Batam Series

There was so much to see, hear and taste in one of Riau Archipelago's most famous islands. The following are just some of the sights captured. More to come in the Culture and Architecture series :-)

5Didn't hop onto one of these gearboxes as the heat was unbearable. I have tried go-karting at Singapore's Escape Theme Park, though, and it was fun!

5Our venue for lunch (after some guided city shopping and gallivanting). We were served a variety of seafood like crabs, fish, prawns, snails (nerites), squid...and water spinach (kang kong)??

5Close-by the restaurant was a masculine-looking mermaid (check out those Spock ears) who had lost her girdle.

5Tortoises symbolize longevity, which was why we could see a creep of them here in this pond.

5The view outside Golden View Hotel, our 4-star lodging provider for the night. Trishaws are also a popular mode of transportation for tourists back at home.

5Wild animals in captivity is not uncommon in Indonesia. Besides monkeys, we saw caged eagles, pythons, squirrels and a monitor lizard. Poor things!