Re: Batam Info / Interest / Help Thread
 

1. Try using a VPN for starter when surfing SBF.

2. I didnt know which map you are referring to,but there's a map on page one of this thread by another brother who shared. (if you wish to go to Nagoya Hill Mall from Formosa,step out of hotel front door,turn right and walk 20 steps,then look left,you should see it,hehehe...)

Most of the links made in the past were still using sammyboy.com which was banned in Singapore,so a VPN would helps make things work better.

If you are staying in Formosa,then things would be easier. Refer to the below link for more information. Most of my map starts from Formosa,and i usually set Formosa as a base,so you will see where's formosa in most of them,hehehe...

https://sbf.net.nz/showpost.php?p=15...postcount=6277

More read up info on Batam base on my collective info in this thread if you have the time.

https://sbf.net.nz/showpost.php?p=17...ostcount=11581

I am sharing the Batam basics, get them right and you will be ready.

Good luck,enjoy your trip and cheers! ;)

Re: Batam Info / Interest / Help Thread
 

Changes around inside Harbour Bay ferry terminal (air-con area),photo below taken from the old entrance of Harbour Bay Ferry terminal where i check in and out. I notice more shops now,hehehe...and more expensive stuffs too.

...and outside Harbour Bay Ferry terminal area (no air-con area),just about 7 to 8 steps away from Harbour Mart (old taxi stand area where taxi driver still ask for 50k rupiah per trip),hehehe...nearly half the outside (no-air-con area) of ferry terminal has been torn down.

Most parts of the outside seems to have been torned down tho,but there are still a small walkway on the left (after stepping out of old entrance) for walking to Harbour Bay Mall.

The new entrance to the new taxi stand (where taxi cost 30k rupiah nett) is here :

https://sbf.net.nz/showpost.php?p=17...ostcount=11914

The new entrance out of the air-con area is also a short cut to Marriot Hotel and Zest Hotel. Marriot Hotel should be almost done and ready for business soon (base on the look of it,hehehe...). I forget to take a photo of it.

Photo of the old entrance taken on Sept 2018 for reference .

I am now recce-ing for hotels for the upcoming CNY 2019,hehehe... (in less than 4 months time - CNY on 5th Feb 2019) :D

1. I am likely to move around from hotel to hotel

2. Plan my CNY progamme

3. Transportation (collecting info on hotel/s with free shuttle service or cheaper transportation)

4. Meeting with bros who will be grabbing OUR girls from Hang Nadim Airport ,hehehe... :o

5. Most challenging part, Fireworks! (its costly,for both in-room and out-room) :(

6. Food (its afterall CNY,hehehe...)

Above were reference for my own trip preparation.

* i am also thinking of my Oct/Nov trip too,hehehe...

Re: Batam Info / Interest / Help Thread
 

I will go against mainstream, but I liked it more on my first visits. Poor, essential, even misplaced as a big structure mostly empty in the middle of nothing. It made me feel entering a remote world, wild Fronteer.

That's a big bet. How many people who can afford to pay a Marriott, even with lower rates adjusted to Indonesia, will come to visit Batam? Maybe foreign executives coming for business. But is business in Batam taking a downturn up?

In any case, if this hotel will be successul, it will attract more people with big money to spend. Not really the kind of people who LIKES to spend hours in investigating where to find a taxi which costs 2 SGD less than the one waiting in front of the door, just for the pleasure of finding the cheapest and saving some few dollars, even if it costs hours of investigation. (ahemm... yes, I am teasing you). This kind of visitors will simply push up prices of everything, as drivers might see a request for 100k for a short ride accepted without any complaint.

I am not happy to see Marriott opening in Batam.

I will stick to Formosa until they will really treat me badly, or they will close for good. It will be a sad day for me. The end of an era.

This is really interesting, as it shows how each person is different from others. The last thing I want to do in Batam is planning. I am on holidays, so I follow my istinct and what destiny offers to me.
You are the kind of person who likes to prepare activities steps by step. And you do it for CNY months before that!
I don't know what is your job, but I am sure you'd be an excellent tourist guide and group leader, with an Excel table on the notebook detailing each action with 5-min steps.

After years of playing free in Batam, now you come to get married, I understand.
Congratulations! :D

Don't do that in Formosa. I don't want to read that my hotel was destroyed by a big fire due to a group of imprudent Singaporeans.
(what happens if one fires a firework in the room of a big hotel in Singapore, say Marina Bay Sands?)

