Batam Info Thread

[nono1973]

Originally Posted by iicycold

https://sbf.directory/showpo...ostcount=31240

I hope u read

I realize i couldnt find this link on my guide,it should be somewhere around...hmm...

Originally Posted by newyorker88

In total agreement. Batam is not just a sex tourism area. A population of 1 million or more. Red light district is limited to a few places only.

I think most major Indonesia cities have at least one red light district,Batam's one is more popular among Sillyporean becos it is very very near Sillypore. I believe if Bali is as close to Sillypore as Batam,it may likely carry the same fame too. More like Shenzhen as to HK.

Originally Posted by newyorker88

Food, entertainment, factories, work, fishing, farming, shopping,get away, etc. Please do not think that Batam is a sex hole. There are plenty of people living here. Only difference is the currency power Singapore dollar have over others. batam is a major port to many islands as well in Riau.

Hopefully heaven Batam will still remain as heaven ever after.

Originally Posted by newyorker88

In this thread, Sex n entertainment is the major thing, but seems like food is catching on as well. I do admit that there are many good food in this island n at a much cheaper price. And better quality.

Basic of eat,sleep and fuck info in Batam already completed in this thread on my signature.

In 2016,about time to pick up the "other" kind of entertainment aka alternatives. Time for some healthy life style in Batam,hehehe...

Alegro f-KTV (family style):
https://sbf.directory/showpost.p...ostcount=33355

Mata Kucing (Batam's Mini Zoo) :
https://sbf.directory/showpost.p...ostcount=34085

I am actually eyeing on KTVs,the clean ones instead. Temples and other places of worship,farming agriculture and some other places of interest in Batam lesser known to the majority. I believes it may be a good mix and match entertainment for everyone,whether if one is a cheongster or not,hehehe...then again,i am usually No Action but Talk Only (NATO).

Further explanation will comes in the later part of 2016 where the cheonging scene can be somewhat linked to the "cleaner part" of Batam. Perhaps that could turn my future cheonging in Batam into a much happier healthy ones.

Dragon Fruit Farm in Batam


Indonesia's famous good tasting Harum Manis greenish Mango that dont turn yellow when ripe

[S.B.Y.1]

Originally Posted by longlong135

Hope to have my regular driver(s) fixed for my next trip in Batam.

Batam supirs (taxi drivers) are NOT to be trusted. Use their services for at the least thrice at most after which change supirs.
This advis has been posted umpteenth times already.

[Black Page]

Originally Posted by lee123

Can take bike oso to save $. only 20k from habour bay to formosa hotel if u r alone.

Originally Posted by S.B.Y.1

Batam supirs (taxi drivers) are NOT to be trusted. Use their services for at the least thrice at most after which change supirs.
This advis has been posted umpteenth times already.

I agree 100%.
I add that I really do not see the need to hire a dedicated supir for one full day, or even for the weekend. I never did that.

Hiring one taxi for one day might cost, say, 400k (am I wrong? I read this in some posts, excluding long rides to the South). And this implies negotiation, talking, time to spend.
Then what? You have that taxi following you all the time? Or you call him and wait when you need it? Do you think the driver really stays idle waiting for you and jumps to the car as soon as you call him?
In some cases, he will take some other rides to make some more money, hoping you don't call him during that, or simply believing that if you wait him for just 10 minutes it's not a problem for you. (it IS a problem, since you paid for exclusive use, but he will hardly understand the concept!)

I don't see the need of all that. The alternative strategy, for someone planning to stay mainly downtown, is to take the first taxi from the street. Zero waiting time. And lower cost overall, unless one does not ride a lot. In descending order of cost, I see:

- pay 50k per ride regardless the destination in Nagoya and nearby (virtually zero negotiation, since 50k is the price for taxi to/from Harbour Bay, and 50k for downtown is overpay already) => break even at 8 rides. (Warning: avoid the taxi waiting at Nagoya Hill inside the parking area. Notoriously the most expensive.)

- pay 50k per ride for going to and coming from Harbour Bay, 30k for downtown, 50k at night from disco or Kampung Bule (a bit more negotiation is needed, since most drivers will demand 50k as first price, sharks even more than that) => break even at 10-12 rides.

