Batam Indonesia Trip (Part 1)

Batam is an island and city in Riau Islands Province of Indonesia, known for its free trade zone area as part of the Sijori Growth Triangle, is located 20 km (12.5 miles) off Singapore's south coast. The 715 km² (276 miles²) island has a population of 965,062 (Jun 2009).[1].

The official language on the island is Indonesian, but due to the sizeable Chinese population, Chinese languages including Teochew, Hokkien and Mandarin are also spoken.


We were so hungry that we need to take breakfast before boarding the ferry.


Now off to the ferry boat. Yes! Batam here we coooome!






Cool and happy faces aboard!













Wrong port of arrival. We weren't supposed to alight in here.
But good thing, Harris hotel staff was kind enough to fetch us and safely
send us off to their hotel which is just 15mins away from Kedatungan.







(To be continued)

highlights: Our Batam Tour Package at Harris Hotel

Batam here we come!

Ok, I'm all geared for a weekend getaway at Batam, Indonesia ..
I'm checking out some cool todo's and how-tos in some of
my forums ..tic tac tic tac..

This short trip is going to be worthwhile and superduper exciting!
I can feel it in my booooones! Wooot!


Here are few of the pictures I have gathered .


Barelang Bridge. . . Hope I can get my own version shots of this.
They say, this is a hidden place in Batam??? It's called Nongsa...



Kampong side of Batam..








there's an option to go on wakeboarding too...I like!!!
Speedboating..

gokaaaaart!! I don't wana miss this one !

Woooosh!
Who says Batam is only for a nice treat of Spa's and villas?

Will be posting cool pics when we are back...:)

Mt Tangkubanperahu for a birthday present

Ablai on his first climb at 8 years. The crater lake of Mt.Tangkubanperahu in the background

A week ago, Naila asked me "what do you want for your birthday ?" Thinking carefully, I responded, " a volcano, or at least to climb one on my birthday."

With my 8 year old son Ablai and my good North Korean friend Choe, the dream came true yesterday. Whew! what a slog. It doesn't get any easier as your birthdays fly by. But the joy of taking Ablai on his first climb, 3 hours from the crater rim to the highest point and back again, was a birthday present to remember forever. Also my colleague and friend Choe, who just arrived in Indonesia 3 weeks ago, was thrilled to climb a volcano and get out of Jakarta for the first time.



Mt. Tangkubanperahu erupted thousands of years ago damming the Citarum River and causing a vast lake. Two millenia ago, an earthquake opened crack in the side of the Lake and appeared in the Lake and drained leaving behind fertile alluvial deposits and and swampy ponds that have since been filled in.

This morning Ablai awoke and came running into the room, and said " Dad, look at the volcanoe we climbed yesterday." Sure enought there were the two main grouping of volcanoes on the horizon that you can see from Jakarta on a fine morning. Mt. Tangkubanperahu to the South East and Mt. Gede and Pangrano to the South West. For Ablai and I the view from our apartment has taken on more meaning and now we are thinking about climbing Mt. Gede and Pangrano, longer overnight climbs and more serious. Hopefully I will get two knee replacement soon so I can throw away the Voltaren and climb with speed and ease again like the old days.

The crater Lake and Mt Tangkubanperahu behind





Looking into the crater which belches steam and emits a strong suplhurous samell