(Updated on April 13, 2009)

Finally with an update of my trip to Bintan! Considering of a place to get away from the busy life of Singapore, Bintan will be an ideal destination for many to live with a simple life, ensuring you to hope that staying in the island will be permanent.

The idea to the visit was initiated by Mr. James Wong, who hoped to secure 24 participants from Sport and Wellness to join in this educational trip. As usual, approval must be granted first so first of all, asking my Mum for permission, and then, it was Auntie Emily’s approval. Although Mum was alright with the idea, Auntie Emily was reluctant. At the end of the day, I went to visit Bintan with a light-hearted mind, especially when I had a quarrel with Auntie Emily over some silly matters. The trip was a right time for me to stay relaxed and avoid my worries for the next few days.

The Day Before
Only had half of my stuff packed, I managed to reach back home about 11.30pm after attending Chris’s birthday celebration. It was a simple celebration, with karaoke singing in the early afternoon then having dinner at the evening, before walking all the way to Yun Ting’s house to make a last celebration for Chris with the cake-cutting ceremony.

I should have went home much earlier but as Huai Xin was staying over at my house for a convenient ride for next day’s trip, I had to continue to wait till she’s ready to leave her house. Once I’m back home, shower was the next thing and putting the remaining stuff into my luggage. Mum got a lot of food for me, as if I was attending a boot camp or something, which would make me starve for the next few days. Well, around 2am, it was time for my nap before the big event commerce later that day.

Day 1
Waking up at 5.15am, it was hardly a wink for me as many things was in my mind and with just only a rest duration of 3 hours, its considered hard for me to get my good rest. Washing up and checking my luggage with the last few items that were on my list, I was ready to meet my coach, whom was sending us (Azirah, Huai Xin, Raymond and me) to the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal.

Reaching at the terminal around 7.20am, many had not reached at the departure area. Mr. Wong soon arrived before we made the required arrangements before boarding the ferry. Passports depart/ arrival documents, etc… Once everything is done, we checked into the ferry by 9am, Singapore time and the ferry left shortly.

Reaching 10am at our destination, everyone was ever ready once we left the Bintan Ferry Terminal. We arrived at the Nirwana Resort s shortly. The first thing that amazed me was the clear blue beach that was situated directly in front of us. You won’t get to see such a sight back in Singapore so that was a ‘Wow’ factor for all of us. We checked into our respective rooms (mine’s with Jackson) before proceeding down to a nearby hut to have a short briefing and learning the operations of the resort.

However, the weather permits us from conducting any activities, affecting our plans early for the day. Heavy rain caused us to stay back in our rooms once we had our buffet lunch. Nothing was special on the lunch buffet but one thing is for sure, Mr. Wong sure knows how to eat. Eating more than 6 plates of lamb, he’s sure a big eater.

Since we had nothing to do, back in our room, Jackson and I were watching this variety show (since all the Singapore channels are all affected and none can be watched) and by an hour’s time, all of us were knocked out. Guess we were too exhausted due to the lack of sleep we had.

Once we were awake, we went to the beach for a briefing of the resort’s beach club. Although most of the information could not enter my mind as I was not fully awake. We continued to visit the various facilities and activities that the resort offers. Facilities such as its soccer and badminton courts (building in progress), its gym (smaller than Bodywatch but has BIG toilets!), Visitors shop, its mini zoo and also other recreational activities such as air-rifling, archery, horse-riding, elephant riding, etc…

Dinner was soon after and was a fabulous one. There was this huge chicken thigh as part of their dish and it was yummy! The gals were having problems finishing their meals so as usual, the ‘garbage’ eaters; Cedric and me; were helping them to finish. Imagine bowls of rice next to our plates. Haha… Yeah, we are truly hungry.

With no activities planned for the night, some of us gathered and head down to the nearest KTV to have a short karaoke session. The place was quite big, with a live band set in it. Entering one of the small rooms, we had our karaoke session, with one of the biggest difficulties we had ever been through. The songs (especially Chinese) have all the wrong Han Yu Pin Yin (汉语拼音). It was hard to find the songs too as most of them are out of date. Yet, we still sing out loud and enjoy the night till it was 12am by then. By then, with me feeling tired, I had my shower, watch the television before taking my rest. It was fun but seriously, if the weather can be a bit better the next day, the fun will be greater! Haha…

Day 2
Waking up at 8 plus in the morning, Jackson and I missed our swimming session, not just to try out the resort’s swimming pool but also a swim with Mr. Wong at the beach. We woke up late that morning and had to rush with our preparations before we went to meet the rest for breakfast. Breakfast was a feast, with a variety of choices to choose from. Coco Crunch, bread, noodles, sausages, fresh omelettes, etc. They were all yummy~!

