Batam Info / Interest / Help Thread

[Fuckboysey]

Originally Posted by yourslovingly

For me too bro. They don't care about low reputation point holders. They think we are not genuine. 😔

Pm me u are welcome to join my group there’s no such things as lowpoint of whatsoever i’ll be waiting

[nono1973]

Interesting article on Batam i read some time ago. The article and its findings was written somewhere last year 2018 before Ramadan. The article from my perspective contain some level of truth but not entirely, so if you are reading it, do keep an open mind as the scene is from its author's perspective (not mine).

I have "hide" much of the article by portion/s,away from those who are not interested and for those who do, simply click on the Spoiler Button to see more.

Batam Island – Indonesia’s pathetic attempt to create a second Singapore

This time it was really supposed to work! The turbo-capitalist, anti-Communist and obedient Indonesia got so used to hearing bizarrely inflated compliments from its Western handlers, that it began to believe that it finally could do it – to build at least one dignified, livable urban center complete with sidewalks, public parks, public transportation, sport facilities and decent cultural institutions. At least one showcase city that could shine and attract millions of visitors from abroad, while all its major urban centers like Jakarta, Surabaya or Medan have been, for years and decades, collapsing and increasingly resembling a hell on earth.

( Click to show/hide )

A bright star on that polluted and dark sky over Indonesia was supposed to be Batam, a series of isles called Riau Islands Province, near the Strait of Malacca, only some 20 km from Singapore’s South coast.

The dream was big, but unrealistic. Now almost everything is lost.

Even the otherwise pro-establishment English language Indonesian daily The Jakarta Post reported on June 16, 2017, in the most panicky ‘voice’:

“Batam Mayor Muhammad Rudi said he has reported to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Economic Coordination Minister Darmin Nasution about the island’s worsening economy, though it had been designed to serve as the center for Indonesia’s economic growth.

‘I underlined in my report that Batam was in an emergency state. The central government needs to take immediate action to save Batam,’ Rudi said in Batam, Riau Islands, on Thursday.

The Batam Manpower Agency recorded that about 300,000 of the island’s workers have lost their jobs this year.

‘During the recent visit of President Jokowi to Batam, I told him about massive layoffs from the closing of factories. He promised to take immediate action, but the promise has not been fulfilled yet,’ Rudi added.”

Wherever one goes, or more precisely wherever one drives (as elsewhere in Indonesia, there are hardly any sidewalks or public spaces on the islands of Batam), the faces of the people of Batam radiate deep disappointment, sadness and confusion.

They usually do not start talking unless approached. But when they begin, their speech turns quickly melancholic.

Mr. Bely, a driver of the PT. Ananda Aditya company in Batam, expressed brutally what exactly lies behind the official numbers:

“Recently, there were 180 companies that closed down their branches here, and all of them had to lay off their employees. So it was back to ‘sin industry’.

Batam’s most lucrative business used to be gambling and prostitution. But now, they also closed down many gambling dens. Prostitution survived and number of women selling themselves is increasing, but women in this sector are more and more desperate. Many tourists stopped travelling here, because there is no more gambling. Batam is not washed with money, anymore.

These islands are a popular destination for those who are urgently trying to find a job, so many people come here, from all over Indonesia. They don’t know that jobs are not as easy to find as before. The unemployment numbers are rising.

Batamindo is the area where various industries of Batam are located. Among them are electronics and cosmetics. Or they used to be… Lately, anything goes: they say that even the sand for the reclaimed land used for the iconic Marina Sands in Singapore, has been extracted and exported from Batam.”

Bit of public space in Batam (photo by Andre Vltchek)

On this chain of islands, nothing went as expected.

Batam was supposed to be the first urban area in the turbo-capitalist and corrupt Indonesia: a huge modern city with tree-lined avenue, sidewalks, public transportation and – some even dared to hope – public parks and playgrounds for children.

Across the water, just a 50 minutes sail from ‘downtown’ Batam, one of the richest cities on earth, Singapore, boasts one of the highest quality of life on Earth. There, a futuristic metro (MRT) that covers almost the entire island, and modern double-decker buses take well-groomed and educated passengers to elaborate bookstores and avant-garde art galleries. Top research institutions, public libraries, museums, concert halls and exhibition halls both educate and entertain the citizens. Almost everywhere in Singapore people live in high-quality, subsidized public housing.

