Bintang Cup and a Day at the Spa.......

So we're fully into Monsoon Season! It seems like its been raining forever, big black clouds and huge thuderstorms, but somehow it still doesn't seem as wet as Scotland. Maybe it's because it's not horizontal rain with 100mph winds and the temperature is above freezing :D

This was the view from our house on Sunday morning......the brown river beyond the trees is actually a road but you would have needed a kayak to get along it!

Last week, Kelly, Dawn and I went for lunch to a restaurant in Batam called Kazu. It's a traditional Japanese restaurant with individual cubicles for each group and you leave your shoes outside and sit on the floor. You have a remote control on the table and you push a button when you want a drink or to order and a wee waitress in a kimono appears :D

I have to say though, it's not the easiest thing to get back up from those little chairs, pretty difficult to do it in a ladylike fashion!

We ordered Sashimi (just raw fish!), a huge board of Sushi, meat dumplings, miso soup and Chawanmushi (a steamed egg in a cup with prawns and chicken). The food was amazing, and pretty healthy too!

If only I could get Brian to try something like this but I don't think there was a single thing on the menu that he would eat!

I did notice while I was there that there were quite a few cubicles with only one pair of shoes outside and I though it strange that so many men were eating alone.........how naive am I?!? Apparently, it's the best place in Batam to pick up a high class working girl although I didn't see that option on the remote control in our cubicle.................................

Saturday was Bintang Cup day. It's Bredero Shaw's annual golf event with a difference. Basically, they have their own set of rules and the more beer you drink, the better your score is. The day starts @ 8am with a Bloody Mary (or 6) for breakfast, beer all day on the course and then margaritas to finish before hitting the bars in town.

Unfortunately, what happens at the course, stays at the course so I've no idea what went on........except that one of the players was stark naked by the 11th hole and lots of others were too drunk to finish the round. But it's by pure golfing skill and only a few beers that Brian came 3rd overall, yeah! 

So what do the girlies do on Bintang Cup Day? We went to the spa! I had a two hour facial.......I've no idea what went on but there were lotions and potions and at one point I had my face vacuumed! And do I look any different? Nah........

We also had a hair treatment, a manicure and pedicure and a neck, back and shoulder massage. Looks like we all had the same idea for the nail polish too.........Christmas toes!

The massage was a bit too firm for me.......I felt like I've been hit by a bus by Sunday morning and think I'm a wee bit bruised.........I'm like a peach, I need to be handled gently :D

Anyway, after the Spa we met up with the guys in Nagoya (well, those that were still standing after the golf!). I've not been out in the town at night yet so it was a bit of an eye opener! We went to Kampung Bule (kampung is indonesian for village and a 'Bule' is and expat!) Kampung Bule is basically a street full of bars, restaurants and karaoke places and it comes alive at night. A lot of the bars are 'girly' bars though, Batam used to be the place where single Singaporean men would come for a bit of 'fun'..................

We ended up on one of the bars called the Cock and Bull (not one of the girly bars!) and had a few drinks, food and a wee dance. Te bar across the road was called 'Lucy's Oarhouse' so you can kinda guess what goes on in there! Ahem.... Anyway,we all had a great night and would definitely go back, it's a great place to people watch :D

So this week I'm going to have a second attempt at getting Brian a Christmas present in Singapore. Dawn and I are heading over on the ferry tomorrow for the day and we're gonna meet the Singapore girlies for lunch. Must not buy gifts for me......................

Sampai jumpa lagi!

Lou & Brian xox

 

Drag queens and tentacles.........

It was the Bredero Shaw Annual Dinner on Saturday so in preparation for our big night out Kelly and I ventured out to the mall to have our hair put up. Turns out that you can't just get your hair done in Batam....... it's a complete makeover or nothing!

We left the salon looking like film stars though, over the top makeup and huge false eyelashes. I couldn't stand having the eyelashes on so they came off as soon as I was home. Had a bit of bother getting the glue off though and if I opened my eyes too much my eyelids stuck to my eyebrows.......not a good look!

