Jus back. Totally appreciated the shower and colgate toothpaste!

'Leaving Singapore' is an exciting event though it is s-t-i-l-l only to Batam. Took the ferry at HarbourFront and were saddened to see the conditions of the houses and the standard of living over there. Reached Harris Resort without feeling w-o-o.

The good thing of this trip to Batam is the great engagement for all the group activities that my colleagues and I took part in- games, yogapilates and go-kart (totally cool!). The not-so-good part of the trip is the facilities and food.

Yogapilates is conducted by a Planet Fitness instructor and its quite cool. Go-karting is super duper cool.

Together with 3 other colleagues, we went go-karting. I was quite excited the moment we wore our helmet and sat in the kart, waiting for the fuel so that we can start driving. I never drive before, nor learn driving before. So its really fun but terrifying at the same time. The timid-me had my foot placed on the brake all the time while pressing on the accelerator with another foot when needed (we were told that we should only press on either the brake or accelerator at any one time). And as you can expect, the highly-dangerous me lost control of the kart not long after I started such that it ran off the racing course and caused all the tyres to fly. And not jus once but twice. The second time, my kart and me jus ran into the fences so I had to wait for the people to save me. Had a knock on my elbow, chin and knee but I am alright. Subsequently I drove really slowly especially when approaching the bends. It was only when there is a straight course in front did I indulge in the high speed drive though everyone jus race past and overtake me. The helmet, however is too big such that it kinda moved about. Other times, the water (uneven racing course) and grasses and little stones were all flying in front of me. The sun makes me feel good too, after a day of indoor activities. Simply an experience.

The facilities and food is the not-so-pleasant bit. The gym is rather run-down for instance. While the beds are queen-size, there is this smell when you walk into the room. The pillow has this similar smell too. The walls arent so sound-proof so you can hear laughters of your neighbours. The furniture are either old or poorly maintained. So you bet I didnt have a good night sleep. I jus kept waiting for the day to come.

Buffet lunch were disappointing (though the spread for the second day is slightly better than that of the first) in terms of the variety (6 main courses, with some salad and fruits) and quality (too salty, too catered to the chinese tourists such that there is no local food). Even the drinks were limited- plain water (which tasted and smelt weird), coffee or tea. Orange juice and coke for all meals would be welcomed. So I probably think that salad is the best food there.
While I appreciated nature sightings, a city girl like me can conclude that I dont quite like country clubs/ resorts. They are usually rather poorly maintained (exclude those up-market ones), located faraway from every other thing, and have nothing much to entertain. One cant totally relax if facilities are run-down or have some sort of smell. At least for me.

I was missing the room in Majestic Grande, Bangkok. The new furniture, wooden flooring and odourless room makes shopping a rival to relaxing in the room. Else, a homely hotel room like Kimberly, Hong Kong is jus as great. Come to think again, hotels in China are also quite a drag, even the one I stayed in while I was in Shanghai.

If there is one thing I want to tell you today
I am afraid I/you/we have nothing to say anymore.