Tears fall freely
It is all over except for the pain
there is nothing to expect
it was all in vain
Cheer, happiness and gaiety
People all around
then why do I feel
Alone in the crowd...
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
Saturday, 6 November 2010
How many people are you ?
Ok so I am back in one piece from my trip to Bintan Island, and I can safely say that this is a just a beginning of my love affair with Indonesia. If I ever get married, I am going to make the poor sod who marries me bring me here for our honeymoon...period. The hotel staff and my colleague who is a native of Bintan Island ensured that I had an unforgettable and heart warming stay is Indonesia. I have come back after experiencing some wonderful Indonesian hospitality, it is 100% true when I say that I spent three days and two nights in heaven.
It all began one week ago over lunch where we (yes, I am part of a desi lunch group S1,S2, A and yours truly) were discussing vacation spots and S1 told me that Bintan Island was a very lovely place and definitely worth a dekho. Back at office I realised that K my co-worker is from Bintan Island and she was going home that Friday, I decided to tag along. She was more than happy for me to go with her, she even graciously arranged for me stay at the Bintan Agro Resort and Spa, going to the extent of haggling with the agent on the hotel room rates and getting me quite a discount!!!
I did have some misgivings about travelling alone and expressed the same only to have it unceremoniously shot down by S1 with, "Darrna kya hai, bacchi thodi hai, marenge thodi". After much deliberation I decided to bite the bullet and I will remain eternally grateful to S1 for the pep talk as I have come back with a new sense of self and heighted independence. Though the news was not received with as much enthusiam back home in India, my parents surprised me by whole heartedly supporting the venture, but my friends thought I was being fool hardy and did not mince words... their main concern being the tsunami & volcano errupting on other islands in Indonesia.With all these happening in the background I arrived at Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal on Friday to take the 12.30 p.m. ferry (yes, you can travel from Singapore to Indonesia by ferry). After breezing through immigrations we walked upto the ferry, the last part of the approach road floats on water so you feel quite disoriented as it tends to rock quite a bit... once inside the ferry it was quite OK.
After an uneventful two and half hours we arrived at Tanjun Pinang. I was waiting at immigration to get my passport stamped when one of the guards broke into a song, he actually grinned and started singing 'Tujhe dekha toh yeh jaana sanam, pyaar hota hai deewana sanam...' I honestly did not know what to do at that point and pretended to be deaf. Afer this warm welcome at immigrations check I was sure this was going to be an eventful trip!!!Outside the ferry terminal the agent was waiting to lead all the tourists to the hotel transport that would bring us to the resort, K walked me to the transport and after ensuring I was in safe hands and telling the agent to 'Look after her tamu' left to meet her family. The resort is 45 minutes away from the ferry terminal and the road winds through some really picturesque locales. The villages along the way reminded me of villages back in my home town Mangalore what with coconut trees, ferns, right down to the red soil!!!
I arrived at the resort and what I saw took my breath away. The resort is situated on the beach and each and every room has a sea view. I made my way to the reception where I was greeted by the staff with a "Miss, how many person are you ??", I was like, 'I am just me" amd they looked quite taken aback, I understand a little background is needed, the resort is white sands, clear waters, palm fronds, peace, quiet and privacy, I am sure you get my drift, yes,it is a chosen destination for honeymooners and couples wanting some privacy. I am sure they must I never have had a SWF (Single Wheatish Female in my case) as a guest. Even the waitress who brought me my room service meals was surprised, 'Why are you alone?' all of a sudden I was tempted to make up a story of how my non-existent boy friend ditched me at the last moment, but I decided to go with the truth. She then took it on herself to look after me, the next morning when I did not arrive at the breakfast table, the reception called me to let me know that the buffet was open till 10 a.m. On reaching the breakfast area the waitress fawned all over me, would you like to eat this, can I bring you some tea, some prata, milk ...actually made me feel like a princess.
After a hearty breakfast I hired a cycle and biked to every corner of the resort. Then I made my way to the spa and indulged the next three hours in being furthered pampered. When the treatment was complete, I went up to the my room and promptly went off to sleep, the massage is absolutely divine and guranteed to ensure that all your tensions leave your body and mind!!! I don't remember when I last crashed out like I did after the massage. The rest of the day was spent relaxing watching the sea throught the french windows.
