I hate it.
I have to find some other interesting things to do or interesting places to go at Batam.
These are the activities that I can indulge in at the Nagoya Hill Shopping Mall:
- movie(cheap)
- cafe, btw check out Broadband cafe with its nice deco & food
- billiard
- video game arcade, Time Zone (there is a big one on 3rd floor but people smoke in there. There is a smaller one @basement which is smoke-free most of the time.
- karaoke
- spa(cheap)
- full body massage(cheap). Genko & 5-Star promo @ Rp80,000 per hour only
- or try "CreamBath" (which is head/shoulder massage) after your hair cut
- or foot reflexology after window-shopping for hours
- naughty massage (use WeChat app, select "Discover"=> "People Nearby" Rp500k+-)
- salon hair cut & treatment(cheap)
- manicure & pedicure
- nice and reasonably-priced man/woman fashion & shoes at Matahari dept store
- traditional padang food
- cooked pig blood, bak-kut-teh
- eating dim sum(cheap, extra cheap during weekdays)
- seafood *crab (cheap)
- roast duck(cheap)
- malang beef ball noodle(cheap), sio may
- ayam penyet(fried chicken)
- street hawker food
- Korean fast food
- Japanese resto
- A&W for the waffle and root-beer float
- avocado with chocolate fruit shake
- cheap medicine at Century pharmacy (different brand but same medicinal content)
- cheep beer
- cheap toiletries like shampoo, shower cream, face wash, toothpaste etc
- cheap return ferry ticket @ basement money-changer shop, below ACE hardware
- CD & DVD music & movie (must test on the spot)
- hanging out at the cafe
- cigar - Rp 45,000 or about S$4 for the mini roll, isn't that really affordable!
- sweet clove-scented local cigarettes, huge variety and really cheap
- tatoo
- huge ACE hardware & home furnishing store
- mobile phone/accessories heaven like those at Sim Lim square @your own risk
- shopping in general.. (cheap & nice imitation watches & hand bag)
- going to the gym
- new classy and tastefully decorated food court, for non-smoker
- swimming (i Hotel)
- on the night of major public holiday eve -> fireworks / fire-cracker
Btw, all these activities can be found within the Nagoya Hill Shopping Mall. If you are visiting Batam, stay at the new Amaris Hotel next to the mall which is built in mid 2014.
http://amarishotel.com/batam
"At the Amaris, a simple and straightforward breakfast is included in the room charge." Quoted from the web site.
In short, I would describe the experience as "Cheap shopping, cheap holiday & fun ferry ride".
There is another hotel nearby, the iHotel.
http://www.ihotelbatam.com/index.php
There is the new Nagoya Hill Hotel. Check out great discount and compare hotels prices in this area @ https://www.tripadvisor.com
or http://www.hotelcombined.com
or www.trivago.com
or www.traveloka.com
Taxi trip from Batam Centre Ferry Terminal to Nagoya Hill Shopping Mall is Rp 70,000. Come in group of 4-5 to share cost :)
Harbor Bay ferry terminal is nearer though.
Other activities elsewhere that had caught my attention are: bowling (BCS mall), swimming, golfing and playing ping pong.
If lucky, another activity that I enjoy is star-gazing. Many stars can be seen on a clear night sky
And so I have been searching the internet for some more ideas. And I found a few nice blogs:
http://coffeeluvs.blogspot.com/2013/01/blog-post.html
http://bongqiuqiu.blogspot.com/2014/01/batam-i-love.html
You have to visit the abandoned refugee camp left over from World War 2. It is run down and spooky, especially the old Catholic church which look like those in horror movie.
There is a big ferry wheel at Ocarina beach. About Rp15,000 ticket.
(to be continued...)
