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!
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! ^_^
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
No comments:
Post a Comment