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.