Batam
Batam is a small but busy island in Indonesia of nearly a million inhabitants. It is known as the production leg of the Indonesia-Malaysia-Singapore Growth Triangle. Regions[edit]Batam consists of several regions, which people in Batam usually refer to. Cities[edit]Other destinations[edit]
Understand[edit]Located only 20km from Singapore and 25km from Johor in Malaysia, Batam is Indonesia's equivalent to China's SEZs (Special Economic Zones) - a place where the nation's economic planners test new economic policies and ideas. The island is an industrial hub with electronics factories, a large and growing ship repair industry, and an even larger oil service sector. Quite a few expats head there for work, and pubs and golf courses have sprung up to serve them. Most tourists, on the other hand, come from nearby Singapore. While there is a smattering of family resorts, Bintan is more popular for this; instead, the main lure on Batam is the discounted shopping and the nightlife. However, the new governor of the province has shut down the casinos and taken steps to curb prostitution, and the goings-on aren't quite as in-your-face as they used to be. Talk[edit]Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) is modeled on the version of Malay which originates from Riau on the Sumatra mainland and the Riau Islands. In fact, Riau Malay is regarded as quite similar to the Malay language, and visitors from Malaysia will find the Indonesian spoken here very similar to Bahasa Malaysia, which is the version of Malay spoken back home. Batam also has a large population of ethnic Chinese Indonesians, who can also speak Hokkien (Fujian), Teochew, and Mandarin. Besides, there is also a large population of migrants from various parts of Indonesia who speak many different kinds of Indonesian dialects. Get in[edit]All Batam ports, namely Harbour Bay (Jodoh), Batam Centre, Nongsapura, Sekupang and Waterfront City (Teluk Senimba) are visa-free and visa-on-arrival ports of entry. For detailed information on visas, please refer to the Indonesia page. By plane[edit]Batam's airport is the Hang Nadim International Airport (BTH). Nearly all flights are domestic where you can get direct connections to Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan, Pekanbaru, Banda Aceh, Jambi, Palembang, Bandar Lampung, Pangkal Pinang, Pontianak, Balikpapan, Natuna, Yogyakarta, Semarang, Surakarta, and Bandung. Indonesian carriers Garuda Indonesia [1], Batik Air [2], Citilink [3], Lion Air [4], Sriwijaya Air [5]. In addition to the domestic flights, Firefly and Malindo Air operate international flights from Subang Airport near Kuala Lumpur. For most foreign visitors, though, the most practical way of getting to Batam will be to fly into Singapore and catch a ferry from there. If you want to catch flights from Singapore's Changi Airport, you must be on a ferry to Singapore at least three hours before departure time. See "By boat" section below for details. By boat[edit]The main ports on Batam are Harbour Bay, Batam Centre, Sekupang, Waterfront City, Nongsapura and Telaga Punggur. The main city of Nagoya is now served by Harbour Bay (Jodoh), replacing the old Batu Ampar ferry terminal. Harbour Bay Ferry Terminal is the closet terminal between Singapore Harbour Front and Batam. Travelling time is approx 45 minutes. From the terminal, it takes about 10 minutes to access Batam Nagoya City, where most tourist frequents. Harbour Bay Ferry Terminal is serving Horizon Fast Ferry and Batam Fast that commutes between Singapore Harbourfront and Batam, 12 times daily. Travellers can also travel to Johor, Malaysia, Ferry Puteri Harbour Ferry Terminal, via Marine Hawk from Harbour Bay. Batam Center Ferry Terminal has the most frequent ferry connections to/from Singapore and Johor Bahru and is also the closest terminal to the airport. Sekupang, with ferries from Singapore is further from the airport but can still be used to catch domestic connections to the Sumatra mainland and the Karimun Islands. Waterfront City and Nongsapura mostly serve adjacent resorts while Telaga Punggur is the main ferry terminal for boats to and from Bintan.
Get around[edit]By taxi[edit] There are plenty of taxis in Batam, but there are no standard color schemes: however, licensed taxis * have yellow license plates, while unlicensed ones do not (and are best avoided). As there are no meters, you will need to bargain with the drivers; the first price quoted is often silly, but if there are other taxis around, you can easily bargain them down. Sample fares for reference:
If you feel more comfortable with metered taxis, there are a few of these taxis attached with it, but please ensure that you asked the driver to operate the meter before getting into the taxi, otherwise they will not operate it and may charge you more than the amount that you are supposed to pay. There are two well known Taxi operators in Batam.