First trip for the day was a visit to the Aromatherapy Day Spa, which we would be learning about the operations of the spa, as well as gaining some hands-on experiences from the masseurs. The journey was about 10 minutes and once we entered the shop (day spa), we were being served with a cup of chilled ginger tea and a piece of cold towel to make us feel relax and comfortable. Shortly, the owner of the shop came to orientate us with the necessary information about Javanese massage, how the business were set-up and the shop’s facilities and services, so on and so far. It was a long orientation as the questions and answers lasted for nearly an hour, before we could proceed to the hands-on.

We got to go through 4 types of hands-on and learning experiences during the spa visit. First of all, it is to management of arranging a client’s schedule of visit to the spa. It’s interesting to see how they perform their tasks to ensure that all clients get their chance to massage in their shop. The variety of aromas for each massage is available for clients to differentiate what type of smells they would like.

Next was the massage therapy! I was one of the dummy for the massage therapy as I was the only guy in the gals group that I’m in with. I was told that the gals need to remove their shirt and bra before the massage could commerce so no choice, I was the lucky one. Bei Yi was another lucky soul, who got the chance to massage me. Although everything was new to her, she managed to follow the instructions of the masseur and provide a good massage for me. A new job for her in the future, I guess.

Foot reflexology was next, being performed by Huai Xin on Charmain and looking at Charmain’s impression of Huai Xin’s skills, she seemed to be laughing non-stop. Probably ticklish but I guess, Huai Xin’s massage is not that bad right? Well, at least I got to know that different points of our foot will indicate how well is our organs when pressing them. That’s something new. At least, I’m starting to wonder did Huai Xin smell something funky while massaging the foot. If there is, gosh! Kidding… =]

Lastly, it was the replenishment of stocks area, which they would provide the right quantities of staff to allow their clients to get to use the products. Nothing much over there but we realized that they do sell their products to customers so they could use them at home. Too bad, our resort rooms do not have a spa facility in them.

After the spa visit, lunch was at a nearby ‘Ole Ole’ village. The food was still alright but the main attraction that caught my eyes was the placement of the rice in their ‘plates’. Like baskets, the plates were in brown colour and are designed like a big bowl. However, the rice is placed together in a cluster of rings, showing how beautiful a simple placing of food could improve a person’s appetite for the day.

Next attraction for the day; Ria Bintan Golf Club; providing one of the best golf courses for many major Asia golf competitions. To add on, I also declare the club as the place that is situated with a splendid view of scenary for golfers. Pictures will show you how much difference is the club compared to those in Singapore.

First up, a LONG briefing from the committee of the club was explained to us. I soon dozed off, so as some of the people in the room. I guess, only Cedric was the obvious one, who was seen sleeping during the whole presentation. He was also being caught by one of the committee members, with him sitting at the corner of the end. I guess, that was not the right spot after all to fall asleep. Haha… (最危险的地方, 是最安全的地方) – The most dangerous place could be the safest place to… erm… sleep??!! Haha!

We began to tour around the golf course, visiting respective holes of the simple courses to the difficult ones, from the normal ranges to the most beautiful ones. The best golf course would be course 9, which contains beautiful scenery behind it, making one feels that he or she is currently in heaven and would not wish to leave the place. Photos are taken at that area, which I probably guess that no one will know which picture they would consider the best throughout the trip to the golf course. Not only that, we got to see how some golf personnel do some tricks to some holes that have sort of destroy the pitch. To cover the problem, there are various techniques to solve it. Amazing… At least I learnt something new that is educational.

I believe that I was the luckiest person among all my mates in the trip at the golf course. With no driving license on hand, I tried to drive the golf buggy for the first time. Unlike to a normal vehicle, it was much easier with no gears to switch to. However, I realized that my speed was not fast enough and I have problems controlling the steering wheel. I was called as the roadhogger for the day. With my buggy driving slow and delaying the rest of the buggies behind me, everyone keeps shouting at me to speed up.

My bad guys! =X Well, I will try to brush up my skills one day if I manage to put my hands on the steering wheel again. Anyway, I need to thank Bei Yi for allowing me to drive the buggy. Without her assistance to tell me how to drive, I won’t think that the buggy would survive. I got to wham the corners of the road a few times but without her help, probably a lot of times then. Haha… at the end of the day, I was pressing the speed gear, she was helping me to steer the steering wheel. Teamwork… That is a best way to describe the term.

