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The largest city in the province of Riau Islands, Batam is an administrative city covering three islands, which are Batam, Rempang and Galand, as well as several small ones. Due to its strategic location along the East-West shipping trade routes, orang laut, literally means sea people, are Malays who were the first to inhabit Batam Island since 231AD.
The Riau Islands were part of the Malay Kingdom up until the 16th century. Then when the Malacca Kingdom fell in 1511, the province the fell under the power of the Johor Sultanate. The Johor-Riau boundaries broke into two parts when the region was conquered by European powers mainly the Dutch and the British.in 1824 when the Anglo-Dutch Treaty was signed, the territories were separated into two where the British control everything north of the Singapore Strait while the Dutch controlled Riau to Java.
Batam was occupied by the Japanese for a while during the Second World War. That is why some areas in Batam have Japanese names like its main town Nagoya. Originally in the 1970s, Batam was intended to be Indonesia’s Singapore. That was when Batam underwent a major transformation from an underpopulated island to a major harbour and industrial zone.
Most natives of the island are of Malay origin however various Indonesian ethnic groups have moved to Batam in search of better jobs. Its culture is mainly Malayan roots interwoven with Islamic values. Indonesian is the common spoken language here while Malay, Minangkabau, Batak, Javanese, and Chinese dialects are also prevalent.
Batam’s climate averages between 26° and 32° as it has a tropical climate. It is also quite humid here. November to April is the wet season in Batam while dry season is usually from May to October.
You can get to Batam via aeroplane or ferry. Batam has one international airport, which is the Hang Nadim International Airport in Batam located. There are no direct flights from Singapore to the airport, but if you want, you can take a flight to Soekarno-Hatta, Jakarta and spend some time there before continuing to Batam via flight. An alternative is to fly to Kuala Lumpur first then to Batam. Price for these flights can start from around SGD140 to SGD170 for a one-way trip.
The quickest and cheapest way to get to Batam from Singapore is by taking a ferry. There are ferries that connect Singapore with Batam. It is a one hour trip from Singapore and you can take a ferry from the Harbourfront Ferry Terminal or Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal to get to the city. Return trips using ferry to Batam will cost you about SGD40.
Once you are on the island, there are plenty of taxis, buses, vans and motorcycle taxis to get you where you need to go. If you need to travel between the island, boats and ferries are readily available.
Batam is where business meets pleasure. Across from Singapore, this Indonesian city is a great place to escape the hustle and bustle of daily life. There are plenty of attractions here like golf courses, sailing, duty-free shopping, beach resorts, spas, snorkelling and diving spots and many more.
Batam Cable-Ski Park
The first Cable-Ski Park built in Asia; this park is one of the attractions at Waterfront City Resort in Batam. Here, an electrically driven cable will pull you around a lake while you wakeboard, wake skate, skis or kneeboard. Equipment and gear are all there, so you don’t have to bring your own. Learn how to wakeboard and have fun! They even offer full-day and half-day packages.
Abang Island
Definitely one of Batam’s popular diving and snorkelling spot. White sandy beaches and crystal clear waters for ocean lovers. Abang Island are Dedap, Ranos and Coi Islands, all of which are reef conservation areas. The water there are relatively shallow, which makes snorkelling a great activity for you to do. Or why not go for a dive with a local dive shop? Either way, you will definitely appreciate the beauty of the underwater life there.
Batam Miniature House
The Batam Miniature House is a park filled with cute, miniature versions of traditional houses from all over Indonesia. It will certainly be an educational trip as you learn the different types of culture that exists in the country. Walk along the built path and enjoy the park which is built in a garden. It’s also a great place to take lots of pictures for your social media posts.
Ikan Bakar
Charcoal grilled fish and other seafood that comes in many different marinades and sauces. Seafood are plenty in the province, so why not enjoy cheap seafood for your lunch or dinner. Many restaurants that sell ikan bakar are an open-air concept restaurants where the dining area may be outside. Check out Ikan Bakar ACIA at Komplek Batam Park, a popular spot for ikan bakar where they marinade and serve the dish in a special yellow sauce.
Laksa
A common Peranakan dish in the region with influences from typical Malay and Chinese spices. Laksa consists of noodles in a spicy soup which can either be fish, prawn or chicken based. The noodles are round, white, thick rice noodles. The typical kind of laksa served in the province is a curry laksa which has a fatty and spicy curry based soup instead. Try going to D’Laksa or Mie Siam Laksa Gado Gado for a taste of this dish.
Mie Lendir
The dish, which means mucus noodle, is a noodle dish made with yellow egg noodles drenched in thick peanut, almost gravy-like sauce. Mie lendir is topped with bean sprouts, chillies, fried onion and a hard boiled egg. A popular place to have this dish is at a coffee shop in Batam called Kedai Kopi Harum Manis.
Legoland, Johor
You can get to Johor via ferry from Batam Center to Pasir Gudang, Johor. This state in Malaysia has plenty of interesting things for you to do for a weekend trip. Visit Legoland Theme Park, the first international theme park in Malaysia. There are seven areas in the park with 70 hands-on rides, slides, shows, and attractions. Legoland also has its own Lego-themed hotel and a water park, the Legoland Water Park.
Austin Heights Water and Adventure Park, Johor
If you want variety, then Austin Heights Water and Adventure Park is for you. You need to travel to Johor via ferry to Pasir Gudang. From the ferry terminal. It is about a half an hour drive away to the park. This Austin Heights Water and Adventure Park has a water park, an adventure park, and a sports and leisure park where there is a synthetic ice skating rink as well as a trampoline park.
With the flight and ticket package available at Traveloka Singapore, you can visit Batam easier and cheaper. Choose a variety of tour packages that we offer, and modify as you like to get the combination you want.
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