- pay 50k per ride for going to and coming from Harbour Bay, with luggage, 10k-15k for downtown on ojek when you are alone, 50k at night for a taxi from disco or Kampung Bule when you are with a girl => break even at 15-20 rides.

Sure, the balance between the two strategies depends on the usage pattern. That is, to individual preferences, plans and habits: "to each his own".
But one should not, I believe, just opt for hiring a taxi for one full day as unique possibility, without considering to pay a taxi (or ojek) only when needed.

Sure, the picture changes if one plans to go South to Barelang. Then, a taxi must be hired for 3-4-5 hours. But again, my advice is to hire one taxi for THAT tour, negotiating for say 70k per hour (this 70k really depends on how many km the taxi is supposed to run, because the driver bears some cost for running, and another in stand-by. It might be much less, if the taxi will not ride many km, or more, if you ask him to drive all time).

[KohOnly21]

Originally Posted by MovingTarget

Let me share something with you. If you are a regular visitor to Batam, you may want to create your own network of drivers at a reasonable rate and at a convenience time for both parties. It is a win-win situation ..

Hi, saw your post and just want to add in some additional information..

1) For blue bird and silver cab aka Almi is a must for them to on their meter.

2) The only meter cab that are allowed in most malls, terminal pick up is silver cab

3) silver cab is overall cheaper by a bit compared to blue bird as their starting fare are 6k rp, blue bird 8k rp.

4) The minimum taxi fare for both companies are 25k excluding gantry fee of 2k rp if applicable

5) For the meter traveling from Nagoya to Batam Center terminal will cost around 40-60k rp (so your fare of 50k is acceptable)

5) For the meter traveling from Nagoya to Sekupang terminal will be at least 80k to around 100k rp (hence, in this case hiring a private taxi or private negotiation will be more recommended as the usual fees are only 60-70k.

6) Skip the taxis in the malls/terminal if you are concerned about paying high fare.

Peace.

[newyorker88]

Originally Posted by godspeed2488824

Also let me share my past experience when i went batam last. It was a solo trip and i went around 2014. once i got to batam i got a cab and told driver i wanted to find for girls.

I went to a few joins(don't know the names) but most of the girls were already book as i took last ferry to go. I finally found one in one of the joins and saw a girl i liked. She was a syt and was told her price was 1.5juta. I booked her. she was around 21.

When we got back to hotel, i was drinking and watching movie with her and after sometime, she went to sleep. when i told her i wanted to have sex she kept lying down and sleep etc so i asked her to leave. it was around 2am. After that i went down the the reception and told the duty manager i wanted a girl to come to my room and he told me it would cost me 1.5juta again.. and since small head was desperate, i said ok and a slim girl came. had 2 rounds with her and send her off.

so just for 2 rounds i wasted like 3 juta.can't remember what was the rate that time .. so i don't want to get chop carrot again. this time i'm going for 2 days and i have a budget of $500. would this be enough ? Thanks for any input guys.. will really appreciate it and also post FR once i get back to sg..

Name the joint. I think it would be in blacklisted list in bro nono posts. 1.5 Juta? the taxi driver getting a high com on it. It is better to know the place, go there, book the gal yourself first then get a taxi. Drop off a street away from the joint, get another taxi after getting the gal, to save on com.

Also, negotiation is a way of life here, always bargain down.

[nono1973]

Originally Posted by PigletDiDi

Ah maybe at Utama area i didn't bargain enough but still acceptable for me as a nice syt.

No worries on the pricing,its definitely not carrot price tho. Just that hopefully you will try to put up a bit more resistance on the pricing so as not to sabotage the other bros who joined you. I am saying this in related to my Madurani Massage shop experience where all the girls there that massage for us gang up to try to chop all of us in a group during my last 2 batam group trip ago by monopolizing their special service pricing.

Just suggesting you give it a try next time for once. No obligation to follow what i say tho,hehehe...

Originally Posted by PigletDiDi

The moonlight is opposite the wet market.

Great! Now we are in the same tune,hehehe...

Originally Posted by PigletDiDi

Utama areas have a lot massage shops but some charging too much for a normal room at 100k
I only go for those charging at 60k per hr . But caution the massage maybe only take 25~30 mins the rest of time for GQ.