Absolutely loved my hair.........

I'd definitely go back and have it done again, the whole works cost 150,000 IDR, which is about £10 (much cheapness!)

The theme was traditional Indonesian dress. Brian wore a silk Batik shirt (which he said he hated but I think he secretly loved it) and I wore a traditional outfit called a Kebaya.

The dinner was held in the Novotel in Nagoya which is the main town on Batam.   We had an amazing night! The food was great, although it was a bit uncomfortable when all the expats were served their dinner at the table and all the locals had to queue at a buffet! I felt a bit guilty but that's how it's done here...........

The food was all Indonesian, lots of satay, chicken dishes, fish and what looked like a vegetable dish in a soy type sauce. Brian was just about to take a mouthful of the vegetables when I discovered little tentacles hidden in amongst the broccoli! Just as well I noticed before Brian started to munch...........

The entertainment was amazing too, obviously no expense spared and it was pretty much non-stop for 5 hours! 

There were musicians, traditional dancers.........

.........an amazing singer, who came 8th on Indonesian Idol.........

.......and lots and lots of drag acts! They were hilarious though, lip syncing really badly and dancing about the place like maniacs :D

We also had to take part in the various party games, musical chairs in my Jimmy Choo's is not the easiest thing I've ever done and Brian was mortified that he had to copy Indonesian dancing on stage!

We all had a great time though! Next years theme is rumoured to be Star Wars so I'd better get my Princess Leah costume organised! Wonder what Brian will wear?

Sampai jumpa lagi!

Lou & Brian xox

Early Christmas Presents.........

So, after weeks of waiting we finally received our shipping container on Friday! Yeehaa! It seems like such a long time ago that I waved it off in Edinburgh on a cold and rainy day...........

First the container arrived.......

.......complete with security escort by the Villa Panbil Security Guards! To be honest, the security guards were bored and had just come for a nosey, there's not much security type work to keep them occupied obviously :)

Then a tiny wee van arrived with 8 indonesian removal men in the back.......

.......and unloaded and unpacked our entire container in just 3 hours! Considering the amount of crap we brought with us (why oh why did I pack all that?!?) I was well impressed by how hard they worked :)

So now we have all our things, I have all my shoes and I can't wait to put my christmas tree up (I might even put some tinsel on the patio furniture :))

Anyhoo, it's the Bredero Shaw Christmas Party on Saturday and this years theme is Indonesian National Dress so here's a sneak peak at the outfits Brian and I have bought.........

Brian is wearing the one with the sequins :P haha! I promise there will be more photo's after the event. 

In other news, the pork butcher at the wet market told me he loved me and tried to give me his heart (it was a pigs heart!) and someone else tried to sell me a whole cows face, complete with velvety nose and eyelashes (it's good for making soup yuck!) Also, one of the security guards asked if we needed a servant! I think he meant maid but I'm liking the idea of a servant more......... I'm expecting a queue of volunteers at my door any day now :)

So, until next time!

Sampai jumpa lagi!

Lou & Brian xox

Seasons Greetings (nearly) from Singapore!

Salam from Batam! 

Brian and I are settling in fine and are happy to report that the boat with our shipping container is still afloat and has made i through the Suez Canal :) All being well it should arrive in Singapore on 23rd November. Hopefully it will clear customs okay (eeek!) and should arrive the following week. It will be so nice to have all our stuff here at last, opening all the boxes will be just like Xmas!

Last Thursday was Islamic New Year and as Indonesia is a predominately Muslim country, Brian got the day off work! Woohoo! Bri also had a meeting in Singapore on Friday so we decided to head off there for a few nights.

I found a really good deal on an amazing 5* hotel, £150 a night instead of £600 so I went ahead and booked it :)

Unfortunately, when the confirmation arrived I'd only actually booked it for myself and not Brian...........oooops! Anyway, I couldn't amend or cancel the booking, so I had to sneak him in when no-one was looking.......... bad me!

