Bintan are [Not] Only For Golfers..
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Unless for golfers, the name of the island, Bintan, would not sound familiar enough for almost Indonesian people. In fact, this island is oftenly visited by Singaporean tourists [whom can reach the island only in 55 minutes by using ferry boats] instead the domestic tourists. Also, another international tourists may enjoy another ‘touch of Indonesian’ on their vacation by visiting Bintan, after a few days wandering around the Lion city. Thus, it wouldn’t have been surprising whenever you found out that it is so easy to do a transaction by using S$ currency besides rupiahs among the locals.
Bintan is the island where the capital of Riau archipelago province, Tanjung Pinang, located. Unfortunately, there isn’t any airport available, so it’s nearly impossible to have a commercial airplane to fly directly to the island. The nearest air transport access available is through Batam, and then continue the journey by using ferry from Telaga Pungut port. The ferry from Batam to Bintan departs daily on 7.30, 11.30, and 16.30, while the route from Bintan to Batam departs on 8.30, 14.30, and 17.30.
As aforementioned, the island is a heaven for those golf players. But wait.. you might not want to miss another attraction of this island. If you’re ready to get wet and a little muddy, then you won’t be dissapointed by playing with the dolphins. Yup... Dolphins! These aqua mammals are confined and preserved on one side of the island, parting them to off-shore.
Dolphin Lodge is one site which done the preservation for the dolphins. It located on a 3 hectares island which the locals named as Mencaras. The site was built in year 2000, but the visitors could have them open for public two years afterwards. You would need 20 minutes from Tanjung Uban port to reach the site by using speedboat.
There are 33 kinds of dolphins around the world, and the ‘bottlenose’ species are among them which preserved here in Dolphin Lodge. Well trained instructors will explain and guide you about the dolphins and how to interact with the mammals. Since the dolphins are wild animals, it is heavily suggested not to make a sudden move, not to touch the sensitive parts such as eyes, tails, fin, and genital, and touch them smoothly, to avoid unwanted incidents while interacting with them.
If you think that dolphins doesn’t amuse you enough, maybe you can try to join the Traditional Fishing Tour. Here, you will get involved with what traditional fishermen handles everyday: bento, injab, jala, bubu, and tangkul. It’s the equipments used by traditional fishermen to gone fishing. You will be given explanations about the equipments and how to use them to catch the fishes. Furthermore, you’ll be told about where certain kind of fish would gather by looking through the water surface. Hmm.. nice tips for people who knows little about fishing.
Interested enough? Maybe you can look forward for another info on Bintan Resorts.
Nevermind the lodgings, you may visit Nirwana Gardens, Bintan Lagoon Resort, and the Banyan Tree for the services.
Another suggestion:
You better not visit this island on monsoon [December - April] if you intend to enjoy the beauty of Bintan shores which towards the South China Sea.
posted by Daniy @ 8:52 PM,
