From Singapore Rolling Down to Batam Island

Motor scooters are in plague proportions, every taxi driver has one hand always pumping the horn, and roads that begin as autobahns all of the sudden flip into pot-holed tracks. Hey, Mates, I don't think you're in Singapore any more.

However you're solely 20km away, on Indonesia's Batam Island, and it's only taken you an hour journey to get right here on the Batamfast ferry from Singapore's Harbourfront.

Common ferries shuttle Singaporeans to Batam to purchase low-cost clothes and layer cake, and convey Indonesians to Singapore to buy cellphones that work. There are massive, excited, chattering crowds, competing with the Indonesian music blared out by the onboard TV within the nook of the ferry. The trip itself is an experience.

The city of Batam is the richest and quickest rising city in Indonesia. Manufacturing and engineering have drawn in firms from all over the world and the industry has drawn in people from throughout Indonesia.
Opposite the Central Ferry Terminal are the Hypermart and the Mega Mall. Amid the red soil of new building sites, new housing is being thrown up everywhere.

The coast of Batam, like that of its subsequent door neighbor Bintan, is dotted with resorts. Singaporeans flock to Batam for weekends of golf and women, we had been told. Rainforest is being sacrificed for golf courses and beaches privatized.

Locations You Just Have to See in Batam

Nagoya Batam

In case you're the kind who is more drawn to highly urbanized sites, then you definitely will undoubtedly love Nagoya. This place is the leisure and business center of Batam. Right here, a whole lot of eating places, retailers, dance clubs, spas, karaoke clubs, cinema, bars, plazas, Batam hotels, and music lounges can be found. Among the widespread shopping centers in Nagoya include Nagoya Hill, BCS Mall, the DC Mall, Megamall, Kepri Mall and Robinson & Ramayana.

Turi Beach Resort

For those who're looking for less energetic pursuits, you can spend a few nights on the east side of the island at Turi Beach Resort, on a quiet, un-crowded seaside with a pleasing pool (and an average restaurant by Indonesian standards, it must be said) then on the town at the Novotel Batam, comfy and generic on the inside, apparently gaudy on the outside.

Barelang Bridge

An appropriate route for the morning tour is a trip to the Barelang (Batam - Rempang - Galang) region. All it takes is a car of course. Motors can indeed however for the convenience of rental car is advisable to use in Batam. And do not forget to prepare food and drinks  so stopped on the grocery store that's passed during the trip went to Barelang, which should be go through from the Nagoya is Panbil Mall, here are the Ramayana and KFC for lunch options, Kepri Mall with Carrefour and Top 100 Tembesi with top 100 supermarket.

The journey will be fun later. The primary sight that must be enjoyed is an excellent perspective of the first bridge with metal rope components exactly as we often see in American films and Hong Kong. Apparently there are also available in Indonesia, Batam exactly. Ease the first place visited was the Melur beach. Entrance is just ten thousand rupiah per car. From there, the location of the seashore is barely about 500 meters.

Completion of Melur seashore trip, simply across the junction the place the shingle seashore was the site of the former Refugee Camp Vietnam. About twenty thousand tickets per car. Nicely after this that rarely exists elsewhere, specifically to visit dragon fruit plantation. The original planting dragon fruit from Taiwan was later cultivated in many areas in Barelang.

At late afternoon after completing three of this unique place. On the way home you can enjoy the sun set over the ocean horizon line.

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Shopping in Batam Baloi Area

Baloi Batam is a second largest business district in Batam, located adjacent to Nagoya, In this area there is the oldest supermarket in Batam (TOP 100) where you can find imported goods at affordable prices. BCS is the newest and other shopping center in that area and an also international golf course SouthLink (about 10 minutes from BCS). Hang Nadim International airport only 30 minutes from BCS Mall. There are many shopping and tourist places (like the Toa Pek Kong) in the region to visit.

Batam City Square: the second largest mall in Batam

Batam City Square Mall is a large mall and is one of the center of tourist visiting in Batam Area. This huge mall opened in 2009 and has been a pleasure center in which buyers have 5 levels to shop and you can watch movies in there with ticket fare only about SGD$3 , they have 4 cinemas. This mall also has a karaoke lounge, Timezone arcade and bowling.

