Batam Info / Interest / Help Thread

[nono1973]

Originally Posted by klip2345

Which hotel should I take if I want to get a girl ?

If you are new, read :

https://sbfsg.net/showthread.php?p=...9#post18753429

...and to zoom in on more info when you are a noob to the scene, read :

https://sbfsg.net/showpost.php?p=18...ostcount=12411

As for where to be staying around when you are new to Batam, read :

https://sbfsg.net/showpost.php?p=15...postcount=6277

See? All info of the above links were taken from my signature link to reply you,hehehe...

Side note, Hari Raya season, most girls arent back yet. Then again, there's never a lack of girls in Batam. May just have a lack on varieties for the time being.

Enjoy your Batam trip.

Cheers!

[ChiongBalai]

Originally Posted by nono1973

If you are new, read :

https://sbfsg.net/showthread.php?p=...9#post18753429

...and to zoom in on more info when you are a noob to the scene, read :

https://sbfsg.net/showpost.php?p=18...ostcount=12411

As for where to be staying around when you are new to Batam, read :

https://sbfsg.net/showpost.php?p=15...postcount=6277

See? All info of the above links were taken from my signature link to reply you,hehehe...

Side note, Hari Raya season, most girls arent back yet. Then again, there's never a lack of girls in Batam. May just have a lack on varieties for the time being.

Enjoy your Batam trip.

Cheers!

Have cinema guide? Was wondering how many there are. Will be planning to stay at Radisson and want to know where the closest cinema is. TIA.

[nono1973]

Originally Posted by censored

Thanks for all your hard work.
Although I am only a few weeks into reading all the batam info, I will refrain from publicly asking questions until I have read everything.

Your are welcome. Since this is a private message (aka PM), i have chose to reply you in public forum thread censoring off your nick for privacy reason. As for why i reply in public instead of using PM, well...your question is rather general which may deem for some discussion out in the open. Due to time factor,i make it a point not to reply to all my PMs too,thats mainly becos i have too many of them. On top of that, there's also word limitation on PM-ing too.

Just a note tho, while i compile information in the forum, i mainly use it for my own reference. When someone asked a repeated question, myself and maybe other bros here could easily redirect him/her to the information i compiled (trouble-maker/s and clone/s otherwise of course).

Or the least, there is a correct direction for someone who ask to seek for himself the answer, rather than getting all smash up just from "asking a question" (i was such victim before,hehehe..). It can be irritating to hear repeated question/s for many readers here and answer/s to many basic repeated question/s were usually buried deep down inside a forum thread after some time (this thread really move fast).

The solution, which is why nono1973 signature link was created.

*everytime i make a post in this thread, i am indirectly giving answer/s to newbie becos of my signature link that comes with it,hehehe..

Originally Posted by censored

The only thing I want to know right now is; at present day is it still worth going to batam?
(background: last 20 years been playing in china and PI, prior to that thailand, europe, and US)
Am planning a playventure in a few weeks, and after finding this forum I want to try batam.

On my own thought, I would just say Batam is still worth going to, tho not as worthy if compared to 15 to 25 years ago. My reason for saying that would be comparing failure rate versus success rate over getting a good time. In US, Thailand, Europe or perhaps other parts of Asia, the damage would usually be greater than Batam (calculating total cost of the trip to each place) if its gonna end with a fail. In other word, it boils down to how many fail can one afford to make in other countries versus Batam. The same amount of resources i used in other countries, i can fail more times in Batam.

(sorry,i may sound a bit pessimistic but its essential for me as most of my success were built on failure,and each fail comes with a price)

As for if one would have a good time eventually lies mainly on how well if one could blend into their culture and if the scene is suitable for those who are there. Imagine this, if you fail thrice or more in Batam, you probably would not like to step into it to waste time again,hehehe...

My usual saying goes like that, keep expectation low. i do that in all other countries i visited, even in Japan,hehehe...most time, i advise friends i brought to Batam to cut their expectation by at least half.

Try at least a 3D2N trip there and you might know more than you read here. Like i mentioned earlier, Batam is one of the lowest in terms of pricing for a total trip cost comparing with countries you mentioned (if you are from Singapore). I believe most Singaporean could afford those fail.

Enjoy!

[BFOMF5]

KFC Harbour bay opedned

[cleyeo]

Bro NDND, are you Indonesian ?. How did you get Indo KTP ?. Just curious !

Seems you like Indo very much, you are using Garuda as your profile picture !! cheers

[davidlah]

Originally Posted by sohbuckkong

Without being linked or shared, then theres no way spore could know who is that foreigner. With this, then its v obvious spore ICA is just checking for fake passports and bad records from its own database and those from interpol. I doubt spore is keen to know whether a foreigner hold single or multiple citizenship.

Passport data of arrivals and departures is never shared among countries. However, airlines will share the passengers data as required by aviation law. Leave by passport A and enter by passport B without being noticed is only possible through non-registered, non commercial transport. E.g walk through causeway or private driving.

Each country will exercise its own discretion dealing with people who use multiple passports.

[ndnd]

Originally Posted by BFOMF5

That interesting
Could use for ferry..?

Using passport to check in for ferry, not KTP / NRIC leh

[ndnd]

Originally Posted by cleyeo

Bro NDND, are you Indonesian ?. How did you get Indo KTP ?. Just curious !

