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