Bintan at a glance....

I was on a mini trip to Bintan, Indonesia over the long weekend because of the vesak day public holiday....it was supposedly a two-day tour...but effectively the stay on the island is very much shorter, minus the 2-hr ferry rides to and fro and the long bus rides frm one place to another....whatever i saw was like a two hour documentary to depict the scene in my mind what's the place like....
First, i'm pretty much an ignorant person when it comes to my knowledge of the outside world, frm the lack of travel and almost 24/7 journey frm campus to home which takes less then an hr every transportation ride...which makes me feel like i'm travelling in circles everyday...anyway i didn't know that Bintan, on the shores of Indonesia is only 2hr ferry ride away...and the ferry tickets cost less than sgd$40!!!....imagine and island that seemed so far away....and yet you are in another country in just merely 2hrs...yes i was shock and yes i admit i am laughable not to have known that....you can even go for a day trip to fish or something as and when u please as it being so very near....
As said that my trip not being very long....i never get to visit many places or explore around...thus will just describe in sequence where i went.....upon arrival at the tanjung pinang terminal...we headed for lunch...then to the biggest shopping mall in that area which wasn't exactly big in our context...i guess the locals don't shop as much neither do they earn enough keep to do so i guess...it's only 2 storey in size, mostly clothes, just some cheaper....the exchange rate was about sgd$1 to rupiah$5000....anyway....we continued to shop around some open shophouses( it's sunday and the locals work halfday)....since we wanted to change some money at the near-by money changer....i only bought a pair of shoes...and the only thing i bought in the entire time i was at bintan....then we were brought to some shops that sold ikan bilis,shrimps and stuff to buy their local produce since one of their main livelihood is fishing...and we visited a couple of temples which were the final destinations for the day...because one of the temple was situated within one of the village itself...i had the chance to roam around a little...the island's still have the presence of villages and kampong's...not very much developed...with the more developed areas...looking like an older version of malaysia....motorcycles and minivans are the most common transport...i spotted kids no older than 10 riding them...picture a kampong in your mind...with many small boats, kelongs(wooden houses on stills), mash areas and dried grass patches....many trees especially coconut trees....many coconuts in some houses...some scrap steel garage...young men sawing woods...i think you get the picture....on a side note...i found those goats so adorable!...ok...being city beings...sheeps and animals make us go oooee's and wow's....
the entire island is not much developed with the corruption and senseless government...they are extremely slow in developing the country....the terrains are uneven and i don't think there's even one highway...the roads goes in curves and edges and over the terrains, not even a stretch of road straigthened...there's alot of barren land..covered with red and brown soil with such vast area of available land....not much entertainment on the island or even cinemas(since their dvds press new films so much faster and very cheap)....frugal lifestyle i suppose....not much jobs available since the island is not developed...and i heard their salary's about five times cheaper than us...there are many indonesian chinese living there and they speak teochew too regardless of their actual dialect...and the younger generation learn some chinese since chinese used to be banned...so language is not a problem...chinese races are mainly shop owners doing business....with the locals main activities being fishing,vegetation and small businesses...it's a more 'subdued' way of living if you know what i mean...it is busy but in another context which sort of signifies, bustling with activities...like reminiscence of the past...where people are busy with basic livelihood...like paddling crackers to sell or go fishing...peaceful i think....those living in villages and kampongs...can grow their own food...i saw many chickens wondering around...
i also went to the beach which is a private area of the bintan agro resort where i stay....very clear blue water...like lagoon and swaying coconut trees...it's not invaded with tourists as yet...so the water's really clean and blue...i spent my second and also last day wandering around the resort...visited a snakeskin fruits(am not sure of the actual name) plantation and found out they grow on the bottoms of the stems of the small trees and have spikes...saw a couple more vegatation and flowers plantation...some ponds and many trees...saw how pineapples grow from short 'bushes'...a mini zoo.....and that's about it...did nothing much...
the most memorable before i reached the island was the view from the sea as i pass by tiny islands as viewed frm the naked eye...and a mesmirising moment when i passed by some clouds so low...it feels like i'm looking at a 3D picture....works of nature...are works of art....and after i left the island...i bought with me the memories and knowledge of the island...saw the locals way of living...a hardworking lot btw....a 'feel' of nature and of course tells me how much more of the world i should see....it ain't fun to describe but still....wat more can we ask for to just 'feel' nature and see and experience the cultures and open our minds to appreciate and relish each unique destination of sight and sound.....