Yesterday afternoon I picked up my passport from my ‘agent’ who showed up with a stack of about 30 passports, dishing them out to a group of people who gathered at the McDonalds at the Forum Galeria in Singapore. All I had left to do was get to the ferry terminal for a return trip to Batam.
The ferry terminal at Harbour Front, was only a few stops down the line on the MRT, Singapore’s mass transit system. That part was quick, but the actual ferry terminal was a zoo. Several ferry companies leave from the same dock. The process for me was to get my return ticket validated, then line up for immigration, then line up for my ferry. A massive back log at immigration had many people looking nervous about even making the boat, which left shortly after I boarded at 5.50pm. Flying through Batam means there will be layovers as the schedule doesn’t allow me to grab my passport and fly back, at least with a cheap airline.
On the ferry, a shady looking fellow offered to share a taxi with me to a budget hotel he was heading to. Politely resisting, I was able to find a good hotel fast at the arrivals hotel desk in Batam. The lady had a book with dozens of places, my choice was 89 Hotel which was 220,000rp for a Standard room. Clearing immigration was a breeze, a female immigration officer stamped my passport without a question.
