Indonesia!

So, like I said, I visited Batam Centre, Indonesia, for an afternoon whilst in Singapore. Although Batam Centre consists of a shopping mall, ferry terminal, and little else, it was an interesting experience and deserves a short post of its own.

I went right out of the ferry terminal and into the mall for lunch. Looking for just a quick fix before exploring on foot, I grabbed some A and W (Mango Chicken wrap, in a combo that included ice cream=best AW food ever!). I instantly noticed that inflation was pretty high-lunch cost 22 000 Rupiah (about 2 dollars). My plan was now to head into the town, and so I left the mall. As soon as I left, people began to approach me asking if I wanted a taxi. I've gotten used to this in Asia, and kept walking. I had no need for a taxi since I was going nowhere in particular (and had no clue, at the time, what the exchange rate on the money was, so I didn't know if I'd have enough to get anywhere). I headed down a wide street, where the sidewalk was occasionally replaced by mud, and where, to my surprise, almost every motorist honked and tried to offer a ride. Not only taxis, but also motorcycles and people in private cars. Eventually, I realized, after walking in a square, that I wasn't going to find a town, and went back in to the mall.

I made an effort to learn as much about the local culture as one can in a standard shopping mall, in the middle of a week day. Indonesia, for those who don't know, is the world's largest Muslim majority country; this meant that there were mannequins wearing Hijabs, Halal restaurants (which Singapore also had alot of), and Arabic on some signs. I went into a Muslim shop, hoping there'd be something for learning Arabic (my minor in University, for those who don't know), but there was only a poster with the Alphabet. I then headed back out in another direction, where I grabbed lunch at a little restaurant. The lunch was good, but I felt like one of those obnoxious tourists when I couldn't speak the language to understand how much I owed. Eventually, I headed back on the ferry.

Now, the only real issue I had in Indonesia came when I tried to take the ferry back-it was only there that I was informed about the 51 000 Rupiah departure tax. The problem? I'd been shopping, and only had about 30 000. The ATM only operated in Indonesian, even when I pushed the English button, but I eventually made my way out, more than a little upset that they hadn't informed me of something so important.

Indonesia was an interesting experience. It was interesting to see the reaction to a lone, white, male traveler with a backpack. It was also interesting to observe the large compounds of resorts which people go to, while there was no actual cultural center in the town-presumably, most tourists go for the cheap escape from Singapore, and don't have the interest in Indonesian culture that I have for all cultures, and that caused me to make a short trip there. Regardless, it was fascinating, and the visa is probably the coolest thing in my passport!