Nongsa Point Resort

We arrived at Batam, Indonesia with the rain pouring-in like telling us bluntly : "go back to your origin, it's no beach day today. .stu#id!!". haha.

To which I retorted  : " hey weather, don't you think I don't know how fickle minded you are, especially with your massive changing  moods these past months ?? now you rain, next minute the sun is scorching . we have so much in common, i know you so well".

We were heading to some beach resorts (maybe two resorts?) in Batam and from Nongsapura terminal, we met a resort staff for our land transfer.

We boarded one of the vintage looking service vans with us exclusively as the passengers. With this kind of weather, do you think there would be other crazy people out there who would want to beach around under this crazy weather??? No one else. . but us!!! haha.

We reached Nongsa Point Marina & Resort in a very short while from Nongsapura terminal.

The red and white villas were striking under the dim light sky. Above photo is actually just the facade of the resort facing the sea. I think this is the hotel villas. The cove is quite huge, bearing not only a hotel resort but also a golf course and residential villas mostly owned by wealthy expats. At the latter part of the day, we did visit some expat friends right in their house here. As respect to their privacy, I won't be sharing our photos here. sorry.




Another striking facility is the marina. This is ofcourse first of all a marina  before a resort. The marina is of international calibre. We saw some high profile yachts (owned by high profile personalities in Asia ) resting on the berths of the marina. There was even an out-of-nowhere- galleon. See more of  Nongsa Point Marina  here.

While the rain controlled us to stay indoor for a while, we took our lunch at the hotel's restaurant _ the Selera. Which again, later you could jump to my food blog for the dishes.

After such, it was still raining so we amused ourselves by checking the rest of the hotel.

Commemorative marker of ph.2 expansion of Nongsa Point, attended by the president of the Indonesia.




The white color is evidently consistent all throughout inside the hotel. It's like a white house.




After a while, the rain got tired and stopped pouring.

The beach was neat and span, but nothing stunning. For a cove this huge, I thought it was small or was it because it was high tide. I still thought of our beach coves back home in Ph. are still the best, high tide or low tide_ doesn't matter, they are still stunning.




I love the rocks that sit on the beach thu', I thought they add character to the almost lame beach.

At the pool side. At this point we were already counting on swimming ..




. . but the weather wouldn't let us. For the nth time, the rain poured again like there was no tomorrow. We were actually semi-wet here and pixel-ated by the rain drops.
The weather whispering in triumph : I warned you, haven't I???
haha.




We rushed back indoor, waited for the rain to stop and went out again to explore the whole cove when the drops stopped again. The marina was gated and exclusive for the yacht owners but see here, we managed to do a little tour of that too.




Half part of the day, the weather permitted us to expand our beach day. We went to the next door beach resort => The Turi Beach.
Later here. See ya.

My Nuffnang Story

It's the season of Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards once again! The first one was on 2009 and glamorously held at the cosmopolitan Singapore. I'm proud to say that I was there, yees!! I won an invite to attend the first ever NAPBAS night at Pan Pacific Hotel in Singapore. It was truly a night to remember but that wasn't all! Included was an all expense paid tour of the city of Singapore. Have I mentioned that everything was actually free? Airfare and hotel accommodations included. Can't stop thanking Nuffnang for that awesome experience.
And now whaaat??? The generosity of Nuffnang continuing on with the 2nd NAPBAS  :

Come 16 December 2011, 500 bloggers from around the Asia-Pacific region will flock to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards 2011 in Putrajaya Marriott. The Awards aims to not only honour the region's best bloggers, but also to bring together blogger communities from across Asia-Pacific. The Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards is brought to you by Volkswagen Malaysia and Putrajaya Marriott.

Again _ now whaaat??? I wanna come and be a part of this.
 Is it asking too much to grant my wish to be there. . again? I'm taking my chances, why not? First of all, my mind is not  made yet to which contest option I should enter : "My Nuffnang Story" or "Nuffnang Blog Awards Here I Come" ????

