Pulau Tondang

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