Back to the resort, some of the guys went to prepare themselves for some beach games. BEACH SOCCER! Not really a fanatic beach soccer fan but I like playing soccer that’s all. I scored a few goals but the funniest part was when the goalkeeper facing me was Mr. Wong. Larger than life compared to the rest of us, his legs blocked the goalpost perfectly, that no other angle could allow you to score a goal. The funniest player for that day was Jackson, who doesn’t play soccer at all. After he manage to blow a few shots and started to run and puff, he fall in love with the game and keep asking us to play soccer for the remaining days of the trip. Seems like an addiction just requires you to perform the activity within 10 minutes will do. It’s all in the mind. =] Volleyball was next, which the losing team will need to serve the winning team for breakfast in the next morning. In the end, who’s team will win?!! Of course it’s Mr. Wong’s team. His shots were so strong that no one could get the ball. He’s a discus thrower so, who is able to match up with him. We conceded. Haha…

By then, we had a meeting during the night to discuss on the things that we had learnt, and these ideas will be present to the director of NYP. What a trouble but at least everyone still enjoy sharing one room together to discuss their views and everything, sharing the interesting they found out throughout the trip. Once all is done, a few television shows and I was back to my bed for a good rest.

Day 3
Waking up at 6.45am, I went to wash up, this time round, promising to take the opportunity to swim at the resort’s swimming pool with Jackson. I realized that at one end of the pool faced the scenery of the beach, which makes one feel like watching sun rise for each day, as well as the sun set. Soon, we went to meet Mr. Wong at the beach to have a swim. There were a few jellyfishes to be cautioned with but that does not disrupt the fun in us. Taking pictures and enjoy the cooling and clear waters make one feels that they are in paradise. I missed the beach right now. How I could be back again.

Once we had our swim and breakfast, it was time to do water activities for the entire day. Snorkeling was first as we need to prepare our stuff, gear up and take a boat down to the other parts of the island to see the corals. Taking the speedboat with Cedric, Farhreeq, Khal and Jackson, some of us were sitting at the front of the speedboat, which was a wrong decision. The boat was moving fast but was bumpy, causing us to have our butts sore whenever it lands hard on the waters. Ouch! By then when we reached our destination, we just don’t feel like moving. Even with the provided cushions cant stop us from facing the deep impact. Sore arses… Yikes…

It was my first time snorkeling so I was not so sure about the techniques. I got to take out my lifejacket before I could dive down into the waters to have a better look. However, as the pressure was too much for me, I could not dive too deep. What regret! However, at least we get to feed some of the fishes by spreading the bread crumbs into the water, seeing the fishes swimming in front of us and eating the bread crumbs. You won’t get to see them close, unless you to the Underwater World or your own house’s fish tank and look at the fishes. However, heard from Raymond that most of the corals that we saw were like half-dead and there were not beautiful as they had been destroyed. The beautiful ones can be seen in Malaysia, some parts at the South. I should try snorkeling again one day.

Back to the shore, we got to learn and try out the variety of water sports of the resort. From windsurfing, boogie-boarding, sailing, to other simple ones such as canoeing and kayaking, we get to try everything out. Although I would like to try sailing, I did not take up the chance. I even missed out windsurfing and wakeboarding. However, I tried boogie-boarding, one of the trends in Bintan, which is a simple way of playing. It’s more about moving with the currents using the board, to have the floating effect at the end of the day. Sounds like child’s play but it excites most of us. Haha… Each time a wave comes, everyone will be shouting, “Coming…” and getting ready to charge off as the current touches us.

Before lunch started, banana boat was the last activity! SW0602 talks about teamwork when taking the ride. Only Tang En fell into the water during the ride but it was quite difficult for her to bring her back up to the boat, till after with the help from Raymond and me. Haha… Whereas for SW0601, theirs was more like a team fight. Throughout the ride, they were trying hard to push each other down. Haha… That was fun!

