The
approach of winter down under means it's time to head north. We wanted to spend a little
down time in a tropical setting, while letting our bodies catch up on the
time change. Our travel agent suggested stopping in Bintan, an
Indonesian island easily accessed by a 45-minute ferry ride from Singapore.
Packages
including breakfast buffet, ferry tickets, and transfers from Singapore are
reasonably priced, especially with the "stay 5 nights, pay for 3" package that's
readily available. So here we are!Bintan, despite its proximity to
Singapore, is as different from the sophisticated, hustle-bustle,
modern big city as you can imagine. Bintan Island includes a cluster of
well-separated coastal resorts, some with excellent golf courses, built in the last 15
years. There's even a Club Med down the road, and a large casino
under construction suggests that future
development is likely to be booming.
The rest of this large, mostly-undeveloped island includes several towns and fishing villages, though all are more than a 40-minute drive from our resort. Fishing is still a major source of income; dozens of small fishing platforms (see photo) known as kelongs dot the offshore horizon. They're lit at night as fisherman lower large nets into the sea, later hauling their catch onto the platform.
labor is low. Although there are a few German and French speakers
here, the resort caters to a mostly Asian clientele. Dick has
been eating all sorts of weird, often spicy, Indonesian cuisine for breakfast!
Me, I'm enjoying my omelets.The resort isn't crowded during the week. Perhaps the December tsunami has deterred some tourists; some parts of Indonesia (though not here) were hit hard. Business does pick up for the weekend as Singaporeans, some holding memberships at the resort's two golf courses, escape the city. Dinner is served in seven hotel restaurants. That's a good thing, as there is nothing nearby and taxis are expensive. The hotel has some nightly entertainment including a ten-person cultural group that performs music and traditional dance routines every other night.
Expecting to see some local culture and wanting to buy some munchies, we took the bus into the closest little village 20 minutes away. However, it turned out to be a grouping of a dozen or so souvenir shops, a couple of restaurants, and a small grocery! No locals shopping there. On the return bus trip we did pass barracks-like units where (presumably) some of the hotel staff live. In this residential area we also saw some sort of covered restaurant, food-court area for meals, but apparently it is not intended for visitors.
The temperature and humidity (30-ish, 90+%) make one languid, so we
decided against golf and the island tour that goes to the towns on the
other side of the island. Being out in the heat all day long seemed
more like hard work than fun. Instead we've lounged by the
pool, watched golf on TV, and caught up on our reading. Early or
late, we walk along the long fine-sand beaches, which actually bark and
squeak as your feet sink into the surface! The South China Sea is clear and
wonderfully warm, with small lapping waves during our five days here.
We've only seen three type of
tropical fish, but there are snorkeling and diving trips and jet skis for
those so inclined.