Batam, Indonesia Report

NAGOYA, Batam
Seeing that there hasn't been a report on Nagoya in a while, I decided to post this report to keep things updated. Later on, I'll add some photos and maps to the website when I return to the States. It's a perfect spot to relax if you happen to be in Singapore, and there's lots to do in the area beyond Mongering as well.

This is my first trip to Asia ever, and I'm indebted to all the posters on the Club Hombre site, especially Greengrasser, the hypermart newsgroup, and the old Asiaphan report. I'm writing this on the final day of my Batam visit (9/17/03) and I'll try to give you all my impressions about the place and later on I'll be posting my thoughts on other places, like Bangkok, Pattaya, and Phenom Phen during my two month trip. Also, I went solo, as all my friends were working or uninterested in going to Asia, so my writing will also reflect the point of view of a first-time solo guy.

I appreciate all comments, but it might take me a while to respond to posts because for the next few weeks I'll be doing the non-Mongering part of my trip to Malaysia and Sumatra, and I may not check the site or my emails for a bit. I picked Batam to start with because of all the prior posts on Club Hombre and because of my arrival in Singapore.

GETTING THERE
I arrived in Singapore last week after a 24 hour flight from the East Coast. I went directly from the airport to the WTC ferry terminal, waited in the wee hours for a bit (2AM - around 7AM) at the Terminal, and took the first ferry over, where I checked into the Novotel. I'll explore Singapore a few days before my flight back to the States, which also leaves from Singapore. I got a terrific $600 USD deal on travelocity.com for a round-trip flight from the East-Coast to Singapore. I believe I checked out the price to Bangkok was only a bit higher.

To get to Batam, most people take a ferry from the WTC Ferry Port in Singapore. The average price for the ferry is $21 Singapore one way.
To return to Singapore, the return ticket is under $20 Singapore Dollars (roughly $16ish USD) if you purchase it in Batam.

There's a ferry every hour from about 7:30 in the morning to about 11.00PM each day, just about every hour, and more on the weekends I think.

The Ferries are very small compared to the Staten Island ferry or the Long Island ferries, but are much more modern and, I think, faster. The trip lasted about 55 minutes.

GETTING SETTLED
All hotels are girl-friendly, and some have their own in-house girls at their bars or nightclubs.

I stayed at most of the good hotels in the Nagoya area. I started in the Novotel Batam, which offers an internet special of $38 Singapore Dollars (SD). It has CNN and a variety of English language Singapore News and Network Channels. The service and quality of the room is top-class, and the complimentary buffet breakfast is unbelievable, which a huge selection of pork, eggs, breads, etc. Even if you're alone, the breakfast is good for two, which is the standard for all Nagoya hotels.

I also stayed at the Seruni, Planet Holiday and the (not so) Grand Palace. Hotel Harmoni was closed due to a hotel fire, and there was actually a second one the other other day. I'll be posting more info on these hotels, including the room prices I paid, in a few weeks. The best thing about the Grand Palace Hotel is that it's a skip and a hop from Lusy's, Rio Ritas, and a new danceclub/bar called "Steps". Otherwise it's quite small, with the showerhead over the toilet-type set up. The bed is adequate and there's a TV, it reminded me of my old college dorm.

When you get in, I suggest stopping by Lucy's (spelled Lusy's on the billboard) Oarhouse. It's a traditional tavern / pub / neigbourhood bar just like the ones in the States, with an English-speaking staff and good homestyle sandwiches, fish n' chips, and the rest. Try the Sausage and Mash. They have a terrific selection of liquor and beers, including Heineken, Angkor, Tiger, Guiness, Carlsburg, and much more.

It's a great base for exploring Batam, having a good conversation with other patrons, and getting some homestyle chow. The owner is Mr. Evan Jones, who was extremely hospitable and helpful to me, and is very welcoming to all patrons. The bar girls are very sweet and friendly, and the place is a great place to stop by around lunch or the early afternoon to check the papers, chat with the girls and the expats, watch sports, and prepare for your evening.

Most of the cab drivers in Batam know Lucy's, if not, just mention Rio Ritas (which is on the street east from Lucy's) or, the Sol Melia Panorama, from which you can see the big signage for Lucy's looking Northwards. From Melia (very comfortable, and hyper-modern rooms compared to the states) just exit the lobby, turn left, and walk down 1 block. Mind crossing the street, though!

Batam is one busy area, forming an "economic triangle" between KL, Singapore, and Batam (Riau Islands). There is a lot of tourism from Singapore in terms of Singapore families snapping up bargains on the weekends, and small groups of Singaporean guys looking to monger. The big employers is the ship repair industry, oil, electronics assembly, and tourism. Construction is everywhere. There is almost 100% employment, and not once did I feel unsafe or bothered. One minor irritation is the constant solicitation of rides from taxis and ojeks (Motocycle taxis), but just say "Jalan-jalan" or ignore them and it's no problem.