What to buy: a lot depends on what you like to buy, buying local and international goods is cheap here because Batam is the Duty Free area.

Warning: you cannot buy pirated DVD and also Cigarette here then bring to Singapore because pirated DVDs and CDs will earn you quite a fine by Singapore’s customs officials, sometimes up to $1000.  Chewing gum is still technically illegal in Singapore, although customs officials usually won't make a fuss about a pack or two.

Kampung Souvenirs: Souvenir Shop Local and Crafts

One of the souvenir shops and handicraft stores in Batam and if you have a Day Tour Package in Batam, then your tour guide will take you to the store that located in this Baloi region. These stores mainly sell local handicrafts and souvenirs like key chains, wallets, mini bags, gloves, Indonesia assorted cakes and sweets and desserts local handwoven items.

What to buy: if you are buying a lot of local handicrafts such as batik sarong  Indonesia or any kind of woven fabric or mini purse or wallet. You can bargain here to make the price go down.

First Factory Outlet: Factory outlet for some well-known clothing brands

Finally, a factory outlet store that sells Ralph Lauren not only products but also other export products such as Nautica, Ann Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and many more. Factory outlet that located in this Baloi  Batam will be a shopping paradise as you will be able to buy a wide range of export overrun shirts, t-shirts, jackets, shoes, bags and other goods and the price is pretty cheap.

What to buy: depends on what you like. You can buy shoes or bags or T-Shirts are export overruns or slightly damaged products made by Ralph Lauren, Nautica, Dolce and Gabbana, DKNY, Ann Klein and many other brands.

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A Little Story about Batam

Batam is one of the many islands in Indonesia, noted as one of the youngest province of the provincial capital of Tanjung Pinang. Batam’s sea geographically located at Malacca Straits and Singapore Straits, with an area of 1570.35 km ², because Batam is an island so it’s land area  only 715 km ² or 115% of the area of Singapore in a whole. Batam have tropical climate with a temperature of 26-34 degrees Celsius, and is 160 m above sea level with the terrain is hilly and undulating.

Batam is referred to as its Singapore-Indonesia is one of the largest industries in Indonesia, with a population growth tends to be relatively stable, Batam itself centered on the city of Batam Centre which consists of 12 districts. Batam itself covers more than 400 islands with its 329 islands have been named among the islands that are included in the frontier country.

Batam Island is based on the geographical borders:
                              North side: Adjacent to the Strait of Singapore   
                              South side: Bordered by District Senayang
                             West: Bordered by Karimun
                             East: Bordering the North Bintan district

Because the Batam region lies in the busiest International shipping lanes in the world and only 12.5 nautical miles or about 20 km from Singapore, it become the gate traffic for tourists from abroad through domestic or international ports like Sekupang and Hang Nadim International Airport, making it as capital for the government to spur the development of the region in all aspects of life, then the government develop Batam island by Batam Industrial Development Authority.

Since twenty years ago, a small island Batam is located in the northern Strait of Singapore, has grown very rapidly in the most unexpected by people. Even at tahun1970an very few people know of its existence.

In the 1960s, Batam appointed as Logistics Oil Base that originates in the Sambu. Then, ten years later, defined as the Batam Industrial Work Environment with support from the Industrial Development Authority, known as Pulau Batam Authority Board, which is based on Presidential Decree no. 41 in 1973. Be continued with the legalization of government regulation in the 1980s, with 34 in 1983 which confirmed that the District Batam Municipality was upgraded to a Charge of running the Government Administration and Society and support the development of Batam Authority conducted.

In the late 1990s, based on the Act - Act 53 of 1999 then passed into Batam Municipality for the functioning of the Autonomous Region Government and Development in cooperation with the Batam Authority Board. Then, after going through the lengthy process for almost 2 years, finally issued Law - Law no.25 of 2002 on the establishment of the Riau Islands Province.

Under the leadership of Prof. DR. Ing BJ Habibie, who served as Minister of State for Research and Technology at that time, all parts of the island of Batam is expressed as a bonded area, thus further solidify its position as a more extensive area aimed at the export industry.

Until now, Batam is still trusted by third party as a destination for investors to invest and have the full support of the local city government.

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