2D1N to BATAM

After such a busy week, finally the fam got to indulge in a short vacation, and a cheap one too, at only est S$70 per pax.
Its my virgin trip to Batam, and my impression for Batam initially was all about relaxation and not much shopping. What I assumed was absolutely wrong!! The shopping they have there blew me away!
There were so so many factory outlets and they carried original products, selling at as low as S$12. However, not all stuff sold in the factory outlets are original, probably only those like Superdry, Abercrombie & Fitch, Polo Ralph Lauren and others.
I seriously wondered why was it so dirt cheap, and they mentioned that these goods carries slight defects thus was sold in factory outlet like Batam, as Batam was one of the places where the products was manufactured.
We were treated to a cultural show near the premises of Golden Prawn 333, where our lunch will be served.

 Peeling of coconut done by his teeth. Imagine how thick the husk is and yet his teeth could penetrate through the hard husk, peeling it portions by portions. And within 1 minute, the coconut's husk is out!!!

 After the peeling performance, he grabbed some burning charcoal and placed it inside his mouth. And after it was placed inside the mouth, there was smoke fuming out of his nostrils and corners of the mouth. For a moment, he resembles a fire-breathing dragon! I seriously wonder how they did such performance.

 Another exhilarating performance, glass eating! This man took out a piece of glass and bite it off, chewing it slowly in his mouth and he then SWALLOWED it! The performance was seriously crazy, these talents were indeed out of the norm.

 Finally out sumptuous, 8 course lunch which was within the package.  They serviced some shellfish, sotong, flower crab, fish and prawn. The guide told us upon arriving that the seafood served wouldn't be as good as those sold in Singapore. It was because they "A" graded seafood were all exported to Singapore, and they are only left with 'B" graded seafood.

 After lunch, we dropped by Tua Pek Kong Temple which holds a history of over 40 years. And it is said to be the oldest temple in Batam.

 Just beside the temple, there was a short street selling traditional Indonesian desserts/kueh. 

 Indonesian owned drink, its sugared red tea. Honestly, it was very refreshing, considering the weather that was scorching hot.

 This kueh was delishh!~ I don't remember the name of it but it was pandan flavoured.

 We headed to the hotel after all the visitation/shopping. We were staying in Harmoni One hotel. The hotel was huge! It was a 4-star Victorian themed hotel.

 The lobby was rather spacious, and we were greeted with a welcoming Orange Juice and of course their friendly staffs.

The hotel was not located near any shopping malls that was within walking distance, thus we decided to have dinner in one of the restaurants. They were serving buffet dinner, and the price as totally worth it. It was approximately S$14 per person.

 Their variety of dessert was awesome and unlike most hotels, which focuses on simple desserts like cakes and such, they served a wide array of Indonesian dessert which tasted great!

Though it was a short 2D1N trip, but it was sure refreshing and relaxing. Best of all, it was worth it! Now back to reality!

This offer was bought in some deals website, do let me know if you are interested so I can provide more details! :)