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Kabupaten Bintan

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    • Sonia Gelman2023 Adventure ATW
      1
      Day 122

      Penang, Malaysia Evening.

      May 15, 2023 ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F

      In the evening we had a wonderful dinner with friends…. Erin, Mui, Younga and David celebrating my birthday with delicious flourless chocolate cake for dessert that was ordered in advance.
      Pat, a lovely lady, friend had her birthday on the same day. We had a chance to get together for a short time and exchange best wishes to each other.
      After dinner we came to our decorated cabin. Nice touch!      Read more

    • RTW Redux ... 2023
      Day 159

      Bintan Island, Indonesia

      May 19, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 84 °F

      New-to-us port #46.

      After a number of hot and humid sightseeing days that saw temps reaching into the high-90F range (with feels like temps in the three-digits), we weren’t in the mood to do much today. Since Bintan Island, which is part of Indonesia’s Riau Archipelago, promotes itself as the “next best tourist destination after Bali,” we decided some R&R was in order.

      Tendering ashore to Bandar Bentan Telani was like taking a slow boat to China, but we finally got to the tender pier a little after 8:30a. The island has some nice beaches, but they require transportation. Yes, there was a shuttle we could have taken, but we decided to stay close instead.

      Once we got our bearings, we set off with Sonia & Boris and Younga & David on a 10-minute walk to Treasure Bay, which is home to Crystal Lagoon … billed as Southeast Asia’s first man-made seawater lagoon. From what I have since read, the place is going to be a “resort city” when it is all said and done.

      Paying the admission, we made our way down to the lagoon where we found a number of palapas and lounge chairs at the edge of the water. The far end of the lagoon had a bunch of water toys, but all was quiet today. In fact, we were the only ones there for almost the entire time.

      Treasure Bay is proud of its specially-filtered saltwater lagoon, which is said to be delicate on the skin. I think they got it right as I didn’t feel the tightness one usually feels when saltwater dries on the skin. We all enjoyed our swim.

      After about an hour, Mui and I left the group and went to get massages. Turns out that the day spa was not on the resort grounds. No problem … we were driven the two-minutes it took us to get to the spa … and the driver waited until our treatments were over to take us back. Another excellent massage for a fraction of what the Aquamar Spa charges on the ship.

      A quiet stroll from Treasure Bay returned us to the tender pier for the next boat back to Insignia. We were back on the ship well ahead of the 1:30p all aboard.

      This short segment of RTW2023 has a number of sea days between port calls, the first of which is tomorrow. We are looking forward to more R&R.      Read more

    • TravelerMildams & Adhams in Asia
      Day 4

      A slow day with a sparkly finish…

      September 15, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

      Beautiful sunrise, very fast squirrels, tiny bananas…
      We decided to have a pool day so once again did the 10 minute stroll to the Nirwana Gardens infinity pool. Lunch was authentic Chinese food at the Kelong restaurant then back to the pool - one of us may be a little burnt.
      The evening adventure was a swamp tour to see the fireflies and, thankfully, no crocodiles or snakes. This was so peaceful and the tiny fireflies were beautiful and fun to catch in our hands. 21 yr old Ali was a great tour guide. There may have been some pre-sleep 500 played as well…

      This part of Bintan (1/3 of the island) is financed by Singapore so has good water, electricity and is safer than other parts of Indonesia. It was hit hard by the lack of tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic and many shops closed and building stopped but there is hope development will continue.
      The woman who served us last night works 6 days, mostly until 11pm and then has a bus ride for an hour to get home - sometimes she needs to be back at 7am! She is a single mum with three children - 6, 12 and 16. The eldest is away at school in Jakarta so the two younger children look after themselves while she works.
      Our wealth is confronting as the wages are low. It is quiet here at the moment so the place is very over staffed but we are grateful the workers have continuous employment.      Read more

    • TravelerMildams & Adhams in Asia
      Day 5

      There’s a beach?

      September 16, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

      It’s our 4th day at the Mayan Sari resort and at 6:45am we ventured onto the beach. Scary signs and a lack of other people swimming had put us off but it is oh so clear and beautiful! One of us ran and one had a swim… thanking God for this place!

