Day trip to Tanjung Pinang

Map of Riau islands
We did not see the Chinese temple or the Grand Mosque on Penyengat island on this trip. I have to make another trip soon
Heading home
John wanted to get a feel of Indonesian massage. I fell asleep waiting for him in the couch
Eddy our guide kept asking if we wanted to have girls. John who has been to Phuket recently remarked that the sex industry seems to play a big part in South East Asian tourism
The North East monsoon rain heading our way
A 20 seat cinema occupies the top while a cafe just underneath it
We arrive at Puncak hill to get a view of the city built over the sea

The Gong Gongs they serve here are huge!! Our total bill came to Rupiah $206,000
Steamed grouper
Choosing our seafood
Our guide brought us to have lunch at a restaurant at Sungei Jang
Jalan Pelantar or China town.As we headed to the seafood restaurant for lunch I found the layout of the town very similar to Manado in North Sulawesi. Batam resembled cities like Johor in Malaysia

As we walked down the pier after clearing immigration we were bombarded by touts advertising their hotels.One of them offered the rental of a van for a tour around the city.They were charging 250,000 Rupiah

Bintan first became politically important when Sultan Mahmud of the fallen Sultanate of Malacca fled to Bintan and created a resistance base there after Malacca was taken by the Portuguese forces in 1511. The Portuguese eventually destroyed the stronghold in 1526, and after a few years the Sultanate founded a new capital back on the Malay Peninsula and developed from there.

Bintan was also once the capital of the Sultanate of Johor that grew to considerable political and cultural power from the 17th to the 19th century. The island played a central role in Malay culture.

View of Bintan as we approach the port
John at the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal

My colleague had some off days to clear and asked me if I could show him around. I suggested visiting Tanjung pinang in Bintan island as I had never been there before. Most Singaporeans are more familiar with the northern part of Bintan where the Singaporean owned resorts operate.

Day trip to Batam island

Map of Batam
We took the 6.30pm ferry back to Singapore
Next stop the oldest Chinese temple on the island
Eating pieces of glass
In a trance they put coal into his mouth
Kuda Kepang dancers-soon the spirits of the horse will enter them
Feeding them with bread
The restaurant is build over a fish pond
Lunch time at the Golden Prawn 933 restaurant.For a total of Sing $71 the tour came with lunch

This design from East Kalimantan caught my attention
Jeremy posing next to a Balinese house
We were brought to this little park where they had on display mini houses from the different regions in Indonesia
We orderd some tousand layered cakes from this bakery
Our guide told us Batam comes from the word Batu which means rock and Ampar which means red earth.The soil is not suited for farming so only commerce and tourism drives the economy

Batam is a commercial town and most buildings like these line the road
The tour bus was there to pick us up
My collegues from China Tina, Maggie and Fiona
We signed up for a one day tour to Batam

The Great Wall

After the Great Wall our guide brought us to a "Free Foot Massage" session where the staff try to get you buy medical products.And after that to a "Free Chinese Tea" drinking session where they try to sell you pricey Chinese tea. Soon it was time to get to the airport for our flight home.
The sky is clear and the air fresh once you are out of Bejing
You need to be fit to climb the Great Wall
We visited the section of the Great Wall at JunYong Pass
View of Chang An Street from my hotel room. Chang An street is where parades are held. This road leads to the Forbidden City. The railway station is on the left

Beijing

Commercial activities have taken place here since the middle of the Ming dynasty in. In the Qing Dynasty, ten aristocratic estates and princess residence were built here, soon after a well full of sweet water was discovered, thereby giving the street its name "Wang Fu" (aristocratic residence), "Jing" (well).
We ended the day touring Wang Fu JIng
We lunched at a restaurant which cooked Imperial dishes that the Emperor ate. When the Qing dynasty ended in 1911 the Manchu princes fell into hard times. They never worked when they were in power. So one of them hired some of the Imperial kitchen chefs and started this restaurant.After lunch we were brought to the local silk factory and Chinese tea shop to milk our wallets. I guess that is why they are selling the tour at such low prices
On our way to lunch we stopped by to take photos of the iconic Olympics Birds Nest stadium
Our guide brought us up to the watch towers to visit the Feng Shui master who was trying to sell us his auspicious ornaments. No luck here as nobody bought anything.
The Chinese have just celebrated their National Day and the area around Tian An Men is crowded with local tourists
We ended the tour at Tian An Men square or Gate of Heavenly Peace which is in the north. When the Mings build Tian An Men gate there wasn't a suare here. It was the Qing who created a square about a quarter the size of the present one in 1651.At present the square is about 40.5 hectres. It is the largest square in the world
The outer court is where the Emperor conducts his ceremonies
The palace is made up of the inner court which is where the Emperor and his concubines live.

As we proceeded with the tour I realised how big the palace was. There are endless rooms ,courtyards and pavillions. There are 9,999 rooms here.The Chinese belived the 10,000 th room is reserved for heaven
Our day started with a tour of the Forbidden palace from the south gate. Our guide told us the last Ming emperor hung himself here when the Manchurians entered Beijing. He had his face wrapped with a piece of cloth as he was too ashamed to face his ancestors