By Minibus (Metro Trans)[edit] Fixed route plies between Jodoh and Telaga Punggur (Rp. 3.000 - Rp. 4.000). Sample fares for other destinations are as follows:
By bus[edit]Recently, Batam local government (known as pemerintah) started a bus service known as "Bus Pilot Project". The blue colour bus plies between Batam Center and Batu Aji for Rp. 4.000 and Batam Center to Sekupang Rp. 4.000. Buy your ticket from the personnel before boarding. Most hotels run shuttle buses during the day to the ferry ports and to the main shopping mall. It seems that none run a shuttle to airport. You can hop into a free shuttle bus (yellow in colour) from Megamall Batam Center to the major hotels in Nagoya or Jodoh. By car[edit]The Kijang, which is generally everywhere in Indonesia, is strangely absent in Batam. Your hotel may be able to arrange a car and driver for you, but be prepared to pay Rp 100.000 or more, which is almost double the rate in Jakarta. See[edit]There are some places in Batam that are quite beautiful and not-to-be missed.
located at Batam Centre
located in Sungai Panas, on the way from Batam Centre to Nagoya
Do[edit]The Waterfront City area of Batam is on the western side of the island. There are several attractions & activities available in this area, such as water & sea sports activities, a fishing pond, go-kart racing track, a football field, as well as a beach for swimming or playing with the kids. There is also a cable ski park, Jet Ski, para sailing and banana boats for the adventurous. Down at the Barelang Islands, connected to Batam by a series of 6 bridges, there are many good beaches, as well as an old Vietnamese refugee camp, that was occupied for 20 years by Vietnamese boat people, and has now been restored as a tourist attraction. The site is quite overgrown in places by the jungle and takes around 1hour to drive to from Batam Centre. However, on entering the site there are several colonies of macaque monkeys by the road side. This is also a favorite route for cyclists.
Dinner cruise in MV. Sea view Its a 300 seater cruise offered only on Saturday and Sunday evening 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm. Boat starts from Golden fish seafood restaurant & cottage jetty and slowly cruises under Barelang bridge 2 to Riau archipelago. Package includes buffet dinner, traditional Balinese dance and music. Cost 350000 IDR per person. Booking at the reception of Golden Fish restaurant or [email protected] Buy[edit]The Indonesian rupiah may be legal tender, but the Singapore dollar (S$) is Batam's unofficial second currency. Tourist-oriented hotels, restaurants and shops usually quote prices in S$, and they will be accepted by nearly anybody in a pinch. However, if you decide to pay by credit card, by law your bill must be converted to rupiah first -- and the exchange rate is unlikely to be in your favor. There are many malls in Batam offering a variety of stores and restaurants. Nagoya Hill Mall, in Nagoya, has a Matahari department store, Hypermart supermarket, ACE Hardware, and a Cinema 21. Restaurants include J.Co, KFC, A&W, BFC, Pizza Hut, Ayam Goreng Fatmawati, chinese restaurant & newtown coffee at the top of the mall.
If you would like to bring Indonesian delicacy back for your family, opt for the LAYERS Batam Layer Cake, which is available in most of the shopping malls and ferry terminals. They are handmade and has become the iconic takeaway delicacy from Batam.
Eat[edit]Batam has plenty of eating out choices, including great Chinese seafood in the outdoor food courts, such as the Windsor and Nagoya Food Courts, A2 foodcourt and A1 Pujasera.
Drink[edit]It is advised not to drink tap water. Most people choose to stick with bottled water anyway, about Rp. 10,000 for a 5-gallon jug. Carlsberg and Guinness are produced locally, as well as Bintang and Tiger beer. Most places have Heineken on tap. Imported beers, such as Corona are available, but prices are high. A normal draft beer should be no more than Rp.25,000. Wine and liquor is available from the duty-free stores in nearly all of the larger malls, most bars and hotels. There are two microbreweries on the island: Brewsky & Co. and Batam Fresh Beer. Batam Fresh Beer is headquartered in Batam Center near the large mosque (behind Pondok Gurih restaurant). Price is Rp.15,000 a glass for any of their beers (dark and light at 5 or 7% alc or green at 5%). Stay safe[edit]Batam is generally safe during the daytime hours, but at night, if you are in the entertainment areas of Nagoya, you should exercise caution. Do not walk alone at night; if you want to leave somewhere and it is late, find someone else who is leaving or about to leave, or stay until it closes and then all go together. If you have to get back to your hotel, call the hotel and have them send a car to pick you up. As the taxis are not regulated or owned by a central group (like Bluebird in Jakarta) you may not be safe hiring a taxi off the street either. Walking in groups or two or three is probably okay but do not get into discussions with the locals as this might result in your wallet or purse being taken from you. Traveling safe is another matter. The roads around Batam are OK, but not maintained to the highest standard. If you have to drink, it is always better to do it in your hotel or a family restaurant-cum-bar. If you have to go to an ordinary bar, you must opt for a VIP room or you might end up in "ecstasy" which is nothing but drugs. There have been instances where drugs were put in one's bag unknowingly and then trap the visitor in the cop net where it will be tough to "free" oneself unless you are a local. You should always carry your travel documents or ID with you when you are out. The Indonesian government authorities conduct frequent raids on entertainment premises and arrest tourists who are unable to produce their IDs. Yudi Kurnain, a Batam Legislative Council member, had condemned the raid, saying that it might discourage tourism in the island. He was quoted as saying, "They should conduct immigration checks in a humane way, not through such repressive actions". Get out[edit]Batam, with its good ferry connections, is an excellent springboard to the other Riau Islands such as the Tanjung Uban, Natuna, and Bintan Island and the Sumatra mainland. Good air connections also make Batam a good place to get cheap air tickets to Jakarta and other parts of Indonesia. In fact, there are direct flights to all of provinces in Sumatra and Java from Batam airport.
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