Novotel Batam

... change from the mainland of Singapore and a nice way to kill some time. When we got the boat, bus and train back to the hostel Gabrielle said goodbye to me as he was catching his flight back to Munich, I wished him all the best and he departed. Doris and me went for a wander around little India in the evening and had some little bites to eat before heading back to the hostel, to get into the cool air-conditioned rooms.<br>

... almost having a heart attack when looking at the snakes, we went to the otters and other cuties like a black panther licking its pawns, etc... That was a great moment, very calm and relaxing, far away from the city buzz. Then we headed back to town and had dinner in an Indian Restaurant "Lagnaa ...

... Kent Ridge Wing in the "Crystal Suite". The Crystal Suite apparently looked like a room in a five-star hotel and had a Singaporean VIP staying in it. The room had an ensuite bathroom, a living area and adjoining bedrooms presumably for relatives to stay in. Lucy saw a patient with confirmed H1N1 and even advised a doctor on a treatment plan so all in all it was a productive morning in some respects<br><br>Anyway, after that appalling morning things were looking up and we decided to ...

... English style group of buildings where there are lots of waterside restaurants. After a bite to eat (spring rolls, curry puffs and lime juice) we headed back into the main part of the city to have a look at the large shopping centres passing the Parliament building. We caught a double decker bus back to the Apartment and enjoyed a refreshing swim. Later the cousins cooked up a Aussie BBQ dinner.

... much I love food, I would like to point out how amazing all the food is there. There is a ton of amazing Indian, Malay, Indonesian and Chinese food. Another highlight was going to a place called The Necessary Stage which is a small black box theater that addresses several social issues through their plays that are not often addressed in Singapore society due to the amount of control the government has. We met with the playwrights and founders of the company who ...

... the road a taxi came flying round the corner and was about 2 foot was taking me and em out! Being the hero i am i pushed em out of the way of the speeding car (or was she just in my way? i cant remember! ha) and gave the driver a few harsh words! We got on the underground and headed to china town, wasnt much there so following the theme for most of southern asia we headed to another mall! There is a mall at every ...

... one costs about fifteen pounds is a little offputting and we go without. We also manage to peep into the ballrooom which is being prepared for a wedding. Its full of flowers and it looks very beautiful but there is no sign of the bride. We then cross the road to Chijmes. It was a convent. Its now been restored and is a collection of restaurants,pubs, and handicraft shops. One of the highlights of the time spent in Singapore was a visit to the ...

... con i due spicci che ci sono rimasti e prendere la metro per il porto. Come dei sonnambuli facciamo il check in, passiamo la frontiera e saliamo sul traghetto: terra di nessuno, in attesa di arrivare in Indonesia. Il traghetto parte ed all'improvviso, in un momento di lucidita', un pensiero mi fulmina in testa: il visto! Oh cazzo! Il visto per l'Indonesia! Possiamo farlo all'arrivo, si, ma con che soldi? Li abbiamo spesi praticamente tutti ieri sera, cioe' qualche ora fa ...

... ask - and a very tuneful rendition it was, too). We had a bite of dinner (lots of rice and curries, one of which had some rather suspicious meat in it and was no doubt one of the cheaper cuts - ear, perhaps, or toenail maybe) and then just got an early night to make the most of the extra hour the Indonesian time change had provided. Tomorrow: Java, East of Krakatoa. (T)

... we changed seats and settled down for some Indonesian karaoke which was playing on the TV. On the way out of the harbour we passed Sentosa Island and an hour later we arrived in Batam. We used the last of our Singaporian dollars on visas and made our connection with the help of 'Delboy-Trotter' of Indonesia - a nice guide who got us through immigration and fast-tracked our tickets for the 'speed boat' to Dumai in Sumatra for 10,000 rupiah (80p). The 'speed boat' turned out to be ...