We, four of us, went to Abang Island (Pulau Abang the locals called it) where we spent full-day time by none other than… snorkelling. Did we? Ya! And it was exciting and fun!
How to and what to do
Batam Island was our starting point. We booked a tour package costing USD25.00 per person and it included:
The bus picked us up at Kepri Mall at 7.30 in the morning. We went to Galang Island, where there was a small ferry port to Galang. I was so excited as I was about to see the Barelang bridge for the first time, even though I’d been here for about two years.
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| The location of Pulau Abang in Riau Islands |
It took less than 2 hours from Kepri Mall to Galang Island. Just so you know, the island is the southernmost area Batam and was connected by six bridge through the four island in between Batam and Galang, and it stretched for 50 km length the road through and it was smooth. Along the way through we could see dragon fruit plantation, some junctions to the nearby virgin beaches, vegetable farms, and we could spend some time in Vietnam Camp, the place under UNCHR for Vietnamese refugees during Vietnam War. I liked the concept of how the bridges were firstly introduce, though less result we could see from what the government had expected at the first time. Third-world country.
We arrived in Galang and was transferred by a …what to say…small….traditional boat to be exact to Abang Island. It was cloudy then rainy on the sea. Some passengers were like “Omigod!” “Oh, shit! Don’t fall, don’t fall (into the water)!” as the wave was a bit striking. Actually the waters is fine. I mean, it’s not like in the middle of ocean during storm or something as it was really nice. Maybe because first we use traditional boat and second it rained. Overall, we did feel good. We could not wait!
It took 1 hour from Galang to Abang Island. Once we arrived, we were like “Hurray!!!” We could see the traditional house of the locals living there. I wondered how thy dealt with everyday life there. I mean, with your house above the water and no such things to do there (seemed so). So local. Our instructor had been waiting for us and ready to break the waves. We had to wait at least for half an hour as it was suddenly rainy and we were like “Shit!”
The first spot is in an island (sorry that I cannot remember the island’s name other than Abang. So many island), 30 minutes away from Abang by boat. Equipped already, we jumped into the water and the instructor lead us to the snorkelling (and diving) spot nearby. It was our first time to snorkel and it was so crazy. I mean, we didn’t even have no idea how to these equipment work hence we kept our instructor BUSY just train us HOW TO BREATHE. But it’s okay, anyway. I mean, that’s part of his job and we’re sorry that we’re just that dumb in it. Not to mention it was very difficult to move with we-called-it-Penguin-Feet attached in our feet. You know what I mean, don't you? Gosh!
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| Snorkeling in Abang Island |
Beautiful the coral was. And it was… deep at some points. We could even see “Nemo”! Just like in the” Finding Nemo”, from A-Z, the colour, shape, and the way it moved. You know what I mean, right? We spent around 1 hour exploring what’s beneath the surface and it was fun…and…yeah, exhausting. I mean, maybe because it was our first time and we didn’t even have any regular exercise before, quite shocking the body.
The next spot was on the island 10 minutes from the first spot. The water is clearer and deeper than the previous spot. We spent around 1 hour and we saw fish, some creepy creatures attached in the anemone, and sea urchins (locals called it “bulu babi”) everywhere. It was so bad to see many of them as it didn’t look good. I mean, the sea urchins.
Our instructor asked us whether or not we went to the last spot. And of course we said “No, thanks!” as we were exhausted like hell. We just passed through some groups preparing to do snorkelling on the spot, and we looked so messy and tired. I wonder how the diver or even traditional diver did it every day and even longer. They must be kind of half-fish.
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| One of the islands |
Instead, we went to another small island to enjoy our lunch. It was cooked by the local and it was nice! I liked the sotong (squid) very bad. It was sauced and it ruled! What made it crazy was that the rain suddenly fell while we enjoyed our lunch. We got back to the boat and had it there instead.
It is okay
(maybe) for those who had curiosity and just going local. Something we can
learn, about simplicity (?) whatsoever. However, when it comes to “bathroom
things”, for most visitors it’s more about hygiene, comfort, and that’s what
the government should pay more attention to. Please do not get me wrong, as we
saw numbers of visitors from the neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore there, but
yeah, one day trip only. So bad for the islands offering lots of natural attraction
and we were like no choice to stay longer just because of some little basic thing
less properly provided.
We went back to
the basecamp to clean our body before going back home. That’s when the issue
came out. Actually it was a nice trip but minus the facility like bathroom. I
was quite shocked knowing that we had to have shower outdoor.... like really…….
Overall, it was quite fun time for us in Abang Island. Love it!!!