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Tag Archive for 'indonesia'

A Short Trip to Batam

Published March 22, 2009 in Travelogue. 0 Comments

Batam? An place that many people would probably be confused on its belonging country. It’s so near to Singapore, and thus so common among Singaporeans, that some people could have thought by mistake, that it’s an island belonging to Singapore. However, the fact is, Batam is one of the 3000 Riau islands, part of Indonesia.

Being just a 20-minute ferry journey from Singapore, no wonder Batam is a popular weekend city-escape destination among Singaporeans. Even the Phua Chu Kang comedy also mentions about Batam - “Best in Singapore, JB, and some say Batam”. So, as expected, most of the Batam accommodations advertised online are tagged with Sing dollar S$.

Men’s Heaven?

From the impressions that I’ve been told by people, Batam seems to be especially known for brothels, serving the demands coming from Singapore, as well as westerners working in Batam (Batam is concentrated with oil, gas and electronics industries).

So I went there for adult entertaintment?? Hahaha.. No la.. just to clarify, I went for a work related matter, and so my trip was almost (cos I didn’t claim for full cost of car rental, it’s a leisure for myself hehe) fully paid for. Batam is a place where S$ is circulating le, you think those escort girls will quote in Ringgit Malaysia or Rupiah standard meh LOL

Went Batam from JB by Ferry

For once, AirAsia used to be flying to Batam. However, this route is dropped from AirAsia network; I think not much demand from Malaysia residents. Anyway, starting May 2009, Firefly will be flying to Batam from Subang.

So right now, the only option is to take ferry from The ZON Ferry Terminal in Johor Bahru. The 100-minute ferry journey will bring you to Batam Centre Ferry Terminal. The 2-way ferry fare was RM112. The ZON seaport tax was RM8, while Batam Centre seaport tax was 120,000Rp (about RM36).

So, the ferry transportation cost wasn’t cheap though, total up to about RM156.

Map of My Batam Mar 2009 Visit

Stayed in Indah Puri Resort

Thanks to George, he given me contacts to book for an apartment in Indah Puri Resort, as well as car rental. I’ve got a 3-bedroom apartment for S$150 per night. At first, I requested for a sea-facing unit. However, upon arrival at the club house, I was told that my booking was canceled, as I was late (4pm) to arrive at Indah Puri without any prior payment made. Receptionist told me that there are only very few sea-facing units available for daily rental. So, ended up without the sea breeze.

Indah Puri Apartment, Batam Jason Yap and Wai Pei at Indah Puri, Batam
Indah Puri Golf, Batam Indah Puri Golf, Batam

However, George and some of my friends were there on the same day for vacation, and so I actually met up with them, who were staying in George’s sister’s apartment, also located in Indah Puri. His sister’s apartment is perfectly greeted with lots of sea breezes. Continue reading ‘A Short Trip to Batam’

Last Minute Surprise - Going to Batam

Published March 7, 2009 in Travelogue. 0 Comments

On Thursday, I was told by my Director of Operations, that I need to go Batam this weekend, for some work-related stuffs. As I’m currently on no-big-expense mode as my house renovation is about to begin very soon, so didn’t expect to travel anywhere, despite the coming public holiday falling on Monday.

So, this subsidized (transportation, accommodation and allowance claims) Batam trip came as a BIG last-minute surprise.

However, without knowing any head and tail on Batam geographical topology, I started having stars above me trying to decide on accommodation and transportation plans. Luckily, informative internet resources like batam.com came in handy. Most importantly, I have an extremely helpful friend, the owner of Makantrip.com and Batam Apartment, who recommended me some rule-of-thumb guides, especially on accommodation.

With some helps, very quickly I’ve decided to book a 1-night stay at Indah Puri Apartment for SGD150, and rent a Honda Odyssey for 400,000Rp. If without a car, I would have definitely opt for an accommodation option at Nagoya (better known as Lubuk Baja), the major city center of Batam, and the place where Nagoya Hill Shopping Mall is located.

As of getting to Batam, I will be heading to Johor Bahru The ZON Ferry Terminal, and travel to Batam Center by 90-minutes ferry journey. The ferry fare is not cheap - RM118 for 2-way journey, inclusive of RM8 seaport tax.