We headed off late on Wednesday night to the ferry terminal. We had to make sure that we caught the Sindoferry as Brian likes to watch the Tom and Jerry cartoons that it shows and they don't show them on the Batamfast ferry (I wish I was joking).

We had planned to go to Singapore Zoo on Thursday. You can have breakfast with the orang-utans, ride on the elephants and all sorts of other things that health and safety doesn't allow at Edinburgh Zoo :) However, it is monsoon season and Thursday saw some pretty torrential rain.........

.........so we decided to skip the zoo and went to the cinema instead to see Skyfall (in English but with really annoying Chinese subtitles) Still, can't really complain, goodness knows what it would have been like at the cinema in Batam........

Afterwards, we wandered along Orchard road, which is the main shopping street in Singapore. There are lots of street vendors at the side of the road and we found one selling ice cream sandwiches...... I'm not joking, actually blocks of ice cream between two slices of bread (Andrew, I though of you when I saw this, I know you like to put everything on a piece ;P)

Singaporeans are into christmas in a big way and although the christmas lights hadn't bee switched on officially, there seemed to be decorations and christmas trees on every available surface.........it was fab!

Can't wait to go back and see everything all lit up! On Friday, Brian had an early meeting so I had a lazy morning in the hotel then hit the shops :) The shops in Singapore are so much better than in Batam, unless your looking for a 'genuine' Gucci handbag or a rolex for $10, in which case Batam is the place for you! Also, shopping is a national past time in Singapore so it would be rude not to.........

I bought..........1 pair converse all stars in red (love them!) for $59 (about £29), a couple of t-shirts for $16 (£8) and this gorgeous wee thing..............

I couldn't resist his crazy eyes and mad hair and at least if our shipping container doesn't turn up in time for Christmas we'll have one little decoration in our house (he's a reindeer by the way!)

All in all, I think Brian's credit card got off pretty lightly (until the next time........mwahaha!)

So Friday night it was back to Batam! I met Brian and one of his workmates for a few drinks before we got the ferry home. This is what the ferry looks like-

And this is what it has to negotiate........ in the dark.........

So we kind of panicked a tiny wee bit when the engines cut out and a bell started ringing half way home and we were just bobbing about in the sea! People were looking around, talking in foreign tongues and I was wondering how I was going to save my brand new converse from the inky depths................ Anyway, turns out we weren't going to sink, one of the propellors had stopped turning so we limped home on the other propellor and arrive safe and well back home on Batam an hour later than expected. Phew!

So that's another week done........I'm off to lunch with my Ladies Group tomorrow. It's a Pot Luck lunch but really, it will be pot luck if no-one dies from eating whatever I take with me........ha!

Sampai jumpa lagi!

Lou & Brian xoxox

Busy, busy, busy..........

Well, well well....... cant believe I've been here over a week already! Time flies when you don't have to work :)

As promised, some pictures of our new home. Its a wee bit bare inside at the moment but will be just fine when all of our things arrive in 3 weeks time (fingers crossed the boat doesn't sink before then.......)

Brian and I ventured out on Saturday to the shopping centre at a place called Nagoya Hill. We really didn't have a clue where we were going but took off in the general direction of the town and actually only got lost twice. Pretty good navigation skills on my part I think........ 

Unfortunately, they don't allow photographs to be taken in the shopping centres here so I don't have any pictures but the hypermart was like Asda on drugs...... It was crazy busy, absolutely massive and there was a trolley dash taking place (couldn't find Dale Winton though)

We managed to buy everything we had on our list though, including this bad boy........

.........Introducing the Flavorwave Halogen Turbo Oven!! Indonesian homes don't have ovens so someone suggested we bought one of these. It did come with an instruction manual but written in Indonesian so it's pretty much an experiment in cooking (some might say that any cooking I do is experimental!) Anyway, between the two of us we managed to cook some bacon in it for our breakfast on sunday, yeah!

