How not to get rip off in Batam

I'm going Batam tomorrow again!!

Okays, this is probably the first Batam trip of the year, but I have been to Batam 3 to 4 times last year?

I was looking through all the old information and photos and I realised something: We always get rip off by people!

So these are the things that we need to take note of:

1. Take taxis away from the touts (those hanging around the hotels - they always charge 10,000 - 20,000 rupiah extra)

2. Always try to speak in Bahasa Indonesia or Malay (They will be friendlier and not charge so much if you attempt to speak in their language)

3. Make sure that you know their pricing before you bargain with them. If you tell them you are from Singapore, prepare to be tok by them.

4. Always ask for steamed food. If you tell them you want your stuff to be fried, they will be sure to give you lousy quality stuff (especially for seafood)

5. Don't eat at fast food outlets! I know there is A&W there, but seriously, the food there sucks. Try Malaysia's one if you really want to have it. Or just have the root beer float. Malaysia branches have switched to using recycled paper cups (which are damn freaking unhygienic)

6. Some places can be walked to instead of taking a cab. Like Yong Kee Istimewa Fish Soup Restaurant.

7. Most hotels will provide shuttle service to the major shopping centres, so you don't have to get a cab.

8. If you are interested to go back to Batam, grab the return tickets from the entrance of Nagoya shopping mall. They are much cheaper than if you get it from Singapore. Nett.

9. Eska spa provides free shuttle service from hotel if requested. They also have discount coupons to Wey Wey seafood restaurant if you are going there.

10. This is not exactly a rip-off, but please play at their arcade! It's super cheap there!! =D
Read here for the full story~

Comments

Review: NUR1113 (Active Ageing in Singapore)

Apparently this is a year one nursing module. This is another module which is highly bidded for, and a relatively easy module. Lectures can be skipped, as long as you read the lecture slides on your own. All the information had been pasted into the slides, rendering the lecture useless. The lecturer usually just reads from the slides. Tutorials are easy. Nothing much to prepare, and basically, they are logic questions. I remember doing a powerpoint presentation for this module. We also did random experiments in tutorials. However, one thing not good about being the minority in a close-knitted faculty means that you can't really interact with the rest of the module mates. They all have a similar timetable, meaning that you have to suit their timing. Something to consider if you are taking language modules huh.

Review: Learning spanish with Wlingua Spanish

It has already been a dream of mine to learn Spanish but due to the astronomical cost involved in picking up Spanish at a language school ( I was looking at las lilas school ), I gave up. So, while I was randomly surfing the net, I came across this app, Wlingua Spanish , which has a 7 days free premium trial and it seems to have quite good reviews on google play. As such, I downloaded the app and started using it. What can I say, it's awesome! I don't know how the basic plan looks like since I am still on my premium trial, but the layout of the course is really pretty good. According to the app, it covers up to B1 of the Spanish course, which equates to around 3 years of study in a language school. That's more than good enough for beginners like us. Below is a screenshot of my progress in 4 days, and I have been spending around 4-5 hours each day on this app. It seems like I got to take a long time even before I can complete the A1 course. T.T This app has a rewar...

Review: SCCIOB - Diploma in Translation and Interpretation

Wanted to do this earlier but I have been sooo busy. This diploma consists of 6 modules. DTS01 语言学导论 Introduction to Linguistics DTS02 英汉对比语言学 Comparative English and Chinese Linguistics DTS03 英汉双向翻译的理论与实践 English-Chinese and Chinese-English Translation Theory and Practice DTS04 基本文体翻译技能训练 Translation Skills for Different Genres DTS05 英汉双向口译的理论与实践 English-Chinese and Chinese-English Interpretation Theory and Practice DTS06 翻译综合能力培训 Integrated Translation Skills DTS 1: This module is the foundation for the rest of the modules, so it's pretty important. I like the male teacher who taught this module, because he's very structured in his way of teaching and it's easier to absorb the materials given. The homework given is not a lot when compared to NUS but I guess it's...

Review: PA Holiday Flat Chalet

Just ended a retreat at PA holiday flat chalet. We got it for super cheap (56 bucks) for 4 days 3 nights. Excluding electricity. The first thing I thought of was that PA is always understaffed, because we had to wait for 1/2 hour to check in as the staff was not in office. Finally, when we managed to check in, we realised that there was a lot of stuff not provided for. Booking the BBQ pit costs $3.20. And there were no toilet rolls in the toilet. And we have to clean up the rooms. Like throw all the rubbish away and such. This was the first time I had been to such a chalet so I was a little shocked. We took #03-03 and everything was fine till the last day when there was a thunderstorm. The wall started leaking and formed puddles on the floor. One tip to note is that taking the ground floor is better when there are lots of movements around. Climbing the stairs multiple times a day is no joke. The bedroom of #03-03 The BBQ pit, with the playground and the flats in th...

Bad experience at Fitness First Singapore for membership transfer

Recently, as I have been busy, I wanted to transfer my membership to someone else. Naturally, I called up Fitness First to check if I can transfer the membership and they told me that as long as they are willing to pay the transfer fee of 98 bucks and the remaining months of the membership, I am able to do the transfer. It sounds alright, correct? Then, when I attempted to transfer the membership, problems started to arise. Initially, the staff at Market Street Fitness First told me that yes, I can do the transfer(and that is after calling them multiple times as none of the staff can actually confirm it. They just told me to wait for their return calls which never ever happens.) Then after that, when I called for a last time to confirm when I wanted to make my way down, they suddenly told me that because I am on a term membership, they are unable to let me transfer my membership. (And I had already made arrangements with the person that will be taking over my membership) That w...

Revolving stars

Search This Blog