Pasar Oleh Oleh @ Bintan Island

While researching on the activities to do at Bintan Island, we frequently read about this marketplace known as Pasar Oleh-Oleh; which was reported by many travellers as a tourist trap!

However, there were positive reviews of the massage and spa salons within the pasar and we decided to bring our dearest mummy for a well-deserved muscle relaxing session.

As you can probably attest from the above picture; the whole place was literally empty. I could think of a few reasons; the current monsoon season when visitor level is usually the lowest, the negative online reviews etc.

The appearance of a wishing well, in most cases, has a smelly reference to what i term as a tourist trap. To cut it some slack; this well is at least an exact replica of a well typical in villages in this region.

An eye-catching sign declaring that this is a free touting area was erected right at the entrance; a white elephant as we were approached by touts as soon as we stepped in! I didn't complain as they were well mannered and non-pushy.

D' Bintan Salon Day Spa - from memory, there were at least four salons in Pasar Oleh Oleh and mom was kind of drawn to this particular one.

To assure my mom and sister on the cleanliness, they were encouraged to take a look at the facilities before deciding on whether to engage the services of this salon's masseurs.

Rate of spa treatments and massages at D' Bintan Salon Day Spa for your reference - note that prices are in Singapore dollars and subject to change.

Please keep in mind the reservation number (0770-692898) and email (spa@bintanidola.com) as free transportation is provided for a minimum spending of S$50 at the salon! In case you are unaware, you have to pay for a Bintan resorts shuttle to Pasar Oleh Oleh which ranges from S$5 to S$6 for a two-way trip for each person. 

I don't profess to be an expert on massage parlours and spas but what from what i see, the environment was relaxed and soothing. Sadly, a traditional Indonesian massage was not on my agenda that day; after dumping leaving the mom and sister, i departed for my mini exploration alone.

The above was another company offering massages and spa treatment; Bali Mayura spa. Prices are generally similar although there might be some competitive discounts during off peak season.

Pasar Oleh Oleh was not big (around 20 to 30 shops) and i could easily cover the entire place within 30 minutes. According to the official Bintan resorts website, it is supposed to be "a souvenir gift market and shopping village set up to promote Indonesian culture, arts and crafts".

In a way, you can find a few shops selling souvenirs and Indonesia artwork and craftwork; most of which can be easily found back in Bintan Lagoon resort where i stayed for three nights. 

Prices were comparable to the resort even though you can try your luck at bargaining for a better price. In some cases, there were attractive promotions of as high as 50% off the original price.

Didn't bring enough beachwear? You can easily get some from the shops in Oleh Oleh. 

A travel agency was also located on site to provide arrangement for local tours, hotel booking, golf booking, car rental, taxi service, massage, spa etc. For those who would like to rent a car, you may click here for a review of my experience in Bintan. 

Temporary tattoos were available for those who wish to show off their rebellious nature in an overseas country and yet too chicken to have a permanent mark on their body (like me)!

You can get drinks, snacks, instant noodles, beer etc from two mini-marts in Pasar Oleh Oleh. Pricing wise, equivalent to what you pay back in Singapore! Two hundred meters away is another place where you can get the aforementioned items at cheaper prices. Want to know more? Look out for it in a future entry (i am expecting it to be posted in a week's time).

Hungry for food? There were two main eateries serving local, western and even Japanese cuisines; Helo Helo Cafe and Bintan Idol Cafe. Out of these two, Bintan Idol (sister company of D' Bintan Salon Day Spa) had more diners partly because it had an air-conditioned dining section. 

Menu of Bintan Idol Cafe appended above for your reference. See, i am so nice right?! As usual, please note that prices are subject to change! As i was still full from a great lunch my mom cooked back in the resort villa, i was only on the lookout for just a cup of coffee. 

My choice was Helo Helo cafe since it was right opposite D' Bintan Salon Day Spa where i could  peacefully play my game while waiting for the two ladies to complete their massage session. 

The layout of Pasar Oleh Oleh has a village (or known as kampong to many local Singaporeans) theme; clusters of kampong houses that doubled as shops with communal spaces in the middle where visitors can rest in any of the three sheltered pavilions. 

Despite its infamous tag as a tourist trap, there were subtle indications of similarity to my kampong days (i stayed in the village until i was six years old) which is incredibly memorable.

Kids playing carefreely in front of their houses.

Cats lazing under the hot sun until they were disturbed by a blogger who could not help taking a few photographs for his blog.

A family of wild long tailed macaques that frequently barged into the mini-mart for free food and drinks at the expense of an unwilling mini-mart owner who branded them as robbers! 

Elevated houses that were specifically built to prevent flooding and also acted as a cooling agent for the residents. Personally, i find this kind of houses on cement stumps to be really scary; imagine sleeping on the wooden floor and hearing someone knocking or crying directly beneath the floor!

Walk to the back where you can see more of the real kampong life; dirt path, small scale plantations of herbs and vegetables, cluttered arrangement of household items etc. 

Even to the extent of seeing a few pairs of freshly washed (i think) underwear. 

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Location

Township Bintan Resort Region

North Lagoi, Bintan Resorts,

Bintan Island

Map

As above and slightly outdated. 

How to Go There?

The easiest way is to take a bus shuttle from your resort and pay a nominal fee per person. Kampong Lagoi, as indicated in the above picture, is right across Pasar Oleh Oleh.

My family missed the bus (result of a different time zone) and since we didn't want to waste time, we approached the customer service counter of the resort to book a taxi to bring us there. 