Here's why :

:

:

V

My Nuffnang Story commenced the first month I started blogging on 2009. That week I installed Nuffnang widget in this website, was the very week the first season of NAPBAS was on going. Flashing on my side bar was the contest invite for the Uniquely Singapore. To cut the story short, I joined and won an invite. Attended the event . . and sad screwed a once in a life time chance to get connected with bloggers, with those awesome people in the blogosphere.
 Going back to that year of 2009, I had just quit from my job and decided to be a stay home mom. But a woman with all her natural multi tasking talent couldn't just be a plain housewife/mom. Right moms? Back then I had just newly discovered blogging as a personal hobby and in so many ways still full of ignorance. I didn't even have a dslr yet then and was using a point and shoot camera. So when I joined the group of chosen bloggers attending the 1st NAPBAS , it was still a whole new world to me.



Can you spot me here? I bet with difficulties. haha. There I was with short hair, at the back of the woman in yellow.

The event triggered my sleeping insecure self especially when I found out that the group representing the Philippines  was composed of bloggers with names I've been reading quietly at home. Omg, I thought I was the only one unknown there. So through the whole course of the event I just kept to myself and stayed in the corner. Damn my insecurity for wasting a big opportunity to connect!! Now I know.



see I was always me & myself, haha. 
Everyone made connections and friends, except me. haha. I was so non-existence then, I'm sure no one remembers me.
If  "My Nuffnang Story" should be all only about how many of friends made since then and how many Nuffnang events joined and how big  Nuffnang earnings and how popular the blog already is now . .since then. . .well,  I'm afraid I have no Nuffnang story :(.

But I'd like to thank Nuffnang for bringing -in my long lost friend back to my life. If you have time you can click to my entry for Uniquely Singapore that would remind you that this girlfriend I hadn't seen for decades then was my motivation why I wanted to win that invite to Singapore. She was based in SG. Anyway, fast forward, after the 3 days event of NAPBAS 2009 in SG, I went on to meet my best friend. Forward more, since then we keep our connection intact until to this day. Those who follow my blog could attest how frequent we see each other now. Memoirs of our trips together are all gladly posted in this blog.
My endless gratitude to Nuffnang.
Can you consider it as Nuffnang story???

Now_ " Nuffnang Blog Awards, Here I Come". I would like to attend NAPBAS 2011 cos I screwed my first chance and praying for a second chance. .cos this time I know better. After all, since then I grew two years older bloggingly speaking. I'm happy with my blog today and the baby steps it walked those two years. I subconsciously just ignored the financial perks and connection demands of blogging for  that time being and simply concentrated on "me" writing. Wiser, I feel Ascertain Bliss is ready to mingle now. I wanna raise the bar and be "there". I've seen how fun Nuffnang events for bloggers. Time to get out of my comfort zone and wish to be a part those. Just right on time, NAPBAS 2011 is here  and where else is the best place to jump start ?? ==> at Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards 2011 where the best of bloggers community will once again make noise over blogosphere. Already, I could feel my blood rushing with excitement. The red carpet and all that glam at the blog awards night . . . that's Oscars to bloggers! I'm also excited to tour around Kuala Lumpur and to blog about its beautiful places.

Will you take me in then. . . pretty pretty please NUFFNANG!!!

North Bintan Tour (part 3)

We hopped back inside the car nearing the end of our North Bintan Tour. Which tour?? I know right? re = wind = > part 1 and part 2. Seriously? you're planning to click those parts?. Don't get back to me to say I haven't warned you! haha.

I felt so relieved and pure love gushing all over my veins for our tour guide/driver when I found myself on the above photo of our next stop.. . my dear guide/driver, I forgive you and willing to forget the wasted hours we spent on those  and these boring places.  (*/%$#@?) eeerm, sorry wrong image. This one belongs to another tour which I'll share a post on it later. whaaaaaat??? grrrrr back.




Instead I found myself ... in the market area of my hometown???




Hello, wake-up!!! You ( yes me!! ) in Bintan, Indonesia. . not in Quezon Province, Phils. Clear?? Ok.




The tour guide pointed us to this alley and said we go check the beautiful scenery. Right away I doubted his suggestion but we went anyway.