I usually go for no oil massage becos i know most of these 50k/hr to 60k/hr massage places's bath area isnt really well equipped to clean me up properly. If i were to take their no oil massage,i usually skip their VIP room which comes with a bath tub.

I rarely find piano massage in Batam,hehehe...thanks for the heads up on the massage timing.

Originally Posted by PigletDiDi

It happened to our group of friends 2 out of 6 got GQ prompt. In the end all ur massage only last 30 mins .

Huh? Do you mean 4 out of 6 got no GQ prompt? If so,that isnt a good thing.

Originally Posted by Lucifer84

Mind if I ask where is bronono secret joint located at and it's name? I have been reading up bronono posts since Jan this year but i didn't find any secret joint mentioned. Even using the search function doesn't help.

Sorry bro,its on my own private listing of few joints/places. My definition of secret joint were not exactly secret as it has been mentioned in several of my summaries discreetly.

https://sbf.directory/showthread...1#post14031356

The thing is i just dont go around telling people in public those were my secret joints. The names were mostly in the Batam Cheong List, i just dont elaborate as if i do that in public,i may be spoiling my own playground ultimately.

I am saying this in related to the Indo Rasa massage place which i shared some time ago before anyone has even shared them in detail on this thread. People who reads about my sharing goes there,practically dont bargain at all due to the much stronger Sin$,pays a much higher price and today,their massage per hour price has increased tremendously (40% more,tho still cheap for foreigners) and they no longer do 100k/hj and 200k/fj. Service standard also drop quite tremendously.

From this lesson,i learned to STILL share,except in a more discreet way of my own. Otherwise one day,my sharing MAY turn out to be a nightmare for myself and those who who would really wish to enjoy Batam's special among the special,hehehe.. There are still lots of undiscovered places in Batam,more than anyone could even imagine and there's definitely other places worthy for anyone to enjoy beside just my secret places. (not forgetting the meat and poison theory and that every man has only 1 dick,hehehe..)

Continue to keep a look out in this Batam Info thread. Just be aware there will always have misleading information as well as good information mixed here. That part you will have to use some common sense and your own judgement.

Side note : I dont show people where the secret joints are.Nowaday i bring them there w/o telling them it is my secret joint. It is up to the person with me to figure it out. So far the main complain i hear from those who joined me in my group trips was they pay more when they dont go with me,hehehe...

[StarCity]

Originally Posted by iicycold

Get used to it...tat guy's been going ard working hard PMing others to try to be a more "reputable" man in tis thread since Aug & later Nov.

I'm sure he reads yr post -

https://sbf.directory/showthread...3#post14034670

https://sbf.directory/showthread...5#post14034672

https://sbf.directory/showthread...=#post14034676

https://sbf.directory/showthread...=#post14034680

https://sbf.directory/showthread...=#post14034684

https://sbf.directory/showthread...=#post14034687

https://sbf.directory/showthread...6#post14034688

https://sbf.directory/showthread...=#post14034691

Mayb he's too shy to go to rep pts exchange thread to ask for pts but i'm sure he'll see tis here & be thankful to yr ang Pows.

This is reli exaggerating,gng around the forum pm others for rep points.

Having high reputation points don't equates to being reputable. It's sort of a game in this forum. He's probably worrying too much of wat others think of him in this thread. Could lacking of confidence & having low self-esteem. All i knw is that those in the negative red zone were definitely not a good forum contributor.

I usually jus ignore them

[StarCity]

Originally Posted by Xyborg

If stay at nongsa area, (beach resorts), can bring girl back? mms/pps will deliver them?
also lower chance of them running away hor? lol.

Yes,if the girl u pick is agreeable. Yes for the part of the okt if he thinks he knws u well enuff. That means u are a regular. They are also likely to charge u extra transport cost.

Try putting yrself in the okt & girl's shoe to think. The girl can still runaway regardless hw far the distance they are from the joint.

[micmac888]

RiverSide Seafood Resto
==================





Location : Punggur. Google Search "SMPS Maitreyawira" (temple) - resto is just next it.

Food : 4/5 (for the freshness)
Value : For such simplicity in cooking/preparation yet significant distance-traveling - no rating.

