You can almost compare the proximity of Singapore and Indonesia to Holland and Belgium. But, as the Asians so eloquently put it: It’s same same, but different. Different how, you may ask? It’s just SO MUCH BETTER. Whereas fries and beer don’t have me running across the border, freshly caught shrimp, mango juice, beaches and massages definitely do. So I hopped on a ferry to Bintan, Indonesia.
It’s still hard to grasp for all of us that we are almost half way through the semester, it is February and… our biggest worry is if we applied enough sun block. It all just doesn’t seem to add up. But you don’t hear any complaints from my corner; life is pretty fabulous right now.
Transport always seems to be a funny adventure all over the world. I remember Istanbul, where the cab driver was dancing, singing, clapping, handing out cigarettes, tapping both his hands on the dashboard – all at the same time. Hands on the steering wheel? Guess again. In Indonesia, the car from the ferry to the bungalows was an adventure of similar sort.
Although there was plenty of room in the back of the car, it was kindly requested by our driver that I would sit by him, in the front. I was assured it was “not a problem”. When he noticed I tried to put my seatbelt on, which was not there, I was again assured it was “not a problem”. As he rolled down his window, he pointed at mine: “not a problem”. Trust me – Indonesia-style driving, no seatbelt, both front windows rolled down, a ridiculously strong ocean wind, me trying to decipher the drivers’ questions… it was a slight problem.
We arrived at our hostel to find out it were not just Carmen and I staying there, but we were blessed with a third roommate in the form of a giant centipede – I screamed. Using my womanly charms, I tried to convince the boys to capture it and take it outside, as opposed to the proposed murder. However, apparently it was not my day and the boys were not too keen. So I asked the staff to save us. They came to the rescue by crushing the animal, explaining to us that it is deadly. Sorry boys, for almost getting you killed.
The rest of the weekend was incredibly relaxing though. Earlier described massages, the beach, dips in the pool, kayaking and beach volley. We also went into town to mingle with the locals and try some of the local food. I bought a set of chopsticks so it will remind me on my serious intentions of becoming a master at cooking all the things I’ve been eating.
For the next weeks I am staying put in Singapore, spending some time with the local friends I’ve made here and enjoying all that Singapore has to offer. Also, I will be handing in my first assignments for my courses, which I will tell you about in a later post because I absolutely fell in love with some of the classes that I’m taking. Definitely worth sharing, so stay tuned!
Much love