Socialism and capitalism are rubbing shoulders in Singapore. Some love it, others hate it, but one thing is undeniable: healthy and educated Singaporeans can stay and enjoy life in their city-state. Or they could go anywhere in the world (visa free), and be certain that they will make it – as artists, academics, researchers, managers, whatever…

Most of the poor, uneducated people from fundamentalist-capitalist Southeast Asian countries can only end up as untrained laborers in the Gulf, or worse.

Indonesian ‘planners’, including one of its former presidents – Habibie (he took over the presidency after Suharto stepped down) – saw Singapore and they salivated. They wanted something similar or even precisely the same.

But Singapore cannot be replicated, as China cannot be, as Russia cannot be. To build these countries, took generations and generations of dedicated and educated, optimistic men and women.

Batam tried to copy the facades and skyline of Singapore. But its foundations were made of clay, lacking ideology, enthusiasm, talent and determination.

At the beginning, as bulldozers and cranes went to work, everything looked vaguely familiar, at least from a great distance. Then, nothing looked recognizable, anymore. Entire structures began collapsing, before they were completed.

White elephants of Batam (photo by Andre Vltchek)

This time, I visited Batam during the Muslim fasting months of Ramadan. In the evening, during the breaking of the fast, three stunningly beautiful and elegant women were sitting at a nearby table. They were modestly dressed, and one of them was holding a baby in her lap. Their heads were covered.

But my friend, Ms. Monica, working at a front desk of an international hotel, destroyed all my illusions:

“Have you seen them? These are upper class escort women. I am ashamed with Batam’s reputation as prostitution island, but what can we do – it is true. Prostitution is everywhere here. Guests of this hotel often bring their women with them. Men using these services are not only Singaporeans, many are also Indonesians. Even girls who look like pious Muslims are selling themselves.

The sex workers are not only those who are working in the raunchy night clubs or bars, but there are also many students from the local universities. We called them ‘ayam kampus’ (‘campus chicken’). I think they call them the same in Java.”

I asked Monica about Batam’s dream of becoming the second Singapore. She replied, gloomily:

“It is a very big contrast between Singapore and Batam. Yes, the Indonesian government used to promise that Batam would be like another Singapore. I don’t know what went wrong. Now Batam Authority (Otorita Batam) is under the central government again. Not much is improving.”

She added another cliché, after a while; one that many have been told to repeat, all over Indonesia:

“But Singapore only has 5 million people to take care of while Indonesia has more than 200 million. It is much easier for Singapore to thrive, isn’t it?”

I mentioned China, with at least four times more people than those living in Indonesia; a country that has left most of the Southeast Asian nations far behind.

Monica remained silent. She has never visited China or any other part of the world. She only knew Indonesia and Singapore.

To others, its may just be an article, to me its how the Batam "girl market" is like on its most current stage. There are also info in the article i am compiling too,hence part 2 of article is on the next post below....

[nono1973]

....continue from previous post above....

Mr. Masrun Sinaga, a waiter at the Golden Fish Restaurant, sees with his own eyes how Batam is losing jobs at an increasing speed:

“I can confirm that many companies closed down their factories here. Some moved to Thailand, others to Malaysia. One of the biggest of them – McDermott – dramatically reduced its operation here, recently. I know, because they had their farewell party at this restaurant. Those who were at the party were mostly their foreign employees and managers. Poor fired employees were not invited.”

300 thousand jobs lost in just one year, on an island with roughly 1.2 million inhabitants!

( Click to show/hide )

Like the rest of Indonesia, Batam does not produce almost anything ‘indigenous’ – it is hosting maquiladoras, mainly from the West, Japan and South Korea. Practically, still relatively cheap and unskilled labor is assembling what was developed somewhere else. When minimum wages move higher (as happened in Batam), most of the companies migrate somewhere else. As there is hardly any Indonesian industry to speak of, such places as Batam go down, into free fall.

