Day 126 Fri May 19, 2023 Bintan, Indonesia

Day 126 Fri  May 19, 2023  Bintan, Indonesia

Bintan Island Tour

Information I read when I chose the tour.  We did none of this.  BNT-003 Tanjung Pinang City Tour  About 6 hours.   Explore the highlights of Tanjung Pinang, the culturally diverse capital of the province. Visit two vastly different temples in the ethnic Chinese settlement of Senggarang.  See a massive, gold-covered statue of the Goddess of Mercy in yet another Buddhist temple.  Look out over a blue lagoon from atop the towering sand dunes at Busung.  

Delve into the diverse culture of Tanjung, Pinang, the provincial capital of the Riau Islands which flourished as a trading post as far back as the  3rd century.  Within the city limits, you will find the ethnic Chinese settlement of Senggarang, much of which was built on stilts over the water.  YES - As you will see, the roots of the banyan tree have taken over much of the aptly named Banyan Tree Temple, NO while the temple Vihara Sasana is known for its decorative archways and ornate roof carvings.  NO  Its towering statue of the Goddess of Mercy is coated with 22-carat gold.  NO Food will become the focus as you browse the traditional market with items ranging from freshly ground spices to sea snail crackers.  NO You will also visit the sand dunes at Busung, which overlook a blue lagoon.

Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.  Wear flat comfortable shoes and sunglasses.  

1.  Ekang tourism village - morning coffee with localWe went to a camping-type resort first thing in the morning.  I walked around and saw the basic A-frame type housing where guests stay, a basic pool, ponds, a horse, archery targets, ATV’s etc.  

2.  We drove a lot between each stop through a lot of green vegetation.  Our next stop was the Banyon Tree Shrine/Buddhist temple.  The Banyon Tree Shrine was built in 1811.  Once a palatial two-story structure it served as an official government building.  The house was abandoned in the mid-19th century and a banyan tree subsequently grew over the house, enveloping the crumbling structure.   Much of the house was torn down to make way for a road and the surrounding concrete structures.  Pictured below.

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3..  Some other passengers and I stopped in another temple before we walked along the street of vendors selling the usual stuff.  

                                            Tributes to people that have passed away.

A buffet lunch was served at the Blue Fire Restaurant and then headed back to the ship knowing we were going to be very late.  We left the restaurant at 1:15 and the trip back was about 1 hours, 15 minutes.  All aboard was 1:30 and we were to sail at 2:00.  We were late and there were all kinds of stories as to why.  The bus did not break down, the people running the tour just disregarded the time table.  

Bintan Regency is a part of Indonesia.  It is located on the Riau Islands and has a population of about 390,000.  Islam is the dominant religion with close to 87%, Buddhism is just over 5% and Christianity almost 8%.  

In May, the average high is 88 and the average low is 75.  The average rainfall is over 200 mm and it rains about 20 days.  The sun shines about 8 hours a day.

 1.  One of the ponds at the Eking Tourism village.