Belem Posted September 29, 2003 Report Share Posted September 29, 2003 While in LOS in November, I will be making a side trip to Jakarta. Since I will be flying Singapore Airlines, I am allowed a stopover in Singapore. Thought about checking out Batam. Is Batam worth visiting, or should I give it a miss and head directly to Jakarta. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adikgede Posted September 29, 2003 Report Share Posted September 29, 2003 you might want to check your calendar. Ramadan ends in November and then there is the Eid holiday. The girls that can afford to will want to go home. During Ramadan the knock shops usually don't open before 6-7pm. Frankly the place is a little raw, but some folks like that. Its geared towards in and out Singapore traffic which may or may not make it appealing to you. But if you go, just go to the WTC and buy a ticket and hotel package for the Melia at one of the travel agents there. You can walk to Lucy's Oar House from the Melia. The owner is a nice enough guy and he can arrange a driver for you if you fancy driving around looking at girls in fistanks (sometimes called showrooms there). They usually hang-out out front. There is an ago-go upstairs. the ago-go isnt all that spirited but the girls are, and they seem to be under less restrictive forms of imprisonment, oops i mean contract labor, than most girls on Batam. My 2p its very easy to meet girls in Indonesia, I wouldn't personally go to Batam unless I had business there or was passing through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted September 30, 2003 Report Share Posted September 30, 2003 Belem, I think Batam is a great weekend escape from Singapore, but I've never been to Jakarta, so can't compare the two. I would imagine though that there isn't anything in Batam that you can't find in Jakarta times 10. The fishbowl places (there are lots of them in Batam) seem to appeal to the Asian punters. I prefer the discos and the bars myself. Ranger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlton68 Posted September 30, 2003 Report Share Posted September 30, 2003 Belem, you still remember your post 'Is Jakarta worth a visit?' and what you started with that? But well this thread here will not live that long I guess. Personally I've never been to Batam and what I heared doesn't make me to go. But Jakarta - is worth a visit or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jxxxl Posted September 30, 2003 Report Share Posted September 30, 2003 I've lived in Singapore for about 4.5 years not and just went to Bataam for the first time last weekend for a stag doo. I had always heard it way pretty raw and geared towards Asians. Found it to be a bit different. There's a street with several bars i.e., Lucy's Oar House, Red Cock Inn, Ice Bar and a few others. I found the bars to be pretty ordinary but good for a warm up with the mates. After the bars, we went to a disco called Sphinx. The place was absolutely loaded with lively FLs and we had to literally beat the girls off us. We all nabbed some fun girls and had a party back at the Hotel. The going rate is S$50. Some of the girls don't even ask for money, it's just considered taxi money per se. I stayed at a hotel called Puri Garden run by an English guy named Kenneth Dowd. Ask for him when you check in and he'll tell you everything you need to know. He'll arrange a car for you as well. Also, there's a nice outdoor bar, similar to a beer in LOS, just across the street from the hotel. I recommend starting there and then hitting Sphinx. Singapore can be pretty expensive for a big night out and the working girls can be pretty professional. You'll spend less money, including your travel and accomodation, going to Bataam and the girls are basically enthusiastic amatures which is nice for a change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belem Posted September 30, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2003 Thanks to everyone for their feedback. The info I had on Batam wasn't recent, so I posted the question in this forum. In Singapore, I've done the Orchard Towers thing, so I figured if I took advantage of the free stopover in Singapore, I would go to experience cheaper Batam. Adikgede, because of the November holidays you mentioned, would I be better off deferring my Batam/Jakarta trip from late November to December? Do the November holidays affect only Batam, or is Jakarta negatively affected from an availability of women standpoint, too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adikgede Posted October 1, 2003 Report Share Posted October 1, 2003 the whole country goes home at the end of Ramadhan. mudik is the word the population of Jakarta is said to drop by two thirds. The rule of thumb is no vice during daylight hours. Eid will be first second week of november i think, but since Batam flights and ferries will be full it can have a big impact on nightlife there as people are delayed getting away and getting back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belem Posted October 1, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2003 Thanks again for the info. I'll change my plans and go the second week of December. Islamic calendar dates Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belem Posted October 2, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2003 Correction. I could only change my flight to JAK to a few days after Eid on the 27th of November. Hopefully, things will be back to normal. I'll do the stopover in Singapore on the way back to BKK in early Dec., so I can experience Batam for a couple of nights. Thanks again to everyone for the info. This board is the best!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adikgede Posted October 2, 2003 Report Share Posted October 2, 2003 well they wont be back to normal but there are always girls there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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