Whattaf? The gas odor was so offensive and saw nothing but a tiny dirty boat embarking at the seaside. It was so not scenic and undeserving of a shot, hence we didn't take a single photo of the sea.




So as just to gain something out of this scorching noon in this alley to a sea, I asked my brother to take this photo of me infront of this house which I thought was the only one that had character.

We ran back to our rented car which was parked infront of these stores. I wonder which part is this of our itinerary. At this point_ we were supposed to be in a town- Tanjung Uban or in a shopping center- POO. This must be the town cos what on earth would I shop here (if this was the shopping center)??? Eggs, dried beans,dried chilies, dried fish??? I didn't get here to do my marketing for my kitchen, helow!!!

But our next and last stop was the Chinese temple, that's why I got confused. I should have had asked the guide, I know right. But I had lost my interest in this tour early on our first stop that I almost slept all the way through.

Our final stop was a Chinese Temple. Again, this one was so disappointing. Try to take the Dora (pink and red) paints of this flat structure and you get what? a rectangular structure! Forgive me, it's just that we all see how grand Chinese temples are and this one was surprisingly very flat compared to those I've seen.

In fairness it had the necessary elements which are usually present in a big temple. Only, here were small versions.

This would pass as an altar (?, don't know how is it being called in a Chinese temple) of a usual temple, even though the Buddha is of small version. .

. .  but on a bigger picture, this is how it looks. Set-up in a hall. Always, the kindness of the Indonesians struck me most.Never without a sincere smile, the staff of this temple pointed to us the back door towards another temple.

Surprisingly, there was another temple on a higher ground.

This seemed to be the main temple. Not sure. No one spoke English there and neither we could understand the Chinese characters written around.

Buddhas here were larger and seemed to be more permanently looking than the first temple which at this point I assumed was a reception temple, if there's such a thing:))

Outside I saw another temple. .

. .still under construction, across two roads away and it's definitely not a Chinese temple. Most probably a Muslim mosque and definitely not included in our itinerary.




Here ends my North Bintan tour. So boring in many ways but it was still an experience I would surely have fun looking back. At the very least, I was able to collect some glimpses of this Bintan Island in Indonesia.

Nongsa Point Marina

This was at Nongsa Point Marina & Resort in Indonesia. In "my make believe world", I would have had entered this marina boarding on one of the yachts_now docked in a berth there. haha.




A yachting gateway into the Riau Islands, Nongsa Point is proud of its world class 65 berths which include 2 berths for mega yachts. It is equipped with first class marina facilities. Berthing rates depend on the number of days/months you dock and the depth of water by feet which I assume is relative to the type and size of the boat.




In our case, we didn't have to bother with that berthing issues. We actually reached this resort by a passenger ferry from Singapore, haha. We went here to enjoy a day in the  resort and to meet a Swiss friend who owns a residential property right in this exclusive cove.

While at it, I took the chance to be toured around the marina. It was somewhat exclusive for the yacht owners.

Apart from those pretty boats ( why is it that yachts are always in whites? ), what Nongsa Point Marina struck me most was the pristine water underneath these vessels. No offensive gas odor, the sea was so clear I saw fishes happily swimming!!!

Another captivating maritime object on dock  was  this huge beautiful galleon.

It looks so authentic, it would take you back to Spanish galleon era. The entire ship is made of wood and just imagine how expensive the maintenance being paid to it.

It is by the way in no way a trade galleon (as they used to be during epic era,:))). This particular galleon is a floating "event ship". It is for hire for the right price ofcourse, when you want to party on board. A wedding reception, birthday or whathaveyou's  you want to celebrate out on the sea on board  this epic ship.




The yachts took me back to my old days when I was so much younger and very much single (haha). I was working in one of the prestigious resorts in my country. The wealthy owners of the resort were so generous, there were times (off work ) that they would lend us ( with my officemates) one of their yachts, and on board we would go to some secluded islands (those not yet commercialized and totally virgin beautiful islands) and had the best times of my life.

Shall we see the rest of the resort now? Here.