The tour

If you are on a budget for the trip, then you'll probably get the same package as me.
Funny that I see many people coming to Batam going to the same tour, same places.
Taking the same photos.
Do they only have these places to go to?
I don't think so, and I don't think tourist would want to go to the same tour twice.
Once to these places is enough for me.


So here is what we did.

Firstly, we were brought to a polo store.
I'm not interested at all, so I'll not talk about it.


Then we went to a chocolate shop.


A lot of chocolate to try ^^
I brought this really nice mango biscuits (but I should buy some chocolates at a chocolate store...)



Next stop was a temple.
Didn't really go in, just stayed outside which was a pleasant surprise.
The sky here is really clear and sunny.


Though the weather is about the same as Singapore, it is probably because there are no tall HDB flats or office buildings blocking the view of the sky, it made the view looks wider. As if the sky here is bigger.



After that we went to their Dry market where we buy koropok.
I bought a lot, my dad says that if I am to buy something back buy those.
But you'll need to pay extra attention to not crush them into small pieces.
There are so many kinds, it's kind of amusing.


Then, we passed by a kway lapis store which the tour guide told us
that they are bringing us there because it is near that area where we are going to eat lunch.
Kway lapis, the direct translation of the Chinese name is 'a thousand layered cake'.
(but i don't think there is a thousand layers)
It is like their representing food.
You see them everywhere.
And because it requires lots of effort to bake the cake layers by layers,
it is a little pricey if you are on a budget trip.
If you are planning to buy some back, one whole cake is around 25-27SGD.
But of course, make sure you change enough rupiah,
since most things will be cheaper there in rupiah.


Ever since the start of the tour, I was hungry.
My friends were also hungry too.
They didn't eat much in the morning,
since they are afraid that they'll vomit during the ferry ride.
And I don't normally eat breakfast.
Anyway, we were really hungry and thank god for all those samplings.
From chocolate to koropok and kway lapis, we eat and try all those samples.
There are surprisingly a lot of stuff to stuff your mouth with.

And then, finally! Our seafood lunch.
It is at a really pretty place, but there are quite a lot of mosquitoes.


Even though we were hungry, the food isn't that fantastic.
They are not bad, edible, but I wish we had when somewhere else instead.
They have ridiculously large clams!


There is also a performance show.


Go krat.
I really shouldn't go learn driving.
I like speeding too much. =P
The sun, by now, is blazingly hot.
And very much to our surprise, playing the go krat proved to be a good decision.
The wind cools down your body immediately as you start driving.


I was kind of worried about wearing the stinky helmet but it wasn't that bad at all,
we were given hair nets and the helmets were not stinky.
This cost around 100K rupiah.


If you are not interested in the exciting game,
you can go the the miniature park and experience being giants.
Or if you are sleepy from the lunch you have just eaten and the weather is making you tired easily,
you can just stay in the bus to rest.


Massage. It lasted one full hour.
It is freaking cool. This place.
They had lots of beds in a room like a big hall, each separated with curtains.

I don't normally like people touching me but it's a great experience!
I came on this trip to relax and I am glad to get the massage.
Although it is a little painful at times, it is good pain.
The lady says I'm too stressful. > < Life in Singapore.....


We were brought to the shopping mall next.
We've got 20 mins, what's there to shop?!?
T-T we need more time.


The last stop is the hotel. Mercure.
Looks not bad, I didn't see the pictures before I came
but my friend said that it looks like what they had shown.
There is a bathtub too.
Although the lift is a little small, it doesn't bother me much.

Every time when I go overseas, I always look forward to hotel breakfast!
Most will serve breakfast buffet style and I am so looking forward~~~
Weird coming from someone who don't eat breakfast,
but I'm excited nevertheless.

=]
God bless you!
Thank god for the trip.

Over a long weekend...

Last week, there's was a public holiday in Singapore.

Selamat Hari Raya to all my Muslim friends =] (Although it is belated)

Ever since I graduated, I have yet to have a holiday... Cries...

I want my holiday back~~~~~

Thank God for the long weekend.

Was able to have a fruitful time spent with friends.

Also, was able to finish something meaningful, the senbazuru.

So, I was super looking forward to the break.

And made some plans on what to do.

1. Getting started with my Japanese Language.

Not sure if I mentioned it before, I am quite interested in topics concerning Japan.

=] And I have always wanted to learn their language.

The procrastination had been very strong, but I went back to my club from poly.

They are restarting their Japanese Language Labs and I'll be able to study with them!

Have people who have proper knowledge to learn from... =]

Thank God for them.

2. Senbazuru.

As you may know, I completed it.

If you don't, why are you reading backwards?

People normally reading their books from chapter 1, but... hmm... 

haha... just kidding.. go and read the previous post. 

3. The Harry Potter Exhibition.

I have been waiting for so long!!!!!!!

Finally~~~~~~~

Did I mentioned I love reading?

And I have a fetish with books that come in a series.

Without a doubt, Harry Potter is famous world wide. 

The books and the movies have leave a deep mark on the theater screen as we watch our favorite trio grow up with their each and every movie. They made their legend.  

And I am so excited!

                                

I want to go there, at least once in my life. 

Too bad we were not able to take any pictures. But we did sneak some that is on display outside of the set.

It was a really enjoyable experience, recapping the entire story, characters, some of the most memorable scenes in the movie.

The sound effect is freaking awesome, I got crept out!

The atmosphere there is so magical and it boils blood.

Their dressing style, their bedrooms, their wands, the things they had, the people they met, the things they did, the place they went to, and their food. It is awesome.

I especially like their food and snacks! The things that Fred and George introduced.

Remember the fever/puking/dizzy sweets? Best things for you to get an MC and skip classes. 

I wished they would sell some of their ice-cream too.....

Although all we did was to see and look, and walk around a littler(still, the exhibition area is quite small), 

it was quite tiring. Trying to memorize every we saw, I would have aced my course if I was half as passionate with my studies.

A great place for Harry Potter fans to experience what our beloved characters have gone through. =]

Despite it being smaller than I had imagine, it was enough to bring me into their world for that period of time

4. The Brave Movie.

Disney really lives up to their name, they did it again.

An amazing movie.

This time it is not about BGR, it's about family.

Love the little brothers, love their accent, love the ghostly wisp with hands, love how messy her hair is.

Love the way the mother learnt how to survived from the daughter, and love the way the princess grow up with the queen as an example.

Although the story is predictable, love how it moves people and touches their hearts.

Really heartwarming, it is not the usual princess and prince story.

It calls out to something deeper, and is relevant to everyone.

If you haven't watch it, you should.

I strongly recommend it.

There is a good sense of humor, great character growth, and a touching relationship.

Disney, great movies for families, as always.

Hope that you had have a fruitful weekend too. =]

God Bless~