The next morning I went on an island tour, it consists of a trip via motor boat to a tiny secluded island. In good weather snorkelling is possible here, however due to the rains it was not possible to snorkel so we just mooched over the beach and returned to the resort. Before I knew it, it was time to return to Singapore, I think I have left a part of my soul in Bintan Pura, there are other activities like canoeing, boating, mangrove tour etc, I intend to do it all next time when I come here with someone.. hope this is not just wishful thinking!!!
It all began one week ago over lunch where we (yes, I am part of a desi lunch group S1,S2, A and yours truly) were discussing vacation spots and S1 told me that Bintan Island was a very lovely place and definitely worth a dekho. Back at office I realised that K my co-worker is from Bintan Island and she was going home that Friday, I decided to tag along. She was more than happy for me to go with her, she even graciously arranged for me stay at the Bintan Agro Resort and Spa, going to the extent of haggling with the agent on the hotel room rates and getting me quite a discount!!!
I did have some misgivings about travelling alone and expressed the same only to have it unceremoniously shot down by S1 with, "Darrna kya hai, bacchi thodi hai, marenge thodi". After much deliberation I decided to bite the bullet and I will remain eternally grateful to S1 for the pep talk as I have come back with a new sense of self and heighted independence. Though the news was not received with as much enthusiam back home in India, my parents surprised me by whole heartedly supporting the venture, but my friends thought I was being fool hardy and did not mince words... their main concern being the tsunami & volcano errupting on other islands in Indonesia.With all these happening in the background I arrived at Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal on Friday to take the 12.30 p.m. ferry (yes, you can travel from Singapore to Indonesia by ferry). After breezing through immigrations we walked upto the ferry, the last part of the approach road floats on water so you feel quite disoriented as it tends to rock quite a bit... once inside the ferry it was quite OK.
After an uneventful two and half hours we arrived at Tanjun Pinang. I was waiting at immigration to get my passport stamped when one of the guards broke into a song, he actually grinned and started singing 'Tujhe dekha toh yeh jaana sanam, pyaar hota hai deewana sanam...' I honestly did not know what to do at that point and pretended to be deaf. Afer this warm welcome at immigrations check I was sure this was going to be an eventful trip!!!Outside the ferry terminal the agent was waiting to lead all the tourists to the hotel transport that would bring us to the resort, K walked me to the transport and after ensuring I was in safe hands and telling the agent to 'Look after her tamu' left to meet her family. The resort is 45 minutes away from the ferry terminal and the road winds through some really picturesque locales. The villages along the way reminded me of villages back in my home town Mangalore what with coconut trees, ferns, right down to the red soil!!!
I arrived at the resort and what I saw took my breath away. The resort is situated on the beach and each and every room has a sea view. I made my way to the reception where I was greeted by the staff with a "Miss, how many person are you ??", I was like, 'I am just me" amd they looked quite taken aback, I understand a little background is needed, the resort is white sands, clear waters, palm fronds, peace, quiet and privacy, I am sure you get my drift, yes,it is a chosen destination for honeymooners and couples wanting some privacy. I am sure they must I never have had a SWF (Single Wheatish Female in my case) as a guest. Even the waitress who brought me my room service meals was surprised, 'Why are you alone?' all of a sudden I was tempted to make up a story of how my non-existent boy friend ditched me at the last moment, but I decided to go with the truth. She then took it on herself to look after me, the next morning when I did not arrive at the breakfast table, the reception called me to let me know that the buffet was open till 10 a.m. On reaching the breakfast area the waitress fawned all over me, would you like to eat this, can I bring you some tea, some prata, milk ...actually made me feel like a princess.
After a hearty breakfast I hired a cycle and biked to every corner of the resort. Then I made my way to the spa and indulged the next three hours in being furthered pampered. When the treatment was complete, I went up to the my room and promptly went off to sleep, the massage is absolutely divine and guranteed to ensure that all your tensions leave your body and mind!!! I don't remember when I last crashed out like I did after the massage. The rest of the day was spent relaxing watching the sea throught the french windows.
The next morning I went on an island tour, it consists of a trip via motor boat to a tiny secluded island. In good weather snorkelling is possible here, however due to the rains it was not possible to snorkel so we just mooched over the beach and returned to the resort. Before I knew it, it was time to return to Singapore, I think I have left a part of my soul in Bintan Pura, there are other activities like canoeing, boating, mangrove tour etc, I intend to do it all next time when I come here with someone.. hope this is not just wishful thinking!!!
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