On Monday, Brian was back at work so I went to the local wet market with Dawn and Kelly, two of the girls who live on the Estate with us. It was amazing, all the food looks really fresh and you can pretty much get anything you want as long as you arrive early enough.

Although most of the population here is Muslim, there was still a pork butcher tucked away out of sight in the market. He was very happy to pose for a picture (not sure if he was naked or not though.........)

After our wander, we had a traditional Indonesian breakfast of onion roti, chicken rice, curry sauce and broth. It was really tasty but it's a wee bit strange having stuff like that for your breakfast when you usually have special K........

Yesterday was Melbourne Cup day in Australia and the local expat women's group had organised a lunch to celebrate (any excuse, eh?). So, feeling brave, I decided to go along with Dawn to meet them......eeek! Everyone was dressed up and I managed to borrow a fascinator to wear. The girls made me feel very welcome and had a really lovely afternoon. Maybe I can be a lady that lunches after all :D

Brian is also making an effort to get to know some new people and has signed up for a golf outing with the locals who work for the company. Goodness knows how he'll manage to play 18 holes in this heat. I'll let you know how how he gets on! 

These are some pictures I took at a place we went to today called Waterfront City (more food, really must do some exercise!). 

Batam really is a beautiful place :)

Sampai jumpa lagi!

Lou, Brian and our new pet, Dave the Giant Patio Snail xoxox

We've Arrived!!!!!

Selemat Datang di Batam! (Welcome to Batam!)

So, we've finally arrived........ after months of planning, packing up a whole house, running full speed across Heathrow airport to make a connecting flight and then sitting next to the most obnoxious man on a 12 hour flight (it wasn't Brian BTW), we're both now back together and in our lovely house :) 

Brian met me in Singapore on Saturday and we checked into the Mandarin Oriental Hotel for a few days so that I could get my Visa finalised on Monday.

The hotel was amazing, we got upgraded to a suite with amazing views over Marina Bay. This was the view from our room

On Sunday, we went on the open top bus so that Brian could see a bit of Singapore as he's usually working when he's there (well that's what he tells me anyway!) 

Got a wee bit excited to see the Xmas decorations going up along Orchard Road, still can't get my head around the fact that it's not going to be freezing here at Xmas time!

On Monday, I had to leave my passport and some cash in a sealed envelope at the hotel reception for the Visa Agent, Madam Lee to collect.  Brian then had to meet her in Harry's Bar later that day to get it back. All seems well dodgy if you ask me, but apparently that's how it's done and I seem to have a valid Visa in my passport so we'll not ask too many questions............

On Monday night we got the Batamfast ferry from Harbour Front in Singapore to Batam Central where one of the drivers from Brian's work collected us. At Batam Central there is a huge shopping centre called MegaMall (wonder how long it took them to come up with that name?) and there is a Starbucks so I'll be able to get my Grande Skimmed Cappuccino if I need it :)

We finally arrived at the house at about 7pm. Good news it we have a TV and satellite dish, just no furniture yet.........

And the kitchen had been built for giants! The bottom of the wall cupboard is above my head......I'll have to add trampoline to the list of things to buy at MegaMall!

I was only in the house 10 minutes before a gecko fell off the ceiling onto my shoulder! I nearly peed my pants.......... :S  Not sure I'll ever get used to sharing my house with them but if thats the worst that comes in from outside then that's just fine :)

Spent the first day at the house just pottering around and the plan today (Wednesday) was to venture out for a wander round the estate and take lots of photos, maybe have some lunch and sit by the pool in the glorious sunshine. Then this happened........

.......and it's been raining ever since. Awesome thunder and lightning though! Still can't really complain about the weather, it is monsoon season and at least it's warm :)

So until next time, when I promise I'll have thousands of pictures. 

Sampai jumpa lagi! (See you later!)

Lou and Brian xoxox