Wednesday 25 July 2012

Who Knew? Weekend in Bintan, Indonesia

New York is the city that never sleeps however Singapore is a city always open for business. There is  something going on continually, but that doesn't seem to stop R2 and I from wanting to escape the crowds and the heat on the weekends.

Our last mini vacation was to Bintan, Indonesia for 36 well deserved hours. Yes, I did say 36 hours in another country. Seems strange when I come from a land you have to drive four hours just to reach the border.

The long, sandy beach
The interesting part of this journey was learning we were taking Emerald Class on the ferry to Bintan. I was skeptical because I heard this story in Agra, India. We reserved a First Class train ticket to Jaipur and that meant the cockroaches were dead in your berth instead of bunking in on the seat beside you, in coach.

I have been on a bum boat, a speed boat and a Chinese Junk but this was my first time on a ferry in Asia so I was quite excited; that was until I saw the massive queue waiting to find the idyllic weekend paradise as well. Oh, so now the Emerald Class makes sense. We were processed and sent on our merry way to the lounge efficiently. The best $20 upgrade R2 has made. They even processed our Visa Upon Arrival for us without the lineup. I like Emerald Class!

Being the intrepid observer I am, I noticed how warm and friendly the people of Indonesia are. I thought the folks in small town Malaysia were kind but you can't beat the Indonesians for trying their best. Most don't speak a lot of English but they always greeted you with a toothy smile, and did their utmost to accommodate you.

Mind the flies
R2 and I went to the local hawker station, never the kind to sit long on a beach. We had a fantastic massage and the workers told us where the locals eat. Bintan is so small, there is little choice for food unless you head to the tourist spots. I wished we had made our way to the tourist hang-outs because I was having a hard time getting past the flies covering the food. I stuck to the safest bet; bottled water.

Cars from long ago remain here
While R2 was debating which food was going to give him less food poisoning, I sat at a dirty table and noticed three little boys staring, pointing and trying to get my attention.

One bravely tried his English and gave me a hearty, "Hello." When I returned the smile and the hello, he and his friends burst into fits of giggles and covered their eyes. It was delightful to see these 10 year olds so charming and completely shy over a white skinned, green eyed woman. It is a safe bet to say I stood out in the small non-tourist area of Bintan.

What happened next still has me shaking my head. We were approached, as you often are as a tourist to buy something, massage something or eat something. This is not the shocking part. What floored me is that R2 answered the men in Indonesian, which in turn, mystified them.

They asked him in their language where he learned to speak and where he was from. Imagine their surprise (at this point, I pretended I knew about this feat all along) when he told them he learned in Jakarta and he was from Mexico. It wasn't long before my 6'3" husband became a walking god amongst the townspeople. They all bowed and nodded to him, leaving us alone. I know R2 is quite fluent in Italian, Spanish, English, French and can speak a smattering of Malay but had no idea about Indonesian.  R2 is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you will get when he is around.

Not my photo but this is the lizard
Being in shock and not even wanting to ask why I didn't know he could speak this language, imagine my next surprise when a lizard flew by. It took a moment to realize it was a lizard and that yes, I did see it fly. At this point, I was in the Bizzaro World so seeing a flying lizard made perfect sense. Earlier in the day I saw a 220 pound Boa Constrictor so why not a flying lizard.
All too soon, it was time to leave Bintan on the ferry.  I have to admit the island was decent albeit still not the beach I am searching for. The ocean was warm and beach was clean and inviting but still not the tropical paradise in my mind.  My tattoo doesn't say Beach Bum for nothing so I will continue my quest in Thailand soon.  

Locals quarters in Bintan
As for R2, we have an upcoming trip to Germany for business.  I will try to remain calm, cool and collected if he breaks out in sprechen sie Deutsch and continues laughing and joking in German with the Frauleins.

20 comments:

  1. If you would like to practice German...let me know...but keep it as a secret...there are not only nice Fräuleins! Take care and hope to see you soon, the German Fräulein Nadine

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    1. Hi Fraulein Nadine - I am still working on my spanish but if I need German, you are the girl. Thanks for the offer.

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  2. your blogging, as usual, is fantastic. I feel like I am living in Singy right there with you Layna!!! Keep those blogs coming, miss you xoxox

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    1. Thank you Miss Jules. Miss you too, come and visit. You would feel so at home with all the people from the UK here.

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  3. Sounds awesome! R2 always has something different up his sleeve it seems!! I hope you and Lori have lots and lots of fun!! no puking!!



    -Sam

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    1. I promise no puking, no hurling, no barfing, no gagging and no Loogie hocking.

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  4. Hopefully no flies, giant snakes or flying lizards on our adventure! But if so, a few cocktails will calm our nerves!

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    1. You bring the tequila, I will bring the rum, and we will go search out the lady boys.

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  5. Whew 220 lb. boa constrictors are not for me. This is once again eminently readable and interesting. Looks like an anonymous guy wouldn't mind taking a shot at you whilst you visit Germany - you may be getting a more devoted following than you bargained for.

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    1. Thanks for reading....I promise not to bring you a snake back as a gift.

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  6. Hay you !! Good morning
    I love your story this time very much so. I like the way you describe
    your 6 ft 3 husband as a box of chocolate. LOL! ! That is funny. He is
    a smart man !!

    You better make a list of places (non tourism) for me to visit soon !!!!

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    1. I will make a list of all non-tourist places for you to visit but it is Asia....More people than you can imagine....at least since you left Hong Kong to live in Canada.

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  7. Sounds like you are having the time of your life! Enjoy!

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    1. Yes, most days....some days, I want to run back to the quietness, and the space of Canada. Other days, I almost cry from the beauty in Asia.

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  8. R2 knows Indonesian? Really? What a strange language for someone to
    know. Although he is R2 so it doesn't really surprise me. Glad you had
    fun.

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    1. Next I will find out he speaks Swahili or something equally difficult.

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  9. R2 my step dad genius prodige!
    luc having fun in thailand???

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  10. Layna,
    I'm looking to connect with locals in Singapore who can weigh in on their favorite places to shop. I am editing a special feature for Travel Savvy Digital Media; one of the features in this issue will list locals in Singapore, next to their twitter or blog URL, their photo, and a quote about where they love to shop and why in 140 characters or less.
    Would you be interested in being quoted? I am on a deadline so I'd love to hear either way--if you have a moment, please feel free to download my first edition for the iPad. It's free! http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/destination-asia/id514550124?mt=8

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  11. Hi :))
    good post
    very inspiring
    thank you have been to Indonesia

    regards,

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    1. Thank you Rois - so many wonderful places in Asia. Not enough time.....

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