We say goodbye to Batam today. It has been very enjoyable, with the plans and the people. I now look forward to going home to see M1 and M2 whom I must admit, we did not talk to the last several nights. It’s not that we have forgotten them but with our coming back late every night and them being an hour ahead, the timing was not good.
Anyway, I look forward to planning the next trip. Soon.
Sometimes things does not go our way during the holidays. The earlier plans to return to the food court had to be shelved as one of us had taken ill. It was most unfortunate to cap the ending.
We returned to the hotel then to settle the sickie but we still had to eat and there’s that last bottle of whiskey. So what did we do? We ate in the hotel and drank our whiskey, with corkage charges incurred.
Not too bad I guess considering it’s such a change from the local fare that we’ve been having. Several packs of whiskey later, I am ready to call it a night and have a good night’s sleep. Tired from four days of golf and heat, aided by the massage today, I think I will sleep well tonight. The big plus being no 5.30am wake up call!
People are quirky. When we find something good and comfortable, we tend to go back to it. Creatures of comfort and familiarity? The whole group agreed that the massage place was good and we will be going back to them, with the request for the same masseurs.
As for dinner, all also agreed that the choices at the food court during lunch was good, so we are going back to the same place. Tonight, our fourth bottle of whiskey will accompany us to mark the end of yet another enjoyable golf trip consisting of the same people. (Remember the Chiangmai trip in March?Same people.) With same drinks (whiskey), same fun (golf) and same company (same group of people), same is good.
We opted for an open food court to eat Chinese food. I think everyone agreed enough of Indonesian food. The food choices at the food court were indeed a welcome change from the curries, spices and chilly that we’ve been having of late.
Sitting at the food court after the satisfying varieties that we ordered, the skies finally opened up and ensured we stayed there for a longer while. But the minute there was a break, we got onto our van to go buy Batam’s popular layer cake.
Basically we are finding things to do to wait out until 6.00pm for our massage, which could not be booked for an earlier slot.
My alarm went off at 5.15am. I groaned and tried to move. My goodness! This ungodly hour is crazy!!! Three mornings in a row, I must be mad or rather we golfers are a crazy bunch.
Today we hit Indah Puri Resort & Golf Club, our last game and the resort being slightly further than Southlinks, we had to allow a little more time (to battle traffic) to get there for our 8.00am tee off. So breakfast awaits but I don’t think I can eat as I can still feel last night’s dinner in me.
After not much debate, Chinese food was the choice. Driving along the bumpy roads, one comment was shock as to the place we were brought to but the food did make up for the ambience.
It was authentic Chinese food. Coupled with our third bottle of whiskey, I guess we cannot complain. By 9.30pm, we were finally done for the day. I am pretty light headed at this point and an early night to turn in is very appealing. After all, tomorrow morning, we play our final game at 8.00am again. But with the traffic to fight with, an early turn in is most welcomed. The 5.30am wake up call beckons.
Shopping was nyeh. There’s nothing to buy or should I say, nothing caught my fancy: the branded fakes are not my cup of tea (remember I am a brand loyalist to Salvatore Ferragamo?) nor the batiks and local handicraft. In the end, we bought some chips, peanuts, Carlsberg and Bintang beer and sat in a corner of A&W to will the time away in the mall right opposite our hotel.
The holiday is not over yet because we have another game tomorrow! And the big debate was what should we eat for dinner tonight. I think I will find out when the transport comes at 6.30pm.
By 11.30am we were done playing golf and hit the shower. Southlinks’ ladies changing room is by far the most comfortable for this trip. After lunching on soto ayam, ayam penyet and avocado juice, we were done by 2.30pm.
So what are we going to so? Done for the day? Maybe time to go shopping! And that’s what we will do…
5.42am: Woke up before the alarm rang. I slept better than the first night. Maybe the massage helped or tiredness has kicked in or I ate too much or it was the Glenfiddich whiskey that we had with our seafood dinner. It is day 3 and today, we will play at Southlinks Country Club.
Somehow, this trip, I feel that I don’t have enough time for the food to digest. But it’s not like we’ve been eating a lot. I suspect it could be the late lunch timing. After all, with an eight o’clock tee off and five hours or so later that includes a quick shower and traveling time, lunch is around 1.30pm. Technically, being an hour ahead, my usual lunchtime of 11.30am is 3 hours later! No wonder. And before we know it, dinner time is here and eat again!
And after a short sleep, breakfast time! Eat again.
I should walk more than take the buggy…
I have mentioned before that 5.30am is always the time I have to wake up whenever it is a morning tee off. Well, did I wake up at 5.30am today? Not quite but I did peek at my iPhone at 3.44am, 5.38am and eventually moved at 5.51am.
Groan… The bed is too soft and the pillows were nyeh despite the hotel looking comfy and the bed inviting. Oh well. We’re on holiday and shouldn’t be complaining. Might as well get ready for breakfast because our transport will be here at seven to battle traffic to get us to Palm Springs for our 8.00am tee off.
Speaking of traffic, there’s quite a bit of cars on the island. Took us awhile from Tering Bay to get to dinner and thereafter from the restaurant to the hotel.
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