Conclusion : So long as seafood is live - meat will always be sweet. In such circumstances - sauce and complementary taste to the meats become the next crucial factor (in a shoot-out). Riverside is very, very simple and minimalist. Anyone can cook at home with minimal ingredients. Lack for a better description would be "no passion in dishes". It is, however, a very good seafood resto for people staying near there (up to 30 mins drive, no more).

Caveat : This FR is personal L2E view. My expectation of this resto was prior set high by Ibu - as high as against Marine and Tg Piayu. The bill from Marine's previous dining is compared, to obtain a collective conclusion (next post : shootout).


====================

2nd Jan (Sat). We drove off from Legenda to Punggur. Traffic came to a very slow crawl about 150meters away from the Punggur ferry terminal - jam like nobody's business due to the holidays. Once past the terminal - it was just a 3-5 min drive. We took our table - and glanced around - perhaps is due to the heavy rain, the traffic terminal jam, and early lunch hour, that only 2 tables including ours got customers. I was quite happy actually - as the cook was not under pressure to rushing the cooking.

Ibu (she's a *regular* here) ordered the dishes - as far as possible same as what we had at Marine on 31st Dec. While waiting, took photos.



Kitchen. The boss' wife is the cook. Spacious.


Live Seafood stock kept. Unlike Tg Piayu - customers are not allowed to venture further, not safe enough.


The scenic lullaby view from dining area


The dishes came.

Udang Goreng


No live prawns (no more stock due to holiday crowd) - only frozen ones. So ordered the goreng one instead of DP/steamed. It's a simple deep-fry, the batter provided for the taste. Due to unfair comparison (with Marine's DP) - no judgment - just eat. It's ok.


Sotong Goreng


Same batter used and same simple deep-fry as with the Udang Goreng. They dun have Sotong Sambal Petai in their menu.

Garoupa cooked "Hong Kong" style


The fish was fresh and meat sweet That was that. The sauce was just soy sauce (and msg) - it was soy-ey to taste. The ginger strands was not cooked in the sauce or not cooked long enough (lack aroma). Notice it is served in a plate - not metal plate with small fire "stove" under the plate like in other restos. Can infer on the tastes and textures without such a setup for a such a dish. We noted the garoupa is smaller than the one we had at Marine (compared the fish-heads - Pak only eats the fish-head).


Scallops (*Mantap*)


The scallops - fresh therefore sweet. Very simple preparation but it just tasted better than any tried elsewhere. I thinking "it's live... so same as other live seafood restos - how can it taste so delicious !?" ... I scooped the sauce alone, tasted and found the key ingredient in the sauce - it's rice wine. The rice wine sauce complemented the natural taste and texture of the scallops MANTAP. We ordered a 2nd portion loooooool. Agreed with Ibu - that their scallops is simple - but undoubtedly a redeeming superstar. Recommended.


Kangkong. We ordered 2 portions - one cooked belacan (in photo), the other cooked non-spicy.


It's ok. They don't serve pakis polos, or perhaps the pakis ran out as with the live prawns.


Steamed Flowercrab


Ibu ordered 6 flower crabs. Dish came and they were baby/small flowercrabs - much smaller than at Marine. No sauce, no garnishings, just a shell-cracker LOOOOOL. Meat was super sweet. But the effort to peeling the shells to yield trace amounts of meat....


That was our lunch.

[blursam]

Originally Posted by S.B.Y.1

Batam supirs (taxi drivers) are NOT to be trusted. Use their services for at the least thrice at most after which change supirs.
This advis has been posted umpteenth times already.

If you are really that regular, you do not need a regular taxi driver......Pak Prez SBY will attest to that ! 😆

[Black Page]

Originally Posted by micmac888

RiverSide Seafood Resto
==================
Location : Punggur. Google Search "SMPS Maitreyawira" (temple) - resto is just next it.
Food : 4/5 (for the freshness)
Value : For such simplicity in cooking/preparation yet significant distance-traveling - no rating.

Another outstanding post from you!
It would be good if anyone (His Majesty Nono? ) could make a collection of these Food posts, with links to each, and set up a web page entitled "Places to eat well in Batam". Just a wish...

I have a question.
How would you compare this restaurant with the Aneka Selera just after the 4th Barelang bridge? It came to my mind when I saw your photos of the place and of the dishes, very similar.