Mediocre technocrats like Habibie (‘educated’ in Germany), were heavily indoctrinated by the pro-market dogmas. Their theories failed, reducing Indonesia to a country which keeps plundering its own resources on behalf of mostly Western multi-national companies, while keeping its citizens in servitude to big business and modern-day feudal lords.

The results are predictable: environment is ruined, while the cities and villages are precisely like in the feudal days, now only with stereotypically assembled malls and a few international hotels; with dangerous and cheap scooters (wishfully called motorbikes) and, because of the notorious lack of public transportation, legendary traffic jams – something that should be absolutely ridiculous in a desperately poor country like Indonesia.

At the Sekupang neighborhood, I saw two middle-aged women, sitting aimlessly near a polluted waterway. One came from Jember, East Java, while the other from Palembang in Sumatra. They stared at me, a foreigner, in surprise. I asked them about ‘the second Singapore’. They replied, still amused:

“Yes, the previous government promised Batam to become a second Singapore. It has not been realized yet, as you can see.

Life is difficult. I don’t even think about going back home to Palembang for Idul Fitri holidays. I cannot afford it – it is so expensive to go there. Life is so expensive.”

These women are not losing hope. Perhaps one day things could change, improve:

But it depends on the Mayor. We still hope that Batam will be more like Singapore in the future.”

A few steps from where they sat, a child suffering from malnutrition, is absent-mindedly munching on blue paint he peels from a window frame.

There are slums all over Batam, there is misery, like everywhere in Indonesia. It does not appear richer or poorer than the other cities of the archipelago. Things look familiar: no concert halls and no research centers. Only five bus lines that are operating tiny and primitive buses – that is all that is disguising itself as ‘public transportation’, in an urban area of more than 1 million inhabitants.

There is hardly anything to look forward to, here. Only, perhaps, a trip to Singapore, or marriage to a foreigner, an escape.

Chilli bar in Batam (photo by Andre Vltchek)

Ramadan. During the fasting month, the whorehouses of Batam are open only from 9 pm to 1 am, but they are open. Speedboats from Singapore are still packed, shuttling concerned-looking men, sugar daddies, husbands in need of second wives.

I spoke to Ms. Mira, who works at a small store (warung), which doubles as a bar in Batam’s neighborhood called Nagoya. She laughs, bitterly, whenever I ask some uncomfortable questions:

“I don’t know why I came to Batam, but I did; from Lombok. It was not easy to get a job here. I finally worked at Chilli Bar here at Nagoya Town, at that corner, look… not far from here. I used to make grand total of Rp. 3 million (about US$ 240). And that already included my salary, tips and drink commissions. I heard that in better bars, women could earn up to Rp. 5 million, with the same structures of payment.”

Finally, I went to Chilli Bar, and it was clearly a brothel, a den, with girls dancing in their skimpy clothes, with a transvestite mixing cocktails; a place where there are no secrets, where everything is raw and open. A middle-aged sex-worker, Ms. Jemmy, is from Palembang. She is bitter and tough, and at the same time as melancholic as a character from Chekhov’s play:

“I have a 17-year-old kid now. I was pregnant when I was very young, her age, at 17.

First, I went to work in Singapore, then I moved to Batam to work in a casino. At that time, gambling was thriving here. But then it became restricted, only five places that could have gambling on their premises. So, I would work for 2 weeks and then not work for 2 months. I have a kid to raise, so I moved; I began working in this bar in order to make ends meet.

I would do anything to survive. If customers want to be with me for a night, that’s OK. At one point, I became a ‘second wife’ of a Singaporean businessman who had been travelling regularly to Batam. But then, things did not work out as planned. We broke up.

I don’t have plans to go back home to Palembang for Idul Fitri holidays. I have to earn more money first, to be able to do that. Anyway, I am not looking forward to the holidays. It is already bad during Ramadan – the bars can only operate from 9pm to 1am. Such a short time. Yes, not enough time to get many customers. That means less earning for us. Usually we started to open at 3pm and could stay open until early hours, especially on the weekends.”