Hope I will come bk with some pictures.

Food I ate in Jakarta

Published November 7, 2008 in Travelogue. 1 Comment

At Jakarta, I had all my meals in air-conditioned restaurants. No no.. don’t get it wrong. Not that I’m so well-paid to only spend my meals at air-conditioned places, but I wasn’t too comfortable with the road-side food stalls served in mobile carts.

Anyway, even in the restaurants found in shopping malls, I was still paying less than what I’m paying in KL and PJ. So, why take the risk :p

On the first day of arrival (arrived in evening), I didn’t travel out for dinner. Instead, walked out 5 minutes from Aston Rasuna, and came to Pasar Festival. There were a few common fast food names spotted, but none of my interest. Then, I decided to give Bakmi Top 17 a try. In Indonesia, Bakmi means “noodles with meat”. It is brought into their culture by Chinese merchants.

Seafood Bakmi

Coffee

Ordered a plate of seafood bakmi and a cup of Vietnamese coffee. Looks good, but taste was normal. Not bad, but I consider it an average one.

Breakfast at Aston Rasuna

Breakfast at Aston Rasuna

Breakfast? Of course I had it in hotel lo hehe… Aston Rasuna was quite generous in the breakfast servings. Considering drinks, there were choices ranging from coffee, tea, fresh milk, plain water to 4 types of fruit juice (orange juice was served every morning). Besides cooked dishes, a wide variety of breads and cakes were served too.

My workplace was Menara Duta. There were 2 air-conditioned restaurants at the basement serving lunch. One selling beef satay, and another selling cooked dishes. For all 3 lunches there, I was at the restaurant selling cooked dishes. The portion of serving and pricing of food were good. For about RM5, I had a decent meal with a cup of fruit juice. I simply just love the fruit juices there - very very thick.

Laksa Ayam at Menara Duta Jakarta

The plate of rice served with laksa, at Menara Duta Jakarta

They served quite a variety of set meals. This, laksa ayam (chicken laksa) and a plate of rice, came in a set. Portion was quite big, as the bowl of laksa actually came with beehoon too! Continue reading ‘Food I ate in Jakarta’

How Did I Travel in Jakarta by Taxi and Bus?

Published November 3, 2008 in Travelogue. 6 Comments

As mentioned in previous post, when I first arrived at Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, I engaged with Garuda Bird taxi counter, as I couldn’t find Blue Bird. Later on, by asking Blue Bird taxis in city, I was told that there’s actually a Blue Bird counter at the airport.

Right in front of Aston Rasuna, there was a service station dedicated to Blue Bird. So, traveling around was very convenient, as taxis were readily available. Similar experience I had in some big shopping malls as well; dedicated Blue Bird depots were available.

Is Blue Bird The Only Trusted Name?

Contrary to general believe, Blue Bird is not the only Indonesian taxi operator you should trust. However, we should recognize Blue Bird Group, instead of just Blue Bird. Another major group under the Blue Bird Group’s umbrella, is Pusaka. Have a look at this page to learn about all logos under Blue Bird Group.

The most prominent feature, the a windscreen sticker labeled with “Blue Bird Group”.

Transjakarta Buses

There’s no light rail transportation in Jakarta. However, they have a close-match alternative - Transjakarta. Transjakarta buses operate in a fixed route with fixed stops. Besides, at most places (not all), Transjakarta buses have dedicated busway lane too.

Transjakarta

At fixed rate of 3,500 Rp (about RM1) / trip, you can get to any station within the route map. Yes, no matter how you transit, still same flat rate.

There’s a Transjakarta station (GOR Sumantri, corridor 6) just about 5 minutes walk from Aston Rasuna.

How did I travel to some places with Transjakarta?

