December, 2011

Batam is the island on the border to Singapore. Many Indonesians visit it as a cheaper alternative rather than fly in through Changi airport which is really a dealmaker considering price. But is there more to it than that? Did I break the myth that there isn’t much more to Batam? I admit to say, no. Batam didn’t awe me, but I sure did enjoy the bits and pieces it offered. The city central was neat and roads were still decorated with trees. The food was a good adventure. And the famous ‘Kampung Vietnam’ located 5 bridges away, is a pleasant park.

Oh by the way, this was a family visit. I wonder if you remember my cousins face?

Activity

Coastarina. A quite park area for families to spend time together. Not much excitement though.  

Nongsa Beach and Putri Island. One of the locals beach on the North East side of Batam which also is the access of Putri island. Not much to see.

Barelang Bridge is the locals hang out place. There are various street food and seafood restaurants around for you to taste.

Galang Island had a refugee camp for the Vietnamese that were looking for asylum. Now, the remains have become a park for a pleasant recreation. Entrance fee is IDR 5,000/person.

Eat

Gonggong is the seawater snail and is a local dish famous amongst the Batam people. A portion is IDR 300,000 at d'Sampan BBQ Center.

Fish soup Tarempa is soup with fillet fish. It has a subtle but good broth, worth of a good lunch. The restaurant also sells a few other items to munch on. 

Barelang Seafood is a mid to high end restaurant located at the foot of the Barelang Bridge. A portion of crab, squid, veggies, and rice for 2 with Dragon Fruit juice cost IDR 300,000.

Barelang Bridge Food. There are various choices of food that you can pick around the bridge with very affordable prices.

Kopitiam is another name for coffee shop. The Harum Manis and Sudi Mampir shops located at Nagoya are good coffee costing only IDR 3,000 / cup.

Spend

Seken Singapore is where you get your second hand  goods, obtained from Singapore. With a good eye for vintage and a little vintage, you can find treasures.

Getting Around

Ojegs  are everywhere in Indonesia. You can use Ojeg to get to specific areas that aren't reachable by the public transportation.

Minibus roam the main streets of the city and surroundings. Take a minibus to your destination and pay IDR 3,000 / pax

Bus. This pilot project is providing an express transportation system compared to the mini busses.

Getting there

Planes head to Batam daily. Lion Air return tickets to Jakarta can cost IDR 1,300,000 / pax, or more.

Ferry is an option for those living in Malaysia and Singapore. Return tIckets to Singapore with Sindo Ferries cost about IDR 260,000 / pax, exclude port tax.

October, 2011

It had become the new identity of the town. The tsunami that happened on the 26^th December 2004 had re-defined the city of Aceh and its surroundings. At a glance this city has risen from the dead. But, underneath the surface, there’s a big scar. No matter where you look and no matter whom you talk to, everything nudges the tragedy. It’s an understandable permanent scar much like a tattoo, one that will be visible and talked about. My journey this time was brief, but I still wanted to see what these Acehnese was made of. It resulted in laidback people that can accept a fate given to them and move-on.

By the way, some of this post might repeat the entry made by our friend Stania. So drop by her post here to see some information that I’ll leave out.

Activity

Graveyards are mass graves of the tsunami victims. They’re spread around the area built in to neat gardens.

Baiturrahman Mosque is the main mosque of the city. It’s a beautiful infrastructure and worth the visit.

Tsunami Museum was still undergoing completion during my visit. It contains footage, pictures, stories and some remains of the tragedy.

Lampu’uk Beach is a swimless beach not too far from the city. You can enjoy fresh seafood and coconuts beside the bay.  

Eat

Rujak Aceh is the Indonesian fruit salad with palm sugar and peanuts in its sauce.

Ayam Tangkap is fried chicken fried with curry leaves. It’s tasty with that extra leafy flavor which makes it all good.

Spend your money to buy the local goods at a local store for snacks, coffee, handicrafts, and even mini ‘rencong’ (traditional machete). Stores are across the Bautirrahman mosque.  

Getting Around

Take a ‘becak’ around town. ‘Becak’ prices depend on the distance of your journey. Don’t worry, it’s moved by a motorcycle so you don’t have to feel bad if you’re heavy or traveling a fair distance.

Rent a car to visit all the historical places in a day. The distances of some places are quite far, so public transport might take up a lot of your time, something that I didn’t have. Rahmatullah rentals provide cars of IDR 450,000 / day, exclude driver and fuel.

Getting there

Take a plane ride to Aceh from Jakarta. Garuda Indonesia promotional tickets were IDR 1,800,000 / pax which was purchased a few days after Lebaran day. Flights are daily.

Other airlines also provide services to Aceh. Links of airlines here.