Tens of thousands of Indonesian women are drawn to Batam, as hundreds of thousands are drawn to Bali. The legend goes: anything could happen here. Life could change. Prince Charming may appear from nowhere.

But miracles hardly happen. Charming princes that travel here, are usually just some tough Singaporean businessmen, who know precisely what they want. Most of them, once they get it, rush back to their bubble, to a highly conservative lifestyle.

But Indonesian reality is too dreadful and the dream of easy escape too bright. Desperate women keep coming.

Can the economy of an entire island with more than 1 million inhabitants be sustained by such ‘dreams’? It appears that it has to be. Factories are closing down. Real, ‘decent’ tourism has nothing to offer to foreigners who are drawn as if by some powerful magnet to the neighboring lights of Singapore.

Indonesian Batam cannot compete. It has only those few second-rate malls, mainly stuffed with counterfeit merchandise. There is nothing unique here, nothing impressive, nothing truly beautiful.

What was the former vice-President B. J. Habibie really thinking? What did he want to achieve here in Batam, in those ‘heady’ (but in truth, totally wasted) post-Suharto years?

What is here, really; what is here now, in Batam? A few pits from terrible mining ventures, few badly paved roads and dirty polluted waterways. One huge sunken ship. A few slums. A few ‘white elephants’ – unfinished tall buildings, hotels and condominiums.

Fundamentalist capitalism is badly failing in Indonesia, as it is failing all over Southeast Asia. (please refer to my latest book: “Revolutionary Optimism, Western Nihilism”). It is good to know that it is. The sad thing, however, is that local people, indoctrinated and programmed, are being forced to pay a terrible price. They are not protesting, not rioting; they are mostly suffering silently.

Entire generations are wasted. Almost no one in Indonesia is still aware how bad things have really got. It is ‘top secret’, hidden by the corporate media, hidden by the indoctrinated academia.

Those few who are aware are blaming the circumstances, and the corrupt individuals. Almost no one is blaming the regime – the entire system – injected by the West.

Inundated village in Batam (photo by Andre Vltchek)

One bizarre relic on the islands of Batam, is a former refugee camp for Vietnamese ‘boat’ people. It is located on the island of Galang. This gloomy compound has been turned into a badly maintained, but still fascinating museum. Or you can call it an anti-Communist propaganda monument. Barracks are on display, as well as now rotting boats that used to bring opponents of the Vietnamese Communist Revolution to this part of the world.

Now, Vietnam which had been reduced to a rubble by the imperialist assault from the West, is a Communist (with mixed economy) middle-income country. It has bypassed Indonesia in many fields. Its population is educated and enthusiastic, and its cities are blooming.

I asked a construction worker from East Java, who was working on the premises of the museum, what he knew about the Vietnam War. He was curt:

“This island was for the refugees from Vietnam. But I don’t know about the history. Nobody told me anything. I just started this work on repairing the boats, because they are already falling apart.”

Mr. Adi, now a resident of Batam but originally from Pontianak, knew much more:

“Refugees in Galang Island were the results of the civil wars in Vietnam, and the intervention from the West, just like what is happening now in Syria.”

On the way back to the main, northern part of Batam, I noticed a fence. I stopped the car and went to look. Behind the wires, there was a lake. At the edge of it, an eerie site – a sunken village. Only roofs of houses and a mosque were now visible. All the rest was under the water. “What is this?” I asked. A dam. A badly planned artificial lake. Another disaster, another failed ’project’.

One hour later I photographed a slum, but it was biasa, a ‘usual stuff’, just like anywhere else in Indonesia.

Next day I landed in Singapore, and it was biasa again, but only from the point of view of one of the richest places on Earth: tickets for the concert of my favorite Argentinian concert pianist Martha Argerich, were hopelessly sold out. But I managed to attend a great (free) concert at a magnificent Esplanade concert hall. Changi Airport, the best in the world, just opened its Terminal 4, which was designed as a cozy ancient Chinese town in Southeast Asia. The Singapore metro extended enormously, since my last visit. Biasa, you know, usual stuff… for Singapore.

There is no place on Earth where the contrasts between the super-rich and poor worlds would be so close to each other.

