[nono1973]

Originally Posted by ZanShen

I would like to visit Batam again. The place must have changed a lot I presumed. Maybe culture as well. Pricing definitely. Could the active cheongsters assist me with these questions? They are:

1. How many ferry terminals are there in Batam now a days. Which is the right one to go from Singapore?

Below are the ferry terminals for most who travel from Singapore to Batam and vice versa.

Map below taken from page 1 of this thread

Originally Posted by nono1973

Batu Ampar = Harbour Bay Ferry Terminal

They are Batam Center ferry terminals, Waterfront City, Sekupang ,Nongsa and Harbour Bay. It really depends on which part of Batam you wish to visit most. Most cheonging places were in the Nagoya area,so if you are into cheonging, then Harbour Bay is the closest and the next nearest port would be the Batam Center port.

*as the distance is differs,taxi charges will be different too,eg from Harbour Bay to Nagoya,its now at 30k rupiah,from Batam Center to Nagoya,it could cost between 70k rupiah to 100k rupiah. The rest of others could varies between 100k to 200k rupiah. And i am talking about pirated taxis,not grab nor Go Car or those Taxi companies running on meter. i use the hotel's free pickup/drop off service.

Originally Posted by ZanShen

2. Is it cheaper to exchange money in Batam or Singapore. Where is a good place to do the exchange in Batam?

Ferry terminal area,air port and tourist infested area are places where the exchange do not favor travelers coming from Singapore.

Any place in city area with 3 or more money changer near to each other were better choice. Ask around at least 3 money changer shops for the best rate ,go for the one that offers the best. Below link should help advise you if you should change in Singapore or Batam.

https://thesbf.shop/showpost.php?p=69...ostcount=16451

Originally Posted by ZanShen

3. Where is the best discotheque to go for loud techno music in Batam now? Do Planet Ozon and Pacific still exist?

Most recent FR for some discos and pubs in Batam :

https://thesbf.shop/showpost.php?p=17...ostcount=11112

Originally Posted by ZanShen

4. Which discotheque and other joints got high-quality cewek, freelance ones are fine too because I do like to be adventurous. Previously, I like to visit places where the locals go and those for the tourist.

This is a pretty tricky question which i do not know how to answer. Becos when it comes to HIGH QUALITY cewek,i would read it as pure breed Indo Chinese,PRCs, Vietnamese or very very young Indo girls. They are rare and expensive. Locals dont usually go for them.

You may wish to disco-hop or pub-hop to look around. Freelancers are not so common nowaday,most girls has a papi or mami somewhere around,even in discotheque,wechats and pubs too.

Originally Posted by ZanShen

5. Most people I met before cannot speak English. I wonder if its the same now? I am referring to Taxi drivers, Cewek, Waiters etc,

Today,most Indos in Batam tourist area can speak some level of basic broken English. Other than that,there's still google translate,hehehe... A sim card with some data cost about 50k rupiah. I have not come across any hotel that doesnt have free wifi in Batam...yet,hehehe....

Originally Posted by ZanShen

6. Do taxi use meters nowadays? Any Grabs etc?

Silver Cab and Bluebird were the only 2 taxi companies i knew that metered their fare. Grab and Go Car are available in Batam but there are limitation where these taxi companies can pick up and drop off their customers. Same applies for Silver cab and Bluebird taxis.

There were cases where passengers being harassed using Grab/Go Car/Silver cab/Bluebird and its respective driver/s being beaten up for picking/dropping customer at non-permissive places.

More on Batam's transportation :

https://thesbf.shop/showpost.php?p=15...postcount=6166

Originally Posted by ZanShen

7. Is google map in Batam useful and accurate? Is Batam still underdeveloped?

Batam is more developed as compare to itself 20 years ago,but it is still has the 20 over years ago Singapore feel,hehehe...

Google map is useful and is updated on an average of once a year,usually between Jan to March.

Originally Posted by ZanShen

8. What is the rate for freelance Cewek now?

As mentioned earlier,freelancers arent so much a common sight. Most working girls in Batam,has a boss somewhere. According to the info i collected,rate for Wechat and other online possibilities for short time,1 shot cost between 400k to 1.2 juta rupiah. Long time (usually 2 shots) 1 juta and onward (highest i have seen is 2.5 juta).

Booking joint girls usually cost between 700k to 1.8 juta rupiah for overnight aka long time with 3 shots and short time with 1 shot cost about 500k rupiah,with occasionally 400k rupiah.

Discotheques and Pubs short time is about 400k to 500k rupiah. Long time cost about 1juta to 2 juta with 2 to 3 shots depending on chemistry.

KTVs short time were usually 500k to 600k rupiah for short time and their long time is minimum 1.6 juta rupiah and could go as high as 3 juta. Non-indos usually starts from 2.5 juta onward for long time.

Massage parlor short time usually between 300k rupiah to 500k rupiah. Long time depends on chemistry and could cost as high as 3juta and as low as 1 juta,hehehe...

Prices quoted above were just a rough estimation. i have seen long time (overnight) for 2 girls as low as 1 juta before and bros here paying as high as 5 juta for one girl too (even 100k per pop). But those werent the price that one would get to see in an everyday scene,hence i didnt add those into consideration.

Most other information would be on the below link :

https://thesbf.shop/showthread.php?p=...3#post14125823

* i am guessing i have also replied to those who PM-ed me as i made this post,hence i am not replying those PMs whereby answers can be found here. My apologize.

** Havent heard of indo girls going back to hometown during Haji before.

Cheers!