This week was yet another great week in the office, but an even better week outside of the office. From an amazing alumni event held on Wednesday, which gave me a great opportunity to speak with Bucknell alumni who are now based in Singapore, to a trip to Bintan Island for the weekend, this week was easily one of my favorites of my semester abroad. In this blog, I am excited to talk about my two favorite highlights of my Bintan experience.
On Friday morning, despite almost missing the bus due to me