Exotic?

I got my sister on the phone today and it made me wonder... I was telling her I was once more in between some Indonesian islands and I realised that with the distance she was imagining some kind of exotic islands. If it were Lombok or Komodo as a tourist it could be the case but the Riau Islands have nothing exotic and it is difficult to explain how unattractive those 'industrial' places can be. And when you go to places for work, it rarely is as good as when you go as a tourist anyway. The rare moments that can make you dream a bit are those overloaded inter-islands ferries especially at dusk or at dawn as you can see from the picture above.

Harbour Front

To go to Indonesia from Singapore there are quite a few options depending on where you want to go but the main departure point is the Ferry Terminal at Harbour Front. It is also the terminal for the Asian cruises and houses the city's supposedely biggest shopping mall, VivoCity. The image above is from the rooftop of this shopping mall which also is a nice promenade with a few restaurants like 'Le Marché' and a view over the departing ferries and Sentosa Island.

Again and Again...

Yesterday I was in Indonesia and tomorrow again. I tend to spend at least one day a week out of Singapore. In any other places it would mean travelling abroad or even travelling ‘overseas’ as abroad is referred to in Australia. That said, and as I have mentioned several times over these pages. The atmosphere and the environment really are different when you cross the border. You really really are in another country entirely. The trip itself is usually quite uneventful, riding a ferry across for a couple of hours maximum. Above is a picture of the vessel I took yesterday.