I do miss this place - Batam Indonesia
Recently I have been re-watching a tv series on netflix that I really enjoy. Its a murder mystery series that takes place on a small Island in the Caribbean. Its pretty cheesy and uses the formula of gathering all the suspects together at the end where the inspector announces the killer and explains how he figured it out. Very Poirot. At first my GF hated it and thought it was super dumb, but the more she watched it with me the more she got into it. The show is called 'Death in Paradise', and why am I telling you this?
Well, it makes me miss Indonesia. I grew up there as a teenager and the place has a somewhat similar vibe, being in the tropics. I miss it, and I was fortunate enough to go there again last year, which was wonderful, and now I am sitting here reminiscing about the trip and looking at the pictures.
We were on a small Indonesian Island called Batam, a 30 - 40 minute ferry ride to Singapore. Turns out, quite a few people live in Batam and commute to Singapore because its so damn cheap to live in Batam.
These homes (see above pic) are super cheap to live in and cost about a fraction of what a 1 bedroom apartment in Singapore would cost you. Unbelievable.. live in luxury with a private pool, a yacht club next door and private security (like a gated community) for next to nothing.
The only real issue is that you have some rather suspect neighbours that have a tendency to enter your home uninvited and steal your belongings (mostly food). I did manage to catch one or two of them in the act:
Look at those guilty eyes!
Fleeing the scene of the crime! He took my chocolate bar!
Just across that bridge at the other end of the pool.. to the left of the bridge, that is the local pub. But at the gated community you also have a shared pool, which is practically private since many of the residents don't bother using it.. I suspect the novelty of having a pool has warn off for them. Not for me though. Pools rock.
I do wish I was back there, or perhaps I need to make plans to return at some point, save some cash and just go.. I miss the weather, the atmosphere, the laid back culture and the general happiness of everyone that lives there. Can you blame them? Aside from the mosquitos it's paradise. For now I have to deal with this:
A slight exaggeration as it hasn't started snowing yet.. but eventually.
OK .. I think I need to go home and live vicariously through another episode of Death in Paradise.
Thanks for Looking.
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Wow that Place looks nice. I will spend the next 4-6 month in Indonesia, but mostly Bali and Lombok. Maybe I should check Batam as well :)
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Nah, don't bother. Bali and Lombok are much better and more interesting. These pictures represent 1 private village and a hotel next door, the rest of the island has very little of interest. Your time is much better spent in bali and lombok :)
ok thanks. also, there are still hundreds of other indonesian islands :)
Thousands in fact. More than 12,000 if I remember correctly from school. There is a small grouping of islands to the north of Jakarta called Pulau Seribu which literally translates to 'Thousand Islands'. Its a pretty literal name :)
Thanks @pixresteemer :)
Nice. I'm going to Bali in less than a month and I can't wait. From one tropical place (Panama) to another!
Your view doesn't make me miss living in Scotland...
haha! I bet, its not the best views, but it's Leith.. home of the proclaimers, the characters from trainspotting and me :P Just the other day I walked past blood on the pavement from a bar fight the night before.. classy. Have a great time in bali, its a wonderful place! The temples especially! Theres one in the crater lake at the top of the mountain, and one in the south over a cliff overlooking the ocean .. oh god i want to go to bali again so bad!
I tried to apply for a 60 day visa yesterday and failed cos of the embassy opening hours. That said, I might try and apply for a job here cos of the embassy opening hours! 😁
haha! Yes, a lot of embassies have terrible hours like that. The french consulate in my town is famously open for only 2 hours a day and the guy that runs the visa desk is infamous for being a jerk. HE'll reject your paperwork if he doesn't like your staple placement, then somedays he doesn't like you stapling the document, and prefers a paper clip. There's a crease in your paper work, away you go! its bizarre. I know someone who spent two weeks going back daily to try and get a visa for a weekend in france for a wedding.. didn't make the wedding because of him in the end.
I hope he's not still working there. I hear embassy jobs can be pretty sweet though.
That's crazy that one person can have so much power. What a dick. At least submitting online is impartial.
The girl here was super nice and I don't think she had much else to do cos it was pre-approved within an hour. Hopefully I can go back today and pick it up.
yeah he was notorious. A complete jerk. That's great that it was approved so quickly. If there is one trait that most Indonesians share, its that they are very nice (in general - there's always exceptions lol).
Batam a bit near from my hometown but never been there. As I read your post, make me want to go visit there. If coincidence we can meet there one day soon. Cheers!
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That will be a big coincidence since I am in scotland now, but it would be very cool if we did meet! If we do I will buy you a bintang ;)
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Thanks :)
Thank you! :)
It's a pleasure!