“The Bintaan island is beautiful with powdery sand beaches and great swimming avenues and good water sports facilities for adventure lovers”. An adventure holiday at Bintaan islands.
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Author: Sheetal Kachale
This year I decided to head to “The city of Lion- City of Singapura” for a quick break & to celebrate my birthday. I planned for a trip of 6 days. My objective was to see a new place and relax my soul in a new environment of the Lion city.
From the Changi International airport I directly headed to my friend’s home in Punggol. With his local knowledge of Singapore city, I planned my 3 days Singapore city sight seeing.
I enjoyed watching amazing songs of the sea at Sentosa island, a very different luge ride, travelling through the different continents’ flora & fauna on a toy train at the Night safari, a nice evening with Frozen Margarita at café Iguana at Clarke Quay, I tired myself with cycle ride at the east coast park, roaming around China town, shopping for souvenirs at Little India, watching chirpy birds and talking parrots at Jurong Birdpark, knowing Singapore’s history, different cultural influences at the Singapore Art Mmeeum, roaming around Singapore Zoological garden, Climbing at the top of Singapore’s symbol of Merlion. I couldn’t believe how quickly those 3 days had gone roaming around Singapore city. I don’t remember how many LRT, MRT train rides I would have taken in those 3 days. I was completely exhameted at the end of third day. I jmet wanted to relax now.
My friend suggested a nearby island in Indonesia- Bintan Island. Based on his amazing experience I decided to spend rest of my 2-3 days at Bintan Island.
I reached Singapore’s Tanah Merah ferry terminal catching LRT & then MRT from Punggol station. After my Indonesian VISA proceedings, I headed for the catamaran. From the Tanah Merrah terminal, it took me 45 minutes by a high speed catamaran. My adventure of Bintan had already started from the time I boarded the catamaran. It had started raining heavily. The sea was looking frightening in those heavy rains. The rain also welcomed me when I touched Bintan ferry terminal.
I had made my hotel booking at Nirvana Resort Hotel. A taxi was arranged for me by the resort and they welcomed me with typical Indonesian hospitality. I was feeling so far so good on Bintan Island. Really felt like I can relax my soul & attain Nirvana in aquamarine waters of South China Sea. I headed for the sea right away.
The island is beautiful with powdery sand beaches and great swimming avenues and good water sports facilities for adventure lovers. The climate is tropical, hot, and humid. The first morning was bright & beautiful; I did not feel like leaving the serene waters on Bintan. I slept in the sand & soaked myself in south china water. Then I headed for some adventure water sports. It had started drizzling as day passed by. Wind surfing. Kayaking, banana boat rides and wake boarding is the famous in Bintan and available at water sports centres.
I tried my hands (and legs too) at the Kayaking & Banana boat ride. My banana boat ride was very smooth, but by the time I started kayaking, the rain had started pouring heavily and wind had started shaking my kayak. But I continued my adventure in my single seater kayak. Sky was pouring & sea was roaring. I did not know if it was a good decision to continue my kayaking. But my adventurous soul did not allow me to stop. I challenged myself and I challenged the roaring sea. Sometimes I won; sometimes heavy waves took the grip of my kayak. Getting onto my kayak again became more difficult as waves were looking adamant to tumble up my kayak every time I tried to get onto it. I felt as if the sea had accepted my challenge and giving me tough times. After half an hour I was completely exhausted with my challenge to go against wind, against the sea & against the nature. I got bruised with the rolling kayak & its peddles. War was on between human & nature. I tried to go as deep inside the sea as possible. But heavy rains & heavy wind was making my task difficult. Finally after trying my adventure for half an hour, I gave up as the resort authorities stopped me from going further inside the sea. They indicated a weather warning and I returned to the shore with promise to return to the sea again with my renewed energy. Due to the bad weather wind surfing & other water sports were stopped. So I could not try those. I came out on the shore & sat in the sand & in the rains, shivering, watching the Indonesian rains.
Next day morning, from the resort staff I got to know that there are plenty of deserted beaches around to explore. Mikrolet (minibuses which operate on fixed routes) is a means to commute in and around Bintan Island. But I wanted to be adventurous and I thought hiring a bike and just going on my wanderlust across the island would be the best idea.
I hopped onto my Indonesian bike & started my second day of adventure at the Bintan. I travelled from one corner of the island to the other corner. I went to Sakerah beach, trikora beach, Mana mana beach, Penyengat Island, Pasar oleh oleh, Tanjung Pinang, Santa maria cave. Due to rains, the island had a cleaned washed look, with washed leaves, and roads. Both sides of the roads were covered with lush green trees. Smooth roads resulted in my smooth ride across the island.
At pasar oleh oleh I tried some authentic Indonesian food & some dried fish dishes. When I was returning in the evening rain caught me again. Bintan Island looked deserted in the evening and as sun set down with fewer vehicles and no people on the road. I had no company except my bike, road beneath, sign boards on the road sides and the great darkness of course. I got little worried because there were no street lights and it had started raining heavily. I was sceptical of my Indonesian bikes as well. It looked like they were in a mood to betray me in the middle of the road. Crapy thought started getting into my head, what if my bike gives up on petrol, what if I am being looted on the dark roads, what if some wild animals come on the roads from the trees. I tried looking back to check if someone is following me, but there was no one except the darkness. I wondered if night has darkness intensity, then that night was the darkest night in my life. It was horrifying. Rain was further making things awful for me. Headlights of my bike were the only source of light on my journey. I did not feel like looking back again and as it is rightly said that we should be forward looking (looking into the future) rather than backward looking (pondering on the past), I did not look back again till I reached the resort.
When I stopped at the resort, to my dismay, I realised that I have lost my way and have come to a wrong resort. The signboards on the road sides had betrayed me. All resorts in Bintan look the same at night. I had come half way ahead of my resort which meant I had to cross half of that darkest road again. I got goosebumps. Felt like taking a room in that resort for the night and return in the morning to my Nirvana resort. I did not want to travel back on the darkest road of my life. But I did not have any option but to go back as there were no vacant rooms in that resort. (I was even ready to sleep in the corridors). I accepted the situation. My helplessness brought the adventurous soul out, and forced me to take up this challenge and cross the darkest road in my life. I challenged myself and I challenged the darkness and I started my back journey to Nirvana. I took over my fear of dark roads that night by becoming friends with them. I started talking to those Bintan roads and there I met the wrong turn I took which led me to the wrong resort. I wanted to curse that wrong turn, but instead, I thanked the turn, because that wrong turn helped me overcome my fear of the darkest road. I kept talking to the roads and before I realised, I had reached my Nirvana resort. I felt like an achiever. I felt I had conquered the world. (For the time being I had conquered those dark roads of Bintan, which was like conquering the world.). Next day morning I took my bike and travelled on the same road, but this time without any fear!!!!
My Bintan journey came to an end at the Bintan ferry terminal. I had come here to relax. I got the complete relaxation at the nirvana resorts. But the things which I would treasure the most would be my kayaking challenge in the roaring sea & my bike ride on the darkest road of my life!!! Bintan Rocks!!!
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