Batam

i enjoyed the trip to Batam.

it was relaxing but very rushy. i definitely had a culture shock when i first stepped into Batam. it looks developing.. and still, developing. Batam is 1 hour earlier than singapore which means i feel younger? HA.

Batam looks like singapore 40 years ago. with busy cars and little traffic lights and i guess, rules too. the common races found in Batam are the Malays and the Indo-Chinese, seldom see Indians though. communication wise are simply Malay and Mandrain. however, the national language is Malay therefore all kids in Batam learn Malay as their mother tongue. and that means i cant really communicate with these people except for my broken Mandrain and using the simplest English i can to do my shopping.

and their currency are like banana notes. -.-

and so i went shopping with my girls and it was fun. elizah brought her 14 yr old cousin, candice whom i cant believe i would get a long so well with and not to forget lijing, the love of my life (hahaha)

my first stop was at a Ralph Lauren shop. okay now people, a little something that i know in Ralph Lauren in Batam is that they look fake, however its authentic due to the fact that the RL in Batam is registered under Ralph Lauren. so what im trying to say is that the RL looks fake but its actually the real stuff, if you get what i mean.

then off to this mall BCS mall i think! and i got two bottles of perfume, both fakes but smells real. and off to another mall, DC mall and got myself another two bottles and some freshly made keropok and kueh lapis. seriously, these Indonesians are really good at this shit and they taste shittily yummy.

oh and if you are wondering which perfume ive got, they are

• Ralph Lauren Polo Sport
• Burberry London
• Escada Paradise
• Davidoff Woman

all 4 smells spanking real, i tell you. even the bottles look real. and guess how much i got them for? you will kill me if you'd know the price. its 8SGD and its REAL DEAL okay.

speaking of branded goods, Batam has TOOOO MANY fakes. fakes as in real fake fake, not looking fake but real. from LV to VSL to GUCCI to PRADA. seriously, TOO MANY.

my last pit stop was at the hypermall which i fergot what its called. i got myself a rusty trucker cap and a rusty wallet for my sis. also, got her a adidas tee and guess how much it costs? SGD13!

conclusion : we need more doses of shopping in Batam.

Batam is not only a place for sex trade, its also a place where everyone is familiar with, many cultures and colours. people though less fortunate, enjoy whatever they have instead of us singaporeans still complaining. just dont get it haha

the children, they look so happy. oh do you know kids attend school on saturdays as well? and they have field trips too. though people laughed at me when i squealed, "oooohhh! look outside! kids having field trips!" which made me blush la. singapore kids should know how lucky they are with what they have. its just an hour trip and stepping into a foreign country who are not so lucky is quite depressing.

ive learned a lot in this trip and i was happy. happy with shopping with girlfriends, of course!