BINTAN INDONESIA

Ferry Over

Pool at Nirwana Gardens

Our beach!

So cool!

Baby Sand Dollars

 Emma Kara and I 

She is so huge!

Gorgeous!

Roommates!

Bintan Loves Alpha Chi

This weekend was absolutely amazing but it flew by too quickly! It was Kara's 20th Birthday on Friday the 11th so we celebrated Singapore style. After a long day of classes we ate our favorite chicken rice dinner for 2.30 sing and headed to the American restaurant Brewerkz for dessert. We were told that Iguana Cafe is a great place to stop at but unfortunately they were booked, the same company owns Brewerkz so we decided that is a fair trade. We got a huge slice of triple chocolate cake with all the girls and Kara got a free birthday drink. Afterwards we headed to our favorite bar Attica for yet again another great night! We made friends with students from Germany, England, and Australia! Saturday morning we started our journey to Bintan around 9 am. Bintan Indonesia is a small island right off of Singapore and very convenient to get to. Our ferry departed at 11 am an we arrived at 10:50 am due to the time difference. A free shuttle was waiting to bring us to the Nirwana Gardens Resort Hotel. Since it was Kara's birthday, her parents graciously treated us to a night at this beautiful resort. The resort is actually a very large campus area and we were planning on staying in the cheapest one from hostelworld but we got upgraded! As soon as we arrived we were greeted by so many friendly people. It is amazing how different the Indonesian people are from the Singaporeans. They have a completely different skin tone and features, they are more Polynesian looking. As well every person was so friendly and helpful. Not a person passed without saying hello or thank you it was a big difference from the shy Singaporeans. We instantly explored around the hotel and found a peaceful pristine beach. There were little banana chairs for us to lounge on and a coral reef right there. We caught up on our sleep in the sun and walked along the beach, it was a picturesque day. Along the water there were hundreds of baby sand dollars which I started collecting. I realized the more I looked the more I saw the most perfect flawless shells. I had both my hands full by the time we got back from our walk. Then we headed back up to the pool until dinner. For dinner we had to go to the best restaurant on the island. Kelong Restaurant is actually a part of our hotel and it is on stilts in the water connected by a pier. We were hoping to get some fresh seafood but unfortunately it was all so expensive we split some steamed broccoli and Indonesian chicken, which ended up being great. After dinner all of the staff told us to check out a little bar on the hotels campus called La Luna, so we decided to go. The bar was right on the beach in the most tropical perfect setting. Surprisingly La Luna was very quiet so we chatted for a little bit and then decided to call it a night. The next morning we woke up and got our free buffet breakfast. It was up there with one of the best meals I have had in SE Asia, so the perfect start to the day. We ventured over the the Hotel Recreation center and saw an amazing deal for an hour long massage. Obviously since it was Kara's birthday weekend we indulged in the 25 sing 60 minute massage. It was fabulous, I have never had a massage before but my legs were sore from running so she worked all those knots out. In the end she asked me something about my neck and I couldn't quite understand so I said yes. Next thing I know she grabs my chin and whips my head around to crack my neck. I was so taken aback because it was so forceful, but it actually felt great. After our massages we enjoyed a cup of ginger tea on the terrace. Off in the distance we saw a sign and gate so we decided to adventure over there. We stopped quickly so I could stare at the ponies of course and then we went into this area labeled Jumbo Park. Inside the fence we were shocked to see elephants standing in front of us. Two workers came over and asked us if we wanted to go see them so we obviously agreed. We came up to huge female named Emma who was 27 years old! The next thing we know the men had unhooked her chains and was telling us to pose with her! They elephant responded amazingly! She laid down so we could sit on her leg, and she lifted her trunk when they asked her too. It was such a great surprise for us to experience something so surreal and unexpected. Emma was huge but her eyes were so docile looking and she didn't flinch when we were near her. It was funny because the jumbo park had no real fence and the gate was open at the front, so the elephants had to be content and treated well there or they could easily leave. After that craziness we wandered over to our beach again and relaxed until around 5. We split a great chicken and beef satay for dinner poolside and of course relaxed more until our ferry back. It was so quick and easy to get to Bintan that we definitely want to return. The most expensive thing was our visa to enter Indonesia but it is valid for 30 days so we can go back for the day soon and not pay. Happy Valentine's Day everyone until next time...

xoxo

Leah