Once again, lunch was back to buffet and this is the first time I got to hear the person-in-charge telling us that the food is out of stock. The steak that was served was insufficient to fill our appetites but guess what? It was again, Mr. Wong who cleared the steak and he could not ask for more as there’s no more steak left in the kitchen. Wow! As usual, big eater… =X

We were back to our rooms to take a rest, before heading back to Aroma Day Spa for our massage session. I shared a room with Jackson for the massage and we had to change our attire first before lying down at the massage bed. Asking for a strong massage, I really felt relax throughout the massage and soon fall asleep. Yet, Jackson felt that he did not get enough of the massage. Maybe different people have different thoughts about it, plus I’m much skinny compared to Jackson. Probably my muscles are easily to be compressed. Haha… Pack of bones…

As night falls, we had a short briefing in Mr. Wong’s room for a review of what we had learnt. Once it was over, it was karaoke session! Mr. Wong’s treat! You can’t imagine that he likes to sing a lot as he can’t stop holding the microphone. Haha… Some managed to sing a few songs but the rest just followed by singing along. It’s not bad after all as everyone enjoyed themselves the last night before we end our journey. Night gazing was the next activity as some decided not to take a nap. For me, I did plan to take a nap and wake up an hour later to watch the match between Manchester United and Inter Milan for the champions’ league.

While gazing the moon, you hear each other’s stories, singing out loud. Yet, in my mind, a lot of things start to ponder about what had happened during the past few days, during the trip and before the trip. Many hope and desire to make but still, it’s all an imagination. That was then I gave up, returning to my room and have my nap.

Day 4
Woke up when the alarm rang and when I looked at the time, 6.30am. GOSH! MY MATCH! I soon found out that Cedric fall asleep and forgot to wake me up hours ago and that’s it. I missed my match. However, good grief that Manchester United proceed to the quarter finals. Having a good wash up, I went to meet the rest who were trying their luck to watch a sun rise before the end of the trip.

It ends up to be a disappointment as the sky was too cloudy and by then we see the sun, it was already not the sun rise. Too bad but at least, we get to see the nice scenary and many sleepy faces. Haha… I went straight for breakfast with Marcia, Wei Lin and Feng Ling first. Start crapping about but then, once getting tired and full, I went back to my room to take a nap.

I woke up late this time round to meet the group for the last activities that we hope to do. Well, I got to try out horse riding, which was a fun one, especially where they provide some of the cowboy gears that I wore. It looks funny but seriously, it’s COOL! Mr. Wong keep calling me Woody, from Disney’s Toy Story. Gosh… Should I shout out loud while riding the horse, with a ‘YIIIIIIIIHHHAAAAA!!!’

I got to do some archery and air rifle shooting before we proceed to jet-skiing at the beach. I got a number of missed shots but at least, I still got a chance to play such activities instead when I’m in Singapore, which is much expensive. Next was jet-skiing! Partnering with Aaron, I was the passenger and I regret it from the start. Aaron drove very fast that I grabbed the seat tightly. As the jet-ski land hard on the sea mat, my butt hurts like mad and my head hits his lifejacket. Even my mucus from my nose is coming out from my nose but I can’t let go of my hand if not I’m out at sea. With a turn, considered a drift like Initial D, both of us were flying out of the jet-ski, not once but twice. Haha… Yet, I still feel I was a safe driver, who did not cause any of us to be overboard.

Banana boat was another fun activity that we wanted to try after the jet-skiing. This time round, a lot of crafty turns that resulted many of us to overboard. I fell to the water twice but the second drop was very funny. The first turn result in me shouting “AH!” but with the seawater splashing into my mouth. Had a few mouthful of water and was falling soon. Then again, with another sharp turn, I flung out to the open sea. Haha… Cool! The banana boat ride ended with a royal rumble contest when Wei Lin threw Charmain with her bare hands. Amazing! Raymond was the king of banana boat in the end, managing to stay on the boat after throwing and tossing the rest down to the water.

Had our washing up and packing of our stuff, everyone gathered one last time for a photo shoot with the person-in-charge before we left to ‘Ole Ole’ village to have our dinner and back to Singapore. The worst thing at that point of time was that I do not have enough money with me. The currency that Dad gave me was all expired and worst, my Singapore currency were all used up. Hence, I have no money to get anything for my friends. I felt so bad but at least, I got some money from Raymond to buy a bangle for Auntie Emily as a souvenir. Haix… I feel bad for not getting her anything. With no money, I just cant do anything. All I hope was that she would be happy with that little gift. That matters.

We went to the ferry terminal, this time round to return back to Singapore. After the 4 days 3 nights tour, I feel that I did enjoy myself. I had my nap in the ferry and once we were back to Singapore, a last few photo shoots before we bid farewell to each other. The next time, it’s gonna be seeing each other during our graduation ceremony. Thanks everyone for the wonderful memories.

As what I had learnt from the crew in Bintan, “Working in Bintan is not like a job. Its more like a lifestyle.” Something you wont and never get to feel it in Singapore’s lifestyle. Cheers..