Only 20 kilometers between a bizarre crypto socialist and monstrously rich Singapore and the colonized, robbed, poor and brainwashed super-capitalist Indonesia.

Two different planets. Two different realities.

This contrast never appears in the European or North American mainstream press. The West loves Indonesia as it is now: plundered, defeated, indoctrinated.

No matter what the Western demagogues say, Southeast Asia cannot be governed by capitalist doctrines. When it is, its people are forced to live in unimaginable misery.

But the truth is: there cannot be a “second Singapore” or “second Shenzhen”, not even “second Danang”, anywhere in an Asian country which puts greed and profit above well-being of its people and the social structures.

About the writer and photograper :

Andre Vltchek is a philosopher, novelist, filmmaker and investigative journalist. He has covered wars and conflicts in dozens of countries. Three of his latest books are Revolutionary Optimism, Western Nihilism, a revolutionary novel “Aurora” and a bestselling work of political non-fiction: “Exposing Lies Of The Empire”. View his other books here. Watch Rwanda Gambit, his groundbreaking documentary about Rwanda and DRCongo and his film/dialogue with Noam Chomsky “On Western Terrorism”. Vltchek presently resides in East Asia and the Middle East, and continues to work around the world. He can be reached through his website and his Twitter.

Rossie Indira is a writer and publisher at PT. Badak Merah Semesta, an independent and progressive publishing house. Her latest book “Bude Ocie di Maroko” is about her travel to Morocco. With Andre Vltchek, Rossie co-wrote “Exile”, conversations with Pramoedya Ananta Toer (This book had been translated to Korean, Spanish Indonesian). Rossie was translator and production manager of a documentary “Terlena – Breaking of a Nation”about genocide in Indonesia in 1965. Rossie can be contacted through her website or twitter.

Cover photo: Two women in Batam – they do not think it looks like Singapore (photo by Andre Vltchek)

One of the reason why i am not linking to this article's site and have it copied and paste in this forum thread instead is becos the article contains many key Batam information which i have BOLD them out. I just wish to keep it in my Batam Info Vault for future reference.

This article's info is less than 2 years old as of this post,hence the info validity should not be too far for now and the next few years (over here,i am talking about info that are important to me and not on the author's "point of view" info). In 3rd world countries, many things dont change overnight or in very fast pace,hehehe...

From my very own perspective, Singapore is more of a hell and Batam is like heaven. I wrote about that about 5 years ago in my Batam trip summaries, and i still agree to what i said yesteryear today,hehehe...

There is one last final problem i will have to solve in future when i am in Batam,that is...their medical amenities. That ,i shall talk about it in the near future.

[nono1973]

Originally Posted by censored

Bro, sorry to bother you. My first time to Batam but got to know a few FL in Batam through social media. Engaging their LT services. Few promises 6 shots for 1juta. Is there anything i have to be aware of? Sorry but any kind advise is appreciated.

Thank you,
<censored>

Hi bro, good to see you PM me,becos you are someone who "shared" before,hence i replied your PM (i have tons of people PM-ing me but i choose to ignore most becos many were simply leeches). In my shoe, replying repeated questions daily whereby the 90% of the answers can be found in the thread can be a very tedious task. And most time, my reply were pretty much detailed and i took time to think before i can pen them down to prevent any misunderstanding.

Ok, for those who promise anything to you on social media, take it with a pinch of salt. From experience of my own, only girls who knew me well enough and customers who are regulars to them will give more than 3 shots (as in proper shots,not those sex w/o foreplay type,which is quite common). Might need to tip them more at times too,tho not 100% necessary.

For bros i knew who needs more than 3 shots in Batam i would usually ask them to get a booking girl and then in between go to massage shops. For myself, i would ask massage girls to come to my room to massage me and my booking girl, allowing them some time to mingle around and pay for "special service" for both myself and my booking girl. Of course, these will require proper coordination between the 3 girls (booking girl + 2 massage girls in my room at the same time) and dont always work out (as i cant speak bahasa).

Nonetheless, Utama area of massage + special isnt expensive or even King massage at Formosa hotel (require to bargain tho). I havent count in other MPs nearby formosa hotel tho.