Cost - S$22 one way for the three of us. 

Dino-Soarin' - A Kiddy Ride on the Pterodactyls @ Jurassic Park [Universal Studios Singapore]

Dino-Soarin' in Universal Studios Singapore (USS) - when i first explored the theme park back in 2011 under the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences' family day, i thought this ride must have been the most unexciting in the whole of USS.

Take a look - you can easily find this kind of fly around ride catered for the kids even in small scale fun fairs at Singapore's temporary night markets (known locally as pasar malams).

However, take a step backwards and try to recollect the basic purpose of a theme park - to provide entertainment for everyone in the family and that includes very young children (not infants though) who would not have met the minimum height requirements for most rides in USS.

With this mindset (and that i have an annual pass now), it was decided to give Dino-Soarin' a try in my recent trip to the theme park. No doubt, it was embarrassing to have two adult men joining the queue when everyone seemed to have a kid beside them!

Pterodactyls cars - Heck, i don't even know how to pronounce pterodactyls even though these ancient birds were commonly seen in movies revolving around dinosaurs.

What was thought to be a boring ride turned out to be pretty entertaining; thanks to the above button. In order to "fly" your pterodactyl, you have press and hold the button.

Going up gradually was nothing; it was the abrupt descent that was fun! How i wish i have brought Jovyn along! 

By the way, it would be quite a squeeze to have two persons in the car. Could we actually use the pterodactyl's feet as a helpful hanger for my big bag during the ride? 

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Location

Beyond the Gate of Jurassic Park

Lost World Zone

Universal Studios Singapore [USS]

Sentosa Island

For other posts on USS, please click here. 

500 Luohan Temple [五百罗汉庙] @ Bintan Island [Indonesia]

My mind drew a blank when my brother in law suggested a visit to the 500 luohan temple in our recent trip to Bintan Island. Don't get me wrong; i am fully aware of a place that houses five hundred golden statues of arhats but from my understanding, it is in China and not Indonesia.

Whatever the case, this recently completed temple was said to be a key attraction in many Bintan travel itineraries! Our arrival started with a grand Chinese stone archway guarded by two fierce looking heavenly generals.

To enter the vihara's compound, you first have to walk through what appeared to be a city gate built according to Chinese traditional architecture. To be honest, it was weird having such a towering structure on top of a small hill that has no similar building complementing its imposing existence.

Impressive sight that greeted us upon entering and one that took our breath away - the sculptural display of five hundred stone arhats on a tiered platform! More on them later.

Shocking news - deities in captivity! Sacrilegious! No lah, i think they might have just arrived and the caretakers have not had time to put them in their designated spots.

I could not remember who this is although i found it extremely cute to see a modern day pacifier on a religious statue. Beware, it would not be long before we see statues of gods holding mobile phone in addition to their magical weapon in their hands.

This statue depicted the daughter of a dragon who has attained the Buddha status despite her relatively young age at eight years old.

Guanyin Bodhisattva - as you can see, access was blocked to prevent touchy hands from damaging the statue and also to deter non religious visitors from posing inappropriately beside the statues for the sake of photo taking.

She, as in Guanyin (along with two other Bodhisattvas by her sides), was located right opposite the congregation of 500 arahats and it did seem like a religious sermon was scheduled to start; likely at night when all pesky, noisy visitors have left the compound.

Drinks and snacks were available (for purchase) for those who want to take a rest and enjoy the peacefulness and tranquility of the temple.

Steps to the main shrine housing the patron god, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva [地藏王菩萨] who is famous for making a very noble vow; his determination not to achieve Buddhahood until hell is emptied of souls.

Now, we all know that is impossible! Humans are complicated and subject to way too many temptations in life. Having said that, his quest to eliminate human suffering is highly commendable and well respected by Buddhists.

Guess these were blessing papers where devotees wrote their names.

Elevated view of the five hundred lohan and their surroundings. Could you guess another place with a better view to catch the full splendour of the statues?

Answer: the top of the "city gate"!

A pavilion next to the shrine had a golden Buddha statue with Thai elements.

Facing him was the statue of a toddler; that of the Buddha when he was borne as an Indian prince. For more information on the founder of Buddhism, please click here.

Big ass bee with a yellow furry back!!

Coming back to the star attraction; the five hundred arhats (or arahats or luohans or lohans) that everyone is waiting for. Note: avid photographers would absolutely love this place.

Every statue was life liked and similar to the terracotta warriors in Xi'an; each of them has his own exclusive facial expression, features, hand posture with some holding on to weapons, animals, children and other magical possessions.

It was a neat arrangement that screamed of symmetrical order. Once again, visitors were restricted from climbing in, which i thought was a great pity.

You would have noticed the plaque in front of every statue which detailed useful information of the respective arhat's title and his background.

However, the barrier to enter means those plaques at the back would be as good as useless unless you have a pair of binoculars!

The first one looked like the war god; Guan Gong while the second one might have been the holy monk; Tripitaka from the Chinese classic literature, Journey to the West.

Ending the post with an arhat who had a mocking expression directed at the bird!

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Location

Unknown. We rented a car with a personal chauffeur and he was the one who brought us there. If you are keen to engage the service of a reputable car rental company, please click here. Most tour packages to Bintan would also likely cover this temple. Check with them for confirmation.

Additional Information

In the middle of my post, i mentioned having a better view by going up to the top of the 'city gate'. It was a no-go as the access was blocked!