      Every morning the sand is raked and sprayed…we assume for bugs! We enjoyed a beachside morning with plenty of reading and some fancy towel folding let us know our room had been serviced.
      Lunch and dinner at Nirwana Gardens and the girls victorious at 500.

       Our theme word for Wordle yesterday was ‘relax’ - two guesses later we had it - exert - that is not what we are doing here!      Read more

    • TravelerMildams & Adhams in Asia
      Day 6

      When it rains it pours & date night!

      September 17, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

      We have had fine weather but the rain hit today for an hour! We were driven to our rooms, about 100 metres from reception.

      After a late afternoon walk/swim we parted ways with Kay & Steve for date night. We returned to Nirwana Gardens (this time by bus) for a calamari salad and Peking duck 🦆 (not to mention a repeat of the blueberry frozen yoghurt). We walked a different route back to our cabin, enjoying the distant lights of Singapore and a couple of other interesting sights.
      It is our last night at Mayang Sari but we are ready for the adventure Part 2!      Read more

    • TravelerMildams & Adhams in Asia
      Day 6

      As the money runs out…

      September 17, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

      Today we parted with the last of our Indonesian cash. So there went our moment of feeling like we were rich! Carrying around notes that have lots of zeros on them looks impressive but 100 000 IDR (Indonesian Rupiah) equates to about $10 AUD.Read more

    • TravelerMildams & Adhams in Asia
      Day 7

      Mayang Sari Resort… farewell!

      September 18, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

      Some of the bits and pieces from our time here that we haven’t mentioned….
      There is a man at the top of the palm tree! They climb up using notches that have been cut into the trunk and trim the branches and the coconuts so they don’t drop on unsuspecting tourists.
      The tree that provided us with great shade outside our rooms on the edge of the beach produces pods that flower overnight, then drop the flowers in the morning. It’s a Sea Poison tree… spectacular flowers that are mostly viewed on the ground.
      Finally, we had lovely staff at our ‘private’ resort. We particularly enjoyed Yanti, photographed between Kay and I. We were the first Australians they have had at the resort since the pandemic.      Read more

    • TravelerMildams & Adhams in Asia
      Day 3

      Safari, Ecofarming & a quiet afternoon

      September 14, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

      Today we had a driver take us to Safari Lagoi, an Ecofarm that farms maggots and keeps wild bees, a lunch for 4 that could have fed many more and a return drive that explored more of Bintan and the infrastructure for future development.

      Our driver, Mr Marodu, grew up in inland North Sumatra - a very remote area, with thick vegetation and dangerous animals. When Turkish Muslims and the Dutch East India company came to Sumatra none of them ventured into these parts so their influences didn’t get to his people. A Lutheran missionary did go to his people group in 1862. Ludwig Nommersen reported in 1865 that 2000 people had become Christians. Our driver is a Christian man, who is living out the vision of reaching South East Asia with the gospel. The Batak Christian Protestant Church is one of the largest Christian Church denominations in Asia.      Read more

    • TravelerSoutheast Asia Summer 2023
      Day 51

      Bintan: Lagoi Beach

      August 22, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

      Lagoi Beach is located in the subdistrict at the northern tip of Bintan Island. Its majestic beach view rivals that of the ones in Bali or Lombok with an unblocked view of the horizon from which one can admire the rising and setting of the sun. Tourists can enjoy outdoor activities such as sunbathing, swimming, snorkelling, diving or simply walking along the coastline.

      Lagoi Beach is also a short walk away from Plaza Lagoi so guests may swing by the many dining establishments there serving local delicacies such as seafood and traditional Indonesian cuisine.      Read more

    • Around the World
      Day 125

      Bintan, Indonesia

      May 19, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 86 °F

      We had a short visit to Bintan Island (in the Riau archipelago of Indonesia) but it looked like a beautiful place to come back to. It is 453 square miles and its closeness to Singapore (45 minutes by boat) has resulted in development of beaches as popular resorts with hotels. The resorts were new and the beaches were fabulous, clear with great sand. We went to the Bintan Resorts where there is 740 acres of beautiful beaches and tropics.

      There are many things to see and do and we hope to get back to the mangroves, resorts, snorkeling, spas, Penyengat Island & all the Temples (including a Temple of 500 stone statues of arhats (those that have achieved Nirvana).      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Kabupaten Bintan

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