Or make it simpler, my friends get 2 less expensive average booking girls (hopefully from same joint or just let the 1st girl you book choose which girl to book). That would almost guarantee 6 shots if not more. Cost around 800k to 1 juta per girl.

(you arent the only one here who could do 6 shots a day, well...if you ever read my summaries before,hehehe..)

Remember to bargain down as booking 2 girls gives you better bargaining power as well.

* i replied to you on the thread censoring off your nick due to words limitation on the PM box.

In Batam , there are lots of activities to do other than just staying inside hotel to bonk whole day/night,hehehe...some will bonk in theaters/KTVs, some in hotel room balcony, some in the swimming pool, some inside sauna/steam room etc etc.

Just sharing, and hope it gives you some idea.

Cheers!

[miumiu6464]

Originally Posted by nono1973

There is one last final problem i will have to solve in future when i am in Batam,that is...their medical amenities. That ,i shall talk about it in the near future.

Really like to read your input in this area, as although I'm staying in Indonesia now, having to travel back to Sg every few months is a chore that I can do without. We just applied for their national medical insurance card (what they call BJPS card) for her. While I'm also eligible for it, it's pointless as they don't have the medicine I'm taking now. In fact, most of the larger pharmacy like K24 and Kymia also don't have. Haizzz.

[Myhorizon]

If only Batam has same quality as Jakarta

[decaptico]

Originally Posted by Myhorizon

If only Batam has same quality as Jakarta

share location
LOL

[OnlyLiveOnce]

Originally Posted by nono1973

....continue from previous post above

From my very own perspective, Singapore is more of a hell and Batam is like heaven.

If Singapore is such a hell to you, maybe you should seriously consider abandoning the island all your wealth and live the rest of your life in Batam or elsewhere. I am sure many more talented foreigners disadvantaged by their place of birth will readily swop position with you.

[Happyman007]

Originally Posted by OnlyLiveOnce

If Singapore is such a hell to you, maybe you should seriously consider abandoning the island all your wealth and live the rest of your life in Batam or elsewhere. I am sure many more talented foreigners disadvantaged by their place of birth will readily swop position with you.

If you follow his post, you'll notice that he's looking into buying condo and planning to move over once he is comfortable.....he plan and move step by step according to his financial planning and I'm sure he will be able to make it and let those "Talented Foreigners" swop our position and rent our HDB to pay for our overseas living expenses while we enjoy our "heaven" in foreign land

[milfmilf]

Originally Posted by nono1973

Hmm...20% off looks attractive but i guess i might end up paying around S$39.00 or a little more. Very likely they are going to play with those "tax inclusive/non-tax inclusive" game tho.

ticket price ard $30+ so 20% is $6+ discount
plus $14 terminal fee...
ok lah... use for cab fare or SIM card

[milfmilf]

is 1-3 april a good time to go

[nono1973]

Originally Posted by miumiu6464

Really like to read your input in this area, as although I'm staying in Indonesia now, having to travel back to Sg every few months is a chore that I can do without.

I am actually not so sure about that yet, which is why i pick Batam as my "final destination". So that in the event of an emergency, i could still utilize the short distance to reach Singapore for their medication facilities. 5 years ago, i have a choice, Thailand Bangkok or Indonesia Batam (Thailand actually has good medical facilities).

In the end, i picked Batam.

Originally Posted by Happyman007

If you follow his post, you'll notice that he's looking into buying condo and planning to move over once he is comfortable.....he plan and move step by step according to his financial planning and I'm sure he will be able to make it and let those "Talented Foreigners" swop our position...

Foreword, i said in my perspective, Singapore is hell for me (past 5 years and present). I dont hate the country where my parents give birth to me, just that my life is hell in it. Other bro's life in my home country could be heaven,that i arent sure but i only speak for myself and i only represent myself, which is why the word "my perspective" comes in.

Originally Posted by Happyman007

...and rent our HDB to pay for our overseas living expenses while we enjoy our "heaven" in foreign land

Hehehe...was planning to buy a few units in Batam but i am starting from scratch when it comes to understanding the property market in Indonesia Batam,hence i am learning as i go along. Its a learning process and i am recording it down.