HEADSCARFS
It was said in a report from last year that the headscarf thingy is abundant. This is true.
The wearing of the head-scarf, or Hajib, or whatever-its-called is on the rise in Batam, although I believe I read somewhere in an article that a woman in Jakarta said to a Western reporter, "It's mostly a fashion fad, my younger sister who's still in grammar school wears it because it's the 'in' thing. She couldn't care less about Islam."

The trappings of Islam are much more apparent in TJ Pinang than in Batam, but even so most every one is friendly and full of smiles, as one of the very few Caucasians I felt like a honored guest getting the star treatment as opposed to a walking bullseye.

BEANS AND BLACK OIL
Coffee is of the "Instant" variety in most places, and often you'll get Jasmine Chinese tea instead of the red styles of tea. However, if you like fruit drinks, you'll see a wider range of these than in the states. The local cuisine available in the myriad of restaurants is quite good, and there are probably more KFCs in Batam than in a similiar sized US city. There is also at least one McDonalds, a plethora of KFC imitations (BFC, etc.), and a Pizza-Hut. I also saw one "Dunkin Donuts" imitation, I'm going to check that out later (as you can tell, I'm a coffee fanatic).

GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS
For variety and selection, starting early on the weekend or anytime during the weekdays is your best bet, as horny Singaporeans tend to book the ladies around noon for "Delivery" at night. By the early evening, the selection will be much more limited on the weekends.

PP Bananas
At night upstairs from Lucy's is PP Bananas, which has a go-go bar style. A DJ spinds music and the girls dance in bikinis and often come off the stage to chat with the patrons. It's 350,000 Rupiah for a booking, but it's much better, IMHO, than the fishtank style places which is not my thing. I took a very frisky girl (call her "Tiger") back from PP Bananas to the Hotel Seruni, and I was very pleased. She was lots of fun, and absolutely a tiger in the sack. She was quite tall for a Malay/Indonesian girl, but had a fantasic ass.

Rio Ritas
Rio Ritas is practically next store from Lucy's Oarhouse. It's a large bar with pool tables and Video Karaoke. The girls hang near the back tables, and are very sweet and approachable (if they don't approach you in a low-key way first). There are about twenty or so girls available at Rio Ritas, and a booking is about 280,000 rupiahs (approx $35 USD). Their English is passable, but don't expect to be able to debate politics or talk about the economy with them. One book that's fun is "Making out in Indonesian" by Peter Constantine, available on Amazon or by obtaining a photostat at Lucy's.

I took two (count 'em, two) girls out of Rio Ritas, "Susan" and "Ingrid" (not their real names, obviously). Susan was a petite, thin ball of energy, a very young and energetic 18-year old. Ingrid was a little older at 23, also petite but with a much softer body than Susan, with a "J-lo" butt and nice rack. She was my favorite, with a little bit of a baby-face. Both were sweet, although Ingrid was a little more of a snuggly girlfriend type while Susan was more of a frisky clubgirl sort.

We went back to the hotel, went shopping (for some oleh-oleh - souvenirs - for me) at Ramayana (a mall that is more of a hybrid between an indoor-flea market and a minimall), out to Micky D's, back to Rio Ritas for some Karaoke, and then went to the Planet Disco, which is part of the Seruni Hotel. It has typical techno/dance music, is pretty good in size, and has lots of tables, which are reserved for you for the night (although later on if you get up to dance a bit, you might find some of your seats stolen by Kiasu Singaporeans). The place opens late in the evening I believe, but it really starts rockin a little bit after midnight. They serve a few varieties of a cold bottled Vodka drink, but I was also able to get canned Cokes and bottled water. The Vodka drinks were expensive at about 40,000 Rupiahs a pop, but considering it's a large bottle it's probably comparable or maybe a little cheaper than most nightclubs in the US. After 2AM, we went back to hotel for some serious shagging.

One thing though about Indonesian girls is that they are not in general friendly about sharing the sack with one guy and other girls. However, the sex was great, and they had very saucy asses that were a pleasure to slap! Got up around 9, took them to breakfast and then back to Rio Ritas. Had a great time!

BEYOND MONGERING
There's lots of stuff in Batam going on beyond girls.
In Batam itself, there's tons and tons of shopping, about 3-4 minimalls. You can get pirated DVDs and CDs, mostly the more popular groups and movies. I got a pirate DVD of "Freddy vs. Jason" just a few weeks after it's appearance in US Theatres, and the quality is very good.