Now it's me who I say HEHEHE.
I will be there soon. Very soon. :D

Re: Batam Info / Interest / Help Thread
 

@Black Page

He didn't get married. It's another of his bro that got married.

Re: Batam Info / Interest / Help Thread
 

He did not get married yet. if he insists to invite the same lady to Batam instead of playing free, I am afraid we are going to lose our best bro and supporter in Batam :(

Re: Batam Info / Interest / Help Thread
 

Forget liao..too many liao. got one really too drunk one seat with my friend

Re: Batam Info / Interest / Help Thread
 

Any bros going over tml?

Re: Batam Info / Interest / Help Thread
 

Bro nono getting married or already married? :eek:

How cm i didn't knw? :rolleyes:

Hw cm no FR? :D

Re: Batam Info / Interest / Help Thread
 

Many kena cheat by that guy. He is not Singaporean. From what I found out, he is from Selat Panjang (another island nearby). He can talk like a Malaysia and a Singporean. Was tried to con me also.

I saw him at Nagoya Hill most the time. And if he meet bro BlackPage one day, I am very sure he can act like a bule need little financial help. Usually buying ticket home.

:D:D:D

Re: Batam Info / Interest / Help Thread
 

is this man a bit skinny type ?. There was this guy, not very old, I guess about 40+. following me, greeted me in Hokkien. At first, I ignored him. not long after that, he greeted me again, saying I am arrogant, pretended not to recognize him, bla bla. I told him he got the wrong person, I told him I dont even speak Hokkien.

Re: Batam Info / Interest / Help Thread
 

I guess such people are everywhere. Trying their luck to con others money. In TBK, theres this Chinese local chap. At coffeeshop and makan place most of the time. Will approach u and ask for money too.

Re: Batam Info / Interest / Help Thread
 

Hehehe...thinking of buying a new home down the road in a few years time,hehehe...hence i am checking its pricing market. Harbour Bay residence thats just beside Harbour Bay Ferry terminal...

Comparing with Citra Plaza,Formosa Residence which is near to Citywalk mall.

https://sbf.net.nz/showthread.php?p=...a#post17590278

Nono1973 tells someone tactically he met that he likes chicken rice, the message was passed down by one after another to those who are curious in a particular group, and by the time the end receiver got the message, it becomes Nono1973 likes duck rice. :p

Go read my every post properly whenever i talk about Hang Nadim Airport. 1 single alphabet "S" can means a lot of difference. i do not plan to clear the misunderstanding for now as yet tho,hehehe...its fun just sitting back and reading the thread nowaday. ;)

* i dont carry words around told to me by another person,especially personal or private information (nor would i tell another person who is who on the internet). Which is one of the key reasons why i stopped all those newbie trips 2 over years ago and stop sharing too openly in this thread. I think bringing people who are new to Batam (for free of course) and good info sharing is a good thing to do,but it turns out bad when the clones starts spreading personal/private information of one another around,hehehe...and they know who they are in this thread. Just be careful when sharing personal/private information when you meet up with someone face to face from the internet. (especially newbie) ;)

** remember some years back i talk about people stalking me in Batam? Thats where i learn to be extra careful when joining a group trip to Batam in this thread (i dont do that anymore nor organize them anyway),hehehe...and these group of people exist in this thread.

Haiz....good things often turns out bad in the thoughts of others. Lesser and lesser trustworthy people in the forum than i thought. (a simple test i made can tell a character of a person)

Enough said.

FR on me? Nope,not in this thread,hehehe...may be in other forums? or some chat groups? Hehehe... i dont own Batam nor am i worthy of a FR. :D

I go to Batam to have my kind of fun.

Re: Batam Info / Interest / Help Thread
 

New to batam joint here. Where can I find the booking joint? I m not into bar and drink. Thank you

Re: Batam Info / Interest / Help Thread
 

tried follow the links below to read bro.

Re: Batam Info / Interest / Help Thread
 

I was just teasing you... We can say I was trolling.
Yes, we have seen already that if we write ABCDE 99% of people will read ABCDE, but there will be always at least one who will read or pretend to read ABCDZ, then will start propagating ABCDZ and also complaining because of that. "Hey what's this Z"?? I don't like Z." etc. etc.
No need to clear misunderstandings. I believe everyone here is just having fun and teasing.