  1. Menara Duta - From corridor 6, stop at Setiabudi Aini.
  2. Grand Indonesia / Plaza Indonesia - From corridor 6, stop at Dukuh Atas and transit to corridor 1 (heading to Kota). Then, get down at Halte Bundaran HI (Hotel Indonesia).
  3. Plaza Blok M - From corridor 6, stop at Dukuh Atas and transit to corridor 1 (heading to Blok M). Then, get down at Halte Blok M.
  4. Glodok (Chinatown) - From corridor 6, stop at Dukuh Atas and transit to corridor 1 (heading to Kota). Then, get down at Halte Glodok.
  5. Monas (National Monument) - From corridor 6, stop at Dukuh Atas and transit to corridor 1 (heading to Kota). Then, get down at Halte Monas. Alternatively, you can also stop at Halte Gambir 1 of corridor 2.

Tips for traveling with Transjakarta: Continue reading ‘How Did I Travel in Jakarta by Taxi and Bus?’

My Comments on Aston Rasuna, and First Impression on Jakarta

Published October 27, 2008 in My Thoughts and Travelogue. 2 Comments

Before reading this post, you may want to check out some pictures I took at Aston Rasuna.

Overall, I have a very good impression on Aston Rasuna. Of course la… 2-bedroom penthouse for myself :p Ok, let’s get to some concrete negative comments:

  1. I am staying at 26th floor, but there’s only 1 lift serving even floors ><” Hate waiting for the lift, and I need to stumble upon many stops too, before coming down to G floor.
  2. Called house-keeping to get me a universal AC power plug, but waited for more than 20 minutes. Not just that, they brought me a malfunctioning plug! Really sweat. So called again and waited for awhile. That time, my laptop battery was already running very very very low.
  3. Balcony is locked! So-claimed, for resident’s safety. I want to take some night view pictures also cannot.
  4. Free broadband access is provided, with pass-code to be renewed daily. However, the Cat 5 network cable given is a bit short. Not long enough to reach the access point from the table at living room, without moving the table away from center of the TV.


OK, that’s all some negative comments I have for Aston Rasuna. On the positive side are:

  1. Security is good. Each bag and baggage is scanned at hotel entrance, and there’s also a security check-point before coming into Rasuna residential compound.
  2. Penthouse is very spacious :D (if I say this one more time, sure kena hantam when I back to office)
  3. Bed sheets, furnitures, toilet and cupboards are very clean.
  4. Breakfast is satisfyingly good. I love the fruit juices.
  5. There’s a Blue Bird taxi station outside of Aston Rasuna. So, convenient and reliable transportation mode is readily available.
  6. Swimming pool is designed for swimming, not water-splashing :p (I don’t like a nice-to-see pool with many curves here and there)

OK what’s next? My first impression on Jakarta. Continue reading ‘My Comments on Aston Rasuna, and First Impression on Jakarta’

I’m at Aston Rasuna

Published October 27, 2008 in Travelogue. 5 Comments

LCCT Malaysia

AK954 Boarding Pass

AirAsia aircraft

Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport

Boarded from LCCT, and arrived at Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Sunday at 2.45PM (GMT+07:00). Will be in Jakarta for work, till Thursday.

I couldn’t find any Blue Bird taxi counter at the airport. So, walked to Garuda Bird counter, and was quoted for 200k Rupiah for my destination - Aston Rasuna. As Edwin (he was here last week) paid the same amount too, so ok la… at least I’m not paying more :p

Even though I purchased Garuda Bird ticket, but I wasn’t greeted by a formal taxi labeled with company logo. In fact, it was a normal black Suzuki MPV just like any private car. To be on the safe side, I actually fired up my GPS to make sure that the taxi was taking the right route :p

There was a bit of jam, but considered quite a mild one.

When I did my check-in at Aston Rasuna receptionist, I was told that there’s no more non-smoking executive suite. For a second, I was like “ha??? booked adi one wo~~”

Then, the receptionist said “Sir, we offer you a free upgrade to 2-bedroom penthouse at no extra charge” Continue reading ‘I’m at Aston Rasuna’

I’m now a millionaire

Published October 25, 2008 in Life Log. 5 Comments

I’m now a millionaire, for the second time, in Indonesian Rupiah :p

1 million Rupiah

I’m flying to Jakarta on tomorrow for work. Will be back on Thursday evening. My millionaire status will not last long, most probably will be invalidated by tomorrow’s evening hahaha.

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