Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Bintan - Mangrove Discovery Tour & Elephant Ride

Read about my overview on our 3D2N Bintan Trip here.

Mangrove Discovery Tour
This tour allows you to take either the day or night tours. Or both if you have the time. Day tour is a chance to get a taste of life in the mangroves, observe ‘orang laut’ (sea gypsies) in their ‘kelongs’ (fishing houses built on stilts over water). Night tour is the opportunity to experience the serenity of the mangrove forests and the Sebung River on a boat ride by moonlight, with the highlight of watching the fireflies.

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The boats readied to pick up customers for the 90mins ride.

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Safety first, my personal suggestion is to bring an extra top to change after the boat ride, because the life jackets can be a bit smelly from the long use and lack of wash.

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Off we go! Just sit back and enjoy the breeze.

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The mangrove is really a special thing, not always can we see such forests that grow on water with basically 90% of their roots outside of the ground.

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The ‘orang laut’ or sea gypsies that are still active in this region. I can only imagine the lifestyle they have and wonder if I can ever stay in such an environment. We are indeed very blessed in Singapore. Lesson learnt, to be contented always.

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Maybe the new generation will have better staying facilities.

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Some sights on this tour.

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Openings into the deep of the mangrove, probably accessible only by smaller sampans.

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A damaged boat left behind by the sea gypsies during one of the bad weather. Another evidence of the harsh living standards here.

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The first part of the tour will be in the open river linked to the South China Sea, thus we are expecting salt sea water. But as we entered into the second part of the tour, moving into the deeper mangrove, we are also moving more into the fresh water area. Thus the appearance of the wildlife is more prominent here.

First up, the monitor lizard.

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Snakes hanging on trees just above our heads.

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And monkeys! This is a really tiny baby monkey.

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Also in the deeper parts of the mangrove, we can see more interesting things like the man-made traditional charcoal kiln.

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Static fishing traps (bubus), the fishermen will spread their nets on top of the stilts and pull in the nets after a while when the catch is done. Very manual work.

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We were introduced to different mangroves along the Sebung River, like the ribbon roots, pencil roots and knee roots. See the resemblance?

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This is the oldest mangrove tree but it has started to wither.

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The girls are getting a bit tired and hungry.

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Thankfully, the tour will bring us for lunch. A restaurant on stilts situated just besides a village, a great chance to understand more about the locals’ lifestyle.

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Kampong fruits.

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The girls are so happy to enjoy their occasional soft drink on a hot day.

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They are even more excited cos we get to return to the jetty on this pink boat!

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Happy faces once again!

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Elephant Ride
There are 2 types of ride available, the trial ride which is about 30mins and the safari ride which will last about an hour. If you have no experience in elephant rides before, I would recommend the 30mins ride first. It can be quite tiring on the buttocks and thighs for first-timers.

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Can you see the looks on the 2 ladies? Excited but also a bit fearful. You can understand if you see the height of the elephants.

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Joey trying to imitate the elephant trunk. Hahaa..

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Their expressions said it all.

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Spend another S$1.00 and you can buy a pack of bananas to feed the elephants.

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Monday, August 26, 2013

3D2N Bintan Trip

This is the 4th time we are visiting Bintan but yet the first time with an itinerary that covers some of the more popular tours like the Elephant Ride and Mangrove Tour. It’s also the first time we stayed at the Angsana Bintan, the service was excellent. We had a personal staff to help us with the check-in and check-out, she was also there to confirm all the car rides planned for our tours on the second day. Basically, we had nothing to fuss about and just need to be on time to board our rides for the tours and stuff.

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We had one of the best room, a 1-Bedroom Suite that can comfortably accommodate 2 adults and 1 child. We added a bed to cater to the Kuan family.

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There was also a nice welcome gift for the girls. So sweet!

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One thing different about Bintan from our own Sentosa is the layback feel across the island. Everything goes on a slow motion, no one is rushing and everyone’s agenda is just to relax and not rushing to visit certain attractions or do shopping. With that in mind, the view from our hotel room simply looks stunning.

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The road that leads out from the hotel. A picture of serenity and quiet.

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You can choose to walk around the vicinity or ride a bicycle available for booking with the hotel reception.

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Breakfast at Angsana Bintan.

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No island holiday is complete without the pool and beach experience.

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Talk a quiet stroll along the beach for the couples.

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The view from the pool on the hotel building.

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In Bintan the only place to buy your daily needs or some souvenirs will be at the Pasar Oleh Oleh.

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If you are looking for massage and the hotel rates are too expensive for you, then I will recommend to you the few Spa & Massage shops in Pasar Oleh Oleh.

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My personal recommendation is Bintan Beauty, it may not look as high class as the other shops but I guarantee you the quality of service is good and the price is very affordable.

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Polo Ralph Lauren factory outlet. Very popular with tourists.

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Jayne up to her cheekiness yet again.

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Night view of Pasar Oleh Oleh.

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Helo Helo Restaurant, the fried chicken is awesome!

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A corner for some drinks and live music.

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On the 2nd day, the plan was for Mangrove Tour and Elephant Ride.

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I will cover more on the tours in my next post, do look out for it.
Here are some of the details for the massage, taxi and tours available in Bintan.

Bintan Beauty
Full Body Indonesian Traditional Massage:
- Rp. 208.000 / S$26.00 per 60 minutes
- Rp. 256.000 / S$32.00 per 90 minutes
Back Massage:
- Rp. 144.000 / S$18.00 per 30 minutes
Foot Reflexology:
- Rp. 144.000 / S$18.00 per 45 minutes
For booking (to avoid unnecessary waiting):
- Using hotel’s telephone, get an outside line and dial 692408 or 692405
Address:
- Pasar Oleh Oleh Block 411 A&B – Bintan Resorts – Indonesia
- Business hours from 10am to 11pm

Kampoeng Lagoi Taxi
Opening Hours:
- Daily from 8am to 9pm
Contact:
- Website
www.bintankltaxi.blogspot.com
- Email kl.taxi@yahoo.co.id
- Phone +62770 691818

Global Bintan
Bintan Mangrove Discovery Tour
- Price (Adult S$38 / Child S$25, minimum 2 person)
- Children under 3 years old are free
- Tour includes 2-way transportation, 90 mins boat ride thru sebung river and mangrove forests, insurance coverage
Night Tour (Fire Flies)
- Price (Adult S$38 / Child S$25, minimum 2 person)
- Children under 3 years old are free
- Tour includes 2-way transportation, 60 mins boat ride, insurance coverage
Bintan Elephant Ride (30 mins)
- Price (Adult S$28 / Child S$17)
- Tour includes 2-way transportation, insurance coverage
Contact:
- Website
www.globalbintan.com
- Email reservation_bintantours@hotmail.com
- Phone +62770 691818 / +62770 691838