Why buy few units? Hehehe...i could perhaps rent some of them to like-minded bros in Batam who might feel Singapore is like hell (again,in their own perspective/s) when it comes to retirement. They could rent their HDB flat out as retirement fund and then comes over to Batam to rent a studio unit from me as a price of about Singapore half-a-bedroom price (probably S$250 to S$300?) At least those like-minded bros can come "play chess" together at the Batam apartment void deck (together with their babes),hehehe..isnt that something fun?

Retirement is not about doing nothing ,stay at home shake leg (i read that from somewhere by SBF boss, Sam Leong),its more about doing something i enjoyed doing...and hopefully can earn some money out of it to help with my daily expenses etc.

Most importantly, i have enjoyed myself thoroughly in Batam.

Moving a small step a time, i believe as long as i do not give up, i will be able to succeed in my own gameplay eventually,hehehe....my growth in Batam is recorded in the forum itself which i no longer have rights to amend or delete anymore,hence it becomes a piece of history over time (so long SBF dont close down,hehehe..anyway i have back ups. ).

Its my life afterall...

[Superpork]

Bro Nono, your posts on this thread is always information and enlightening.
Given the article you shared, wouldn't the poor economical outlook affect the property prices (and completion)?
I had thought of retiring in Batam too. But the thought of the property purchase restriction for foreigners had put a damper on the idea...

[Happyman007]

Originally Posted by nono1973

Why buy few units? Hehehe...i could perhaps rent some of them to like-minded bros in Batam who might feel Singapore is like hell (again,in their own perspective/s) when it comes to retirement. They could rent their HDB flat out as retirement fund and then comes over to Batam to rent a studio unit from me as a price of about Singapore half-a-bedroom price (probably S$250 to S$300?) At least those like-minded bros can come "play chess" together at the Batam apartment void deck (together with their babes),hehehe..isnt that something fun?

I use to own a condo unit in jkt but is using a very close friend name to buy, stay a few years and rented it out for 2-3 years and finally sold it and move the money to Thailand to buy condo house there.........be careful when buying property in Indonesia, my last known info is foreigner still not allow to own condo except few very high end type in jkt which is open to foreigner.

[nono1973]

A new movie is coming at around April 2019 in most batam's theater,hehehe...thats Shazam, the DC version of Captain Marvel.

Oh well, we have the girl version of Captain Marvel from Marvel on March 2019, now DC has their own version "Captain Marvel" called Shazam. In case nobody knows, Shazam, the super hero in the movie started off in the name Captain Marvel in the DC comics during 1940s. He's known to be as powerful as the most powerful super hero in DC, Superman...well,just less popular...hehehe...

Take a look at its trailer :

https://youtu.be/uilJZZ_iVwY

...and the movie's storyline goes...

In Billy Batson’s (Angel) case, by shouting out one word—SHAZAM!—this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult Super Hero Shazam (Levi), courtesy of an ancient wizard. Still a kid at heart—inside a ripped, godlike body—Shazam revels in this adult version of himself by doing what any teen would do with superpowers: have fun with them! Can he fly? Does he have X-ray vision? Can he shoot lightning out of his hands? Can he skip his social studies test? Shazam sets out to test the limits of his abilities with the joyful recklessness of a child. But he’ll need to master these powers quickly in order to fight the deadly forces of evil controlled by Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Strong).

This guy is like Deadpool,hehehe...so if one is watching this movie, be expecting it to be like more of a comedy. The golden word in this movie would be...

Am more than likely to watch this movie here at this Park Avenue Mall's CGV Blitz theater during April 2019...hehehe...

https://samleong.shop/showthread.php?p=...r#post18467751

And i am not going to ask anyone NOT to eat and drink in the theater this time. Well, if you are watching this movie in the CGV Blitz theater at Park Avenue Mall, PLEASE...eat and drink in the theater...not cheap to buy snacks from there to consume inside the theater but well...it would be a real waste NOT to eat and drink in it with these kind of "seats",hehehe...

...or this type of seating.

One last thing, if you are bringing your girl...dont forget to bring "helmet",hehehe...