No, Im not Indonesian.
Last time just give a photograph, there are agents to do it.
Last time one Indonesian can have 10 KTP with 10 different names and all were legitimate

[BFOMF5]

Originally Posted by nono1973

Side note, Hari Raya season, most girls arent back yet. Then again, there's never a lack of girls in Batam. May just have a lack on varieties for the time being.

Enjoy your Batam trip.

Cheers!

Money changer give S$ rate less <=10300

Last saturday...
Forseen bank is closing for 9 days.
I check remitance, rate was quoted 10375 (think its base in last friday closing)
Ni sure is money still using kast friday rate as referance.

[BFOMF5]

Originally Posted by ndnd

Using passport to check in for ferry, not KTP / NRIC leh

555 just thought can use INDO KTP with SgPP to get boalding pass

[nono1973]

Originally Posted by retirebatam

When a country gets too advance/high tech/modern, the cost of living will also increase. Therefore retiring in a less developed country gives your savings a higher purchasing power.

I agreed with this point. Its just like same S$1 can be use to buy more things in Batam as compared to Singapore. Which is why the S$5 survivor challenge which i took in past while in Batam has shown me what i have missed.

Originally Posted by retirebatam

5. In spore, strata units (condo/Apt) are managed by professional managing agent. However, Batam may not have sufficient qualified people to maintain the building.

In my next few trips to batam, i am more likely to spend more time in the developer's office. I already went to a few in my last trip and gather quite a handful amount of information and one of those information involved the people who would be managing the condo's facilities.

[nono1973]

Originally Posted by ndnd

@ NONO, solar system for landed house is ok. For apartment, i doubt the management will approve even you own the unit. Better double check before purchase.

Thanks, thanks...yea, i notice some land house roof top got those satellite dish,hehehe...but i never see solar panel in Batam before.

I now need to consider buying a studio unit with balcony and also to watch out for the size of its balcony. The solar panel wont be too big tho and the size i plan to bring in were unlikely able to power up appliances such as air-con and refrigerator. But for television,some simple household appliances and computers, shouldnt be a problem. Hehehe...i wont be turning on air-con thru out the day,round the clock either.

Solve the constant black out issue too. I am not using apartment block space, but my own living space (inside balcony) to fit the solar panel, hence i dont plan to seek the condo's management's approval.

The electrical bill and apartment management cost in Batam condominium is really scary. Save here ,save there, might still need to fork out about 2.5 juta per month and that amount of money already can use to rent a small no-window unit in Lai Lai apartment already.

Originally Posted by DDAMn

Nono pls also dun forget Batam have certain times Water rationing & Power Shutdown..hahahaha

Thank you for sharing.

Water rationing i hear of it before. One taxi driver every once told me before, his water tap at home actually came out air instead of water. Not so much of a problem for me.

I used to stay in Jakarta for a bit as a kid before, those days where the tap came out clear water on the bath tub but after being filled up to about half, the water was actually dark greenish in color. So dark that when you drop a 50 rupiah coin into it, you will unlikely be able to find it. After leaving the bath tub of water for a day or 2 unattended, i was able to see one or 2 worms crawling out from it. And i have to use those greenish water to shower myself EVERYDAY!

This has left me a very deep impression back then. So the people staying with me uses bottled mineral water to cook their food and for drinking. Over the many years, Indonesia water system has made tremendous improvement, but their electricity supply system still almost the same. I still see some black-outs in Batam every once a blue moon (no less than a dozen time over my 5 years in Batam).

You mean there are electricity rationing in Batam?

If thats the case, there may be a problem...haiz...a lot of things cant go w/o electricity (fridge etc) and a diesel power-ed generator definitely cannot fit into a studio unit.

I believe most apartment condo should have a back up generator tho.

From all the aspect i look at Batam's property on the whole, be it any brand new condo apartment or a new landed property, give them say about 10 years, the place would be pretty much quite rundown. My view on the whole is much wider after the discussion (info) and am looking at the buying of apartment more differently.

I should be able to ask the property agent/s and the developer/s better questions in my upcoming trip to Batam. Being a 1st time Batam would-be property buyer, most time when i see them also dont know what kind/type of key question to ask.

Sincerely thank you all.

[nono1973]

Hmm...BCC hotel now offer free shuttle service,hehehe...but not to Harbour Bay or Batam Center ferry terminal...so sad.

Still a need to book from their website directly to get the discounted.

[nono1973]

Originally Posted by BFOMF5

KFC Harbour bay opedned

Hehehe...this is good news. I hope they have smoking area, otherwise i am sticking to Morning Bakery.

Originally Posted by BFOMF5

Money changer give S$ rate less <=10300

Last saturday...
Forseen bank is closing for 9 days.
I check remitance, rate was quoted 10375 (think its base in last friday closing)
Ni sure is money still using kast friday rate as referance.

10300/SGD ??!!

Now, this is the kind of time where Singapore money changer at Raffles place Arcade mall or Chinatown area would have given a better than Batam rate. Otherwise, under normal days, Batam money changer would have offer better exchange rates.

Yes, i notice that many Indonesians were talking about having super duper ultra long weekends from 1st June onward until 9th June 2019 hence i am NOT expecting the richer girls in Batam to be back until after 10th June 2019 tho,hehehe..

I definitely wont be there during those time tho,hehehe...becos its too crowded and lesser girls to choose from.

[fde83]

Originally Posted by ndnd

No, Im not Indonesian.
Last time just give a photograph, there are agents to do it.
Last time one Indonesian can have 10 KTP with 10 different names and all were legitimate

With the right people (not money) now also can apply for ktp, indo pp included om.