You can take an evening to Tanjung Pinang, ferries leave from Batam Center (not the same as Nagoya, it's a bit eastward, maybe a 15-20 minute Taxi ride that should run around 40-50k Rupiah). I stayed at the Top View, and saw the Sultan Rasjid Mosque as well as the 200-year old Chinese Temple to Yuan-shenme. TP is a less developed that Batam, but I stayed in the hotel Laguna, in the heart of downtown, which has a fantastic panoramic view of the city, including the big Minaret and the Mosque and temple in the distance.

I also stayed at the Batam View Resort, which at about 120SD was a bargain in comparison with similar class hotels in Florida or New York. There is a small little beach on the hotel grounds, as well as a large pool, fabulous eating and dining facilities, massive breakfast, with jetski and boating activities available. Live Music by the pool all weekend. As with all hotels I stayed in, the service was impeccable. Room service was also a big bargain, coming in at like $6 or $7 USD for a meal, beverage, and dessert.

Well, I returned to Batam today, I'm going to hit "STEPS" and the "ICE PUB", and I will add info on these places in a bit. I took the last two days pretty light, just enjoying seeing the sights in TJ Pinang and getting pampered to death and enjoying the seaside at the Batam View. Tommorrow I'm off to Melaka, Malaysia; I don't intend to bother mongering in Malaysia, but when I get to Bangkok, I'll write some more stuff.

I hope you enjoyed my report! I'll fill in some pics, more detailed $ info, in a bit!

Great info - I can't wait for the rest of the report, especially Cambodia. Have a great rest of the trip

thank you thank you thank you. Finally, some concrete and valuable information about Batam...sounds like this is not your first trip as you have quite a bit of information but if it is...you are very observant. The more details and pics...the better. This area and Cambodia are lacking on this board and I am looking forward to your reports. BTW, what is a Kiasu Singaporean as opposed to a regular Singaporean.

'Kiasu' is 'afraid to lose' meaning those who want to compare or compete in everything.

Soooo very glad to see this report! I've been looking for some place new to visit this November and Batam was on my short list. Very timely report.

Hope Cambo goes well for you. Been there a time or ten and plan a swing in that direction come November as well. Try to get out of Phnom Penh if you can. Half an hour outside of the city it's a whole different country. I have used the same driver now for last 3 trips, Mr. Benwee, and recommend him highly. benweekh@yahoo.com Tell him you are a friend or Mr. Joe and Mr. Michael. There are no taxi to speak of in Phonm Pehn except for the motobikes, so a driver that is on your team is a valuable asset.

McDIJJ

Hey thanks folks for all your nice comments and encouraging posts. I'm in Bangkok now, and I made a huge beginner's mistake, so I'll write that up in a bit when I post from my pen and paper. Thanks for the taxi tip McDIJJ! Staying in the Somerset off of Sukhomvit (Sp?) street, it's fairly decent.I can't complain though, it's the same price as a roadside Hotel 6 in West Virginia or something. Heading off to Phenom Penh sometime next week. Again, I'll post more details about costs and some pics when I get home to my scanner. One bitch about Asia though - I need a cup of fresh brewed coffee without the capuccino-esque film on top. And a final thought on Hajib-scarf things. An expat in Batam told me because of the increasing influence of Hard-line Islam, a lot of younger Indonesian guys harass girls that don't wear them - so many wear it to avoid the catcalls and comeons of the young Indo guys.

On your way back through Sing., are you planning another weekend visit to Batam? If so, you can go about 30-45 minutes longer on a different ferry to Bintan. Prices are about half of Batam and 3x-5x the number of girls.

I was in Batam once and stayed in a hotel right across from Lusys (lucys). At night there must have been 500-1,000 girls walking in the streets and they were all looking for clients. I got accosted by what seemed like hundreds of hands just making my way across the street for a beer.

I also noticed a lot of Chinese girls. Are there still a lot of them there? Seems there was a guy who brought in boatloads monthly and took boatloads home with him. I always wondered what it would be like to crew on that ship....LOL

Can't wait to hear about the rest of your adventures. Especially interested in your Camb. trip and what is happening at K11.

Ciao and happy mongering,

sandman

Wow, what a trip, sorry for the delay but in a few days I will post more info on Bangkok and Cambodia. It's pretty much a haze and I didn't keep good records of prices for the most part... Didn't monger much in Cambodia though, just a massage quickie from the hotel. Not at all in Malaysia, although several hotel staff offered. Mongered ALOT in Bangkok - what a cure for a year of very little sex! Thanks for all your posts - thank goodness for Clubhombre and all the reports - next year, Brazil!