Thursday, October 27, 2011

Batam Dining

So, as I mentioned in an earlier post - we ate often - full breakfasts, lunches and dinners everyday. Below is a typical Batam meal - our lunch today at Rezeki Seafood Restaurant, situated on a pier in a remote area. The seafood was very fresh - we watched the fishermen wade out to catch more while we were eating.

The fish is brought to these tanks until they are "ordered" for a meal.


Diners sit at these long tables...we sat out at the very end...


No idea what this is called but it was like a tamale with a tasty filling.


A platter of scallops...yummy...


Platters of chili and black pepper crabs...



A table full of food, shared by all...including boiled and sauteed shrimp, vegetables, fried and white rice, chicken nuggets (for Bo who doesn't eat fish), and a steamed fish, served whole with the sides sliced open so we could pull pieces off. 





Most of this type of food is eaten with your hands so the restaurant has sinks lined up along the rails so diners can wash their hands...I washed mine several times.


 The fishermen wading out with spears and nets to catch more fish.


Dessert after every meal here is fresh fruit, many varieties and some we have never seen or tasted before. Today we were given two large plates of juicy papaya that disappeared very quickly. I'm sure I have gained at least 5 pounds on this trip. The gym will be my first destination on Saturday. YOLO!!

Monkey Walkabouts in Batam

One of the first things we saw after arriving at our Batam hotel, and actually as we were walking to our room, which turned out to be a tiki hut, was this...


We soon learned there were many monkeys running around our resort, especially in the mornings. They played with each other, searched for food, climbed up on our porch rails for food, and were just too cute not to photograph.









The picture below is one of my favorites - I never thought I'd see a monkey walking along a beach...


Mother comforting her baby...






YOLO!!

Batam Walkabouts

We have been "off the grid", so to speak, since Sunday afternoon after arriving in Batam, Indonesia. Batam is a small island near Singapore, accessible only by ferry. We are staying at the Turi Beach Resort, which is very nice, but the island of Batam itself is far from a "resort." Most of the people are very poor and live in what we would call a shed or a shack. There is almost no tourist industry or cultural sights, only the beach as an attraction. Food and household items are very inexpensive and the economy seems to be built on knockoffs of purses, shoes, wallets, watches, and sunglasses. The malls, we've been to three, are full of them. Nevertheless, we have had a wonderful time...the ladies that is...the guys worked for three full days and some leisure time today.

So, what have we done? Well, besides eating, which we have done often and in huge quantities, we have been wined and dined and spoiled by the company Bechtel has partnered with over here for Tom's project. One of Tom's counterparts in their company, Randy, and his wife Karen, are Texans who have lived in Singapore for years and recently moved to Batam to work on the project. Randy took care of the guys all week and Karen escorted us all over the place for three days. We toured housing developments, schools, country clubs, grocery stores, malls, and restaurants, gathering information to build a portfolio for the Bechtel families and workers who will be moving here next year. We've met the most amazing people and toured incredible private homes belonging to consulates, ambassadors and wealthy Singaporeans. We are all now BFFs! And I am ready to redecorate our house in the Batam/Bali decor!!!

I'll post pictures when we get to Singapore. YOLO!!

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Singapore Walkabouts

We arrived in Singapore late Friday night to spend the weekend before a ferry ride over to Batam Island on Monday. The modules for Tom's current project, an LNG plant in Australia, are being built on that island, so he and his co-workers are going for the week to get things started.

We are on the 20th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel with a magnificent view of Marina Bay and the marvelous structures that surround it and have spent the weekend relaxing by the pool, gazing at the sights, and shopping.

A Singapore Walkabout is a feast for all the senses. For your eyes, there are stunning architectural buildings...some of which we can see from our hotel room...like the Sky Park (the boat-like thing) atop this hotel...


And the Singapore Flyer, also as seen from our hotel room...a ride on this huge ferris wheel takes one hour to go around one time...


Boat Quay...a popular restaurant and nightlife area...


Chinatown...


St. Andrew's Cathedral...


...the famous Raffles Hotel, where I had a Singapore Sling...


...the Arts and Science Museum...


...and this under-construction building we walked past this morning...


...this is a mist park...to keep everyone cool on days like today, when the humidity is 94%.


For the taste buds...


there's beer, fried rice and chili crabs...


...and drinks in Raffles' Long Bar...



...the smell of Thai and Chinese food in Chinatown follows you down the streets...the stalls are full of silk purses, linens, clothing, pillow covers and shawls...all at bargain prices...


And finally, the sounds of happy, contented people are everywhere. Singaporeans are out and about at all hours of the day...in restaurants, shopping malls, the parks, the casino, and on the water.



I guess we shouldn't be surprised about that...they live in a Disney World-type place, almost futuristic...a perfect place where there is no litter, no crime, no slums, no pollution, virtually no problems. A place where the worldwide recession seems to have skipped over. Singapore is certainly an interesting place to spend a few days. YOLO!!

Nong Nooch Tropical Garden Walkabout

The contestant grabs a dart, twirls it around to get a good grip, draws back to take aim, concentrates on the target, then flings the dart through the air - and pops a balloon. The crowd claps and cheers and the contestant, an elephant, grins and takes a deep bow.

Watching elephants throw darts, ride a tricycle, play soccer and basketball, and boogie down to pop music is quite possibly one of the most hilarious and unbelievable sights I have ever seen. If this isn't on your bucket list, add it now.







The Elephant Show at Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens, located just outside Pattaya, is unique, to say the least. I had no idea elephants could be taught to do so much, and they seem to actually enjoy their "work." Darlene and I had a great time feeding the elephants, learning about the Thai culture, and touring the gardens. The highlight of the day was our elephant ride - add that to your bucket list, too!












YOLO!!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Evening Walkabout in Pattaya, Thailand

Pattaya is known for two things...its beachfront and, to put it delicately, its red-light district, called Walking Street. So, naturally, we decided to go for an evening stroll to check out the scene.

There are an estimated 42,000+ prostitutes or "working girls" here (no, that is not a typo) and most can be found hanging around up and down the beachfront and in the numerous bars and strip joints on Walking Street. And there are many, many, Caucasian men of various nationalities strolling along the sidewalk and down Walking Street. I guess the best way to describe the scene is that they are "shopping." There are lots of "lady boys" too, and they are pretty convincing women, until you look at their Adam's apple.

Picture Bourbon Street on steroids...that's the best way to describe Walking Street. Here's what we saw.







Darlene and I hadn't had dinner so we bought donors - Mediterranean style sandwiches. 


The other option was fried scorpions, crickets, roaches, and caterpillars from a cart. YUK! I tried to take a picture but the guy said "no pictures." 
YOLO!!