1.12.458N 104.00.084E Monday 10th November – Indonesia - Riau Group, Batam Island.
Nongsa Point Marina
is a strange place – departure point from Indonesia
– this resort and Turi beside it - were originally built it the
60’s as gambling venues for visitors coming over from Singapore. When the
‘sport’ was banned some years later, they reinvented themselves as
golfing resorts and are apparently busy just at weekends. However, we have
been here for four days, spanning a weekend, and the rental properties stand
empty, the golf courses are empty, the enormous restaurants and vast lobbies
are empty, the swimming pools are empty as is the smart new marina (apart from
the Rally yachts). I would think the owners are haemorrhaging money just on
electricity alone in these two vast complexes.
One of the pools at night…..
The vast lobby area
Dinner with the Zippies
Huge water features
We have, however, had a welcome stopover; relaxed a little by the pool,
eaten well, shopped a lot, erected and sailed our little Aquaglide , met up
with friends, enjoyed a ‘Rally Barbecue’, refuelled (we only
managed to sail about ten hours on our way here) and today sees us midway to
Singapore – again under motor - just 25 miles away…..in pouring
rain, with low visibility amidst the busiest shipping channel in the world!
Paul on our new Aquaglide….
We are of course back in the northern hemisphere. Oscar crossed the
equator by sea as a small baby so he was already a ‘shellback’ but
Vic and Clara lost their ‘polywog’ status fast asleep and in
ignorance of the occasion! So no dressing up or shaven heads……
