Batam City Center in Batam, Sumatra in Indonesia
After roughly an hour ferry ride from the Harbourfront Terminal in Singapore, Marc and I arrived in Batam around 10:30 in the morning. We actually took a 10:50 am ferry but due to the time change and Batam, Indonesia being an hour behind, it was as if we didn't lose any time at all. Going through Indonesian immigration was a breeze. Most of the passengers held Asian passports. As soon as we cleared immigration, off we went to the mall which was connected to the Batam Terminal.
I knew what I wanted to see and since I had read a lot of information as to what we could see in the area, we sort of knew where to go and what to expect. I was surprised to see an extremely modern mall. It was very nice with lots of restaurants from US chains to eateries specializing in the local cuisine. The entire place looked very western.
This was the terminal we arrived in and which was connected to the very modern Batam Megamall
Going through the walkway connecting the Batam Terminal to the mall next door we were in awe at the sight of these towers.
The government buildings were right next to the Batam Megamall.
Hypermart is the supermarket inside the mall.
The mall had several floors.
One of the restaurants inside the Megamall
Marc and I had lunch at the very famous Kentucky Fried Restaurant. There were lots of Singaporeans here. In fact, this was a main stop for them when they come to Batam. The food was good. We had chicken with rice.
A store inside the mall selling Muslim women's wear. Definitely not something I see back in the States.
At the A & W restaurant
I must say, Bread Talk is everywhere. They are in Manila, Bangkok, Singapore and here too in Batam!
There were no banks inside although there were ATMs outside the building. It took us a while to figure what they meant by banking. It turns out the sign referred to a line of ATM machines outside the mall and not banks within the mall itself.
This was the gate to an area where government buildings were located.
Here's a complete view of the gate.
There seemed to be a fair in front of the government buildings. There were these booths and the people in it kept waving at us. This group had Marc take their picture with their I phone. Once done, I asked if I could have my picture with them and they said "Yes!"
The Great Mosque of Batam
Loved these doors!
Of course, I wasn't going to let a photo op like this pass by, did you?
After taking a picture of the Welcome to Batam sign, these kids kept waving at me while Marc and I were walking back to the mall. When I smiled back, the more they waved. I asked the teacher if I could have my picture taken with them, she and the kids quickly obliged and began laughing. What a funny scene it was! What fun!
Marc with the same group of students and their teacher
The Harris Hotel
The restaurant inside the Harris Hotel
Inside Harris HOtel
