore’s youngest architectural icon, Marina Bay Sands (MBS), is the only structure standing 200 meters high in its immediate vicinity.
Don't just go for a dinner and a movie, spice the date up with a nightcap at La Terraza Rooftop Bar.This fifth-floor roof space is extremely limited so make sure you call ahead to reserve as many of their seats as you can.
Resist the urge to go night swimming after one too many cocktails at Lantern.The fifth floor of The Fullerton Bay Hotel won't give anyone vertigo, but what Lantern lacks in altitude it makes up in finesse.
Leafy surrounds and icy-cool martinis make it far too easy to linger at Loof.Unlike its poised queenly neighbor, The Raffles Hotel, Loof is eccentric and, apart from its caged trees, close to being flagrantly wild.
Test your ninja skills and see if you can sneak up to Naumi's rooftop bar.Officially, this 10th-story rooftop bar with the sparkly close views of Raffles City and The Esplanade over its infinity pool is open only to the hotel’s guests occupying one of their 40 rooms. But the general lack of service staff stationed up here means commoners like us can slip in unnoticed.
One of Orgo's martinis will ensure your night at the opera wasn't a total loss.Bar manager Akihiro Eguchi came out tops in this year’s Diageo Reserve World Class 2011 Singapore National finals with his Crown Jewel concoction: freshly distilled rosewater, pomegranate juice, simple sugar syrup and Tanqueray No. 10 gin.
Prelude: Blink and you might miss this cozy al fresco spot.It’s a good thing Prelude has its back against the bustle. This open-air minimalist bar at the mouth of the Singapore River is unruffled by the CBD's surrounding pomp. Not that this is an entirely dress-down spot, as relaxed CBD sophisticates make up most of this dark-wood and canvas deck-chaired space’s clientele.
Ta.Ke: a bamboo-themed cocktail bar with killer Choya cocktails.This is no place for a quiet cocktail. Anyone stuck for a topic can start with the gaudy armchairs and work their way to the spindly dollhouse stools. French-influenced tapas and Japanese-inspired cocktails make up the menu.
Ying Yang: it'll take your breath away in more than one way.It’s a lounge, it’s a club, it’s a bar.
Zsofi Tapas Bar: they'll feed you so you'll drink with them all night long.This Dunlop Street stalwart’s rooftop area straddles two shophouse spaces, both of different elevations. That is hardly a problem. Sitting up here is much like sitting on the private roof of a house overlooking the Mediterranean, except the view here comprises of surrounding aluminium roofing and tiles.