On Google Maps, the distance to both seems acceptable from Nagoya, although Google underestimates the traffic in Batam. From Nagoya Hill, Google claims just 45 mins to Aneka Selera and just 32 mins to SMPS Maitreyawira, which is really too short. To Aneka Selera, I always took more than one hour.

[micmac888]

"Shootout" (Marine & Riverside)
=======================

Continued from here...


Called the bill and we all compared dish by dish.

Left - Marine's bill, Right - Riverside's bill.


1. Garoupa "hong kong style".
Marine goes by weight (1KG = RP260K). So @ 750g - it's RP195K.
Riverside's fish is smaller (Pak reaffirmed by comparing the fish-heads he ate). Riverside doesn't go by weight - it's a flat price of RP280K.

If going by Marine's weight measure, a Garoupa by Marine's standard would be 1.07KG ~~

Winner by taste and value by unanimous agreement : Marine


2. Kangkong by Riverside is RP25K per serving (fixed size). Marine's (Pakis polos) got 3 sizes - 2-people (small) : RP25K, 4-people (medium) : RP35K, more than 4-people : 50K.


3. Prawns. Can't make comparison. Marine's Drunken Prawns (400g of live prawns) @ RP150K. Riverside's (frozen) Prawn Goreng @ RP100K.


4. Other seafood in bill. Not able to make price comparison.


5. Drinks (Teh-O & Aqua) and nasih putih = same prices between the 2


The total bill of Riverside was RP846K. Include Ibu's personal discount the bill was RP760 for the meal (~11%).

Marine's "John Recommended" discount is 10% (as shown in the photo above). (yeah do yourself a huge favour and say *to Denny* : "John Recommended", to get that 10% discount). And NOTE : His wife has made mistakes in my billing before. (Once .. ok.. twice ... mmmmmh ... 3 times - wtf). Hence, I always check the bill (dinner with bros here or locals) every time, and if I feel uncomfortable - I seek clarification.


Perhaps a better comparison between the 2 would be as below.

Riverside


VS

Marine (August 2015 Link)

Price : RP650K ~ SG67

Exerpt from August'15 link :

- Drunken Prawns (300g). Not in photo. Was already completely devoured (even soup) by the time pic was taken LOOOOL!

- 3 x Flower Crabs (my personal favorite over sri-lankan crabs in Marine Live since can't get bigger sri lankan ones and the flower crabs' shells were much easier to crack and peel-off with meat as sweet.

- Pakis ~~~ (slurpppp)

- Big Clams - the sauce was WONDERFUL. Exactly like SG's East Coast Red House Chilicrab's chili sauce.

- HongKong Style Braised Garoupa (no need to say further.. .those who tried have already given 2 thumbs up including local friends )

- Scallops - Friday fresh replenishment - we picked the scallops off the supplier's truck (coincidental) LOL!

- 4 plates of rice + 2 plum juice + 1 Tea-o-beng




After we collectively concluded, Ibu went (really) quiet for a while... (I seriously thought I may just have dishonored her pride)....and then she said : "(micmac), I want to go eat at Marine again next week (9th Jan) please"

--the end--

[micmac888]

Originally Posted by Black Page

How would you compare this restaurant with the Aneka Selera just after the 4th Barelang bridge?

I would say: if the agenda for the whole afternoon be at Barelang - go Aneka (or Sembulang Kelong) for lunch and then go to Pantai Cakang (southernmost tip) for coffee/relax/watch sunset/enjoy the ocean and environment. It'd be a pity not to go PCakang since one is already "near" from Aneka/Sembulang anyways.

Aneka @ Barelang 4th bridge. Riverside @ Punggur Ferry Terminal. They are both quite far from downtown-Batam. But neither compels myself to travel the distance (and back) for the seafood - per se.

[hawkeye007]

Originally Posted by micmac888

"Shootout" (Marine & Riverside)
=======================

After we collectively concluded, Ibu went (really) quiet for a while... (I seriously thought I may just have dishonored her pride)....and then she said : "(micmac), I want to go eat at Marine again next week (9th Jan) please"

--the end--

Lol...!!!!! Maybe I'll see u at MLS on the 9th...

[TwinTowers]

Originally Posted by johnkhb

Lol...!!!!! Maybe I'll see u at MLS on the 9th...

Why not meet at RSR instead