The ferry ride from Harbourfront centre took about 45 minutes to about an hour. Everything I needed was all in the deal which made it very easy for me to travel. I had a chinese speaking lady picking me up from the ferry centre in Batam and in 20 minutes or so, I was already at the hotel. Exchange rate was about $1SGD: 7100 rupiah.
Here are a list of places I have visited (Batam is relatively small so there isn't much to visit) :
1) Nagoya Hill Mall
Commonly said as the largest mall in Batam, Nagoya was only a short distance from my hotel.
There were a few shuttle buses operating from time to time at the hotel to Nagoya. Unless, you decide to visit Nagoya at timings when there are no shuttle buses, you have to take a cab at an affordable price.
The mall had a huge super-mart, lots of fast food outlets and some local delicacy. Nothing much to shop, I did not fancy the clothes. My friends usually get their nails done here . Moving on, I had A&W (my initials hehe) and Ayam Penyet Ria!
A meal from A&W costed about $6-$7SGD. I thought that it was pretty pricey for fast food but how can you afford to miss the root beer float!!! What a pity that they do not have A&W in Singapore anymore:( I have no idea why they pulled out from SG in the first place.
On the other hand, Ayam Penyet Ria is available in SG at FEP. Jovin and I used to eat there frequently till we got a little bit sick of it already. However, there was an outlet at Nagoya (Indonesia was where they started from) . Guess what......... My meal only costed me $8.20SGD whereas if I would have ordered the exact same dishes in SG, it would add up to about $25-$30? But the chicken they served at Nagoya were a little smaller compared to the one they served at FEP.
2) Batam City Square
Another shopping mall that was a little smaller than Nagoya... Little shops here and there. Nail parlours.
Super-mart AGAIN... Hardware tools store... Ayam Penyet Ria again..
At BCS, all I did was to get little groceries from the super-mart and playing arcade LOL.
They had timezone and 3 other arcades. I spent about an hour or so playing basketball and racing. Tokens were only 30 cents sing each...... One token here in SG cost about $1-$1.50 :(
3)Mega Mall
Mega Mall is located opposite the ferry centre which is accessible through a bridge. Similarly, there was A&W, KFC, Ayam Penyet Ria , super-mart but nothing much to shop too:(
There was a cinema at the top level called Studio 21. Apparently, the release dates of some movies were earlier than SG. But but but.... Here's the best part, 1 movie ticket is only $2!!!!!!!!! $2 SGD!!!
I caught Titanic 3D so the ticket price would be a little higher... but it was only $5SGD .
There wasn't any difference watching in the theatres at Batam . A 3D ticket in SG theatres would cost about $11 on weekdays and $13 on Fri, Sat, Sun. Look at how much I saved???? It was jovin's first time watching 3D film and he said that he wouldn't want to ever watch another 3D film ever again because it gave him a headache.
Many of you would have thought that $2 ticket.. maybe because the theatres were less maintained (smelly, dirty, uncomfortable etc.), but.. you are wrong. Their theatres were in the same condition compared to theatres here in SG.
4)933 seafood restuarant
The restaurant was in my hotel compound, walking distance definitely. There are 2 seafood restaurants but both owned by the same owner (Golden Prawn I think). On both days I ate at 933 instead of 555.
933 was a mosquito infested area. While having my dinner, I had so many mosquito bites on both my legs and I got frustrated. Please remember to bring insect repellent !!
Ordered crabs, tiger prawns, fish and my always must-have, vegetables. Whole meal added up to $77 SGD. Yes, cheaper than eating seafood in SG but still expensive for me :(
That's about it.. If you are looking for somewhere to relax and eat, Batam can be one of your choices but if you are looking for somewhere to do plenty of shopping, it is not.... instead KL is... Going to write a similar post next for KL!
Xx
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