The Bintan Chronicles - Day 2

Woke up at 4am to catch the finals between Djokovic and Fish. Disappointing. Wanted Fish to win. By the time the match ended, RT was awake and I couldn't go back to sleep. So we headed to the coffee house for breakfast.

We had planned to kayak, so we headed to Nirwana Beach Club to rent the kayak. And along the way, we saw these... which we really didn't expect to see.





Think we were a bit too early cos there was no one at the counter and the beach was quite deserted. Then when the counter opened, the waves looked pretty scary. RT tested it and said it was actually ok. So we hired a double kayak and headed out. By then there were a couple of people kayaking and some people in the waters, catching the waves or snorkelling.

It started pretty ok until about half an hour later, when the waves got bigger. RT saw one coming towards us and went, "Orh, this one sure die...". But we were ok. Apparently we were riding the wave, so it was ok. Then another big one came and RT went, "Uh-oh...this one sure die one." His comment didn't bother me, since we overcame the first one, and RT being a dragon boater should have known how to control the kayak right?

But this time, the kayak did flip. And I got this...

And he still could look at the bruise later and say, "How come you can fall down until like that ah?"

How I know la??

We decided to stop kayaking and joined the other people catching waves in the sea. And it was quite fun, really. Not a good idea to don a bikini and ride such huge waves. But it was quite amusing watching the ladies pulling their bikinis in place after going through a wave!! After that, we baked for a while by the beach and hotel pool. But the sun got too hot so I decided to laze in a hammock...

The last time I did this was years back (like more than 10 years?). My cousin, Kayestercan and I got onto the hammock at my aunt's place. And it broke. This time it took my weight, but I bet I must have looked like a big fish caught in a net.

By the time we got back to the hotel, we were so tired we slept from 2pm till 7pm! Then we headed to the poolside cafe for dinner. Pizza and burger.

Remember I said that there really isn't much to do in Bintan? We had another half a day tomorrow, and we figured we were gonna be bored to death, so we changed our ferry ticket for an earlier scheduled one. And remember I said that things are quite costly in Bintan? We had to pay for changing the tickets! But we did so anyway.

For tonight, thank goodness for the availability of Cable TV and Channel U (for the Korean golfer show) and Channel 8 (the water vat show), we didn't die of boredom.

The Bintan Chronicles -Day 1

I've never really fancied a Bintan holiday, cos there really isn't much to do and everything's costly. So since Diners Club offered RT a pretty attractive birthday package for a 3D2N stay, we decided to go.

Leaving on a Sunday for Bintan was not such a bad idea afterall. By the looks of the crowd at the ferry terminal, we weren't heading for a mini Singapore. Most of the crowd comprised Caucasians (not surprisingly, considering the affinity between 'ang mos' and the beach), Japanese and Koreans.

We arrived at Nirwana Gardens Resort, checked in by 3pm and decided to head off to Pasar Oleh Oleh. Had a two-hour massage and scrub at a mere $40. And the scrub was shiokeroos! Like RT said, it probably scrubbed off three decades of accumulated dirt. haha.

Dinner followed after massage...




Silver fish fried rice, tom yam soup, sambal sotong and gong gong, with a coconut and aloe vera shake. The gong gong's really good!!!

The last time I was at Pasar Oleh Oleh, I thought it was too touristy and the prices of things were pretty steep. Today, however, the prices were pretty reasonable. The place was pretty dead and almost everything was going at 50%. Maybe cos it was a Sunday. Perhaps if I come back tomorrow, they will be at 70% off...

Anyways, the restaurant sent us back cos we were the last to leave the place, and it didn't make sense for the shuttle bus (which we paid $6 each for. Told you everything also gotta pay!) to come back at 10pm just for us. So the driver got the restaurant to send us back, which was what one of their staff agreed to do if we spent $36 and above.

Part of the Diner's package included a birthday cake and a gift, so, here they are....

So much cream right?

SYT vs TOW

As s guy, which would you choose? The Sweet Young Thing (SYT) or The Older Woman (TOW)?

My guess was that most guys would go for the SYT. But I was quite wrong.

Anyway, in the midst of discussing this topic with Char Siew Pow she had really hilarious analogies...

Purples: So if you were a guy, which would you choose? The SYT or TOW?

Char Siew Pow: So its SYT vs classy and sphisticated right? It's like choosing between a Suzuki Swift and a Beemer.

Purples: I guess. Ok you are like late 20s and the SWT is like 16.

Char Siew Pow: That's quite sick.

Purples: But SYT more fun what?

Char Siew Pow: But it's like choosing between a fizzy drink and wine!

I Can Run, But I Cannot Hide.

Because I have hit a certain decade of my life, and the need for an identity card update was necessary, I realised that we do have certain bodies which are pretty efficient. No long waiting time. No snaking queues. No directing me from one department to another and answering the same question upteen times.

The crowd there scared me, but ten minutes was all it took to collect my new identity card. Wonderful isn't it? Especially when I was prepared to spend my whole lunch hour waiting for it.

I was asked to provide thumbprints (for BOTH thumbs), sign on three places on a form, questioned about my highest education level (why ah?) and voila! I had my new identity card.

So if I ever commit a crime and become a fugitive, they have all my particulars. Right down to the detailed fact that I am a degree holder, but not with an honours. No running away.

So tell me, with all the efficiency and detailed information on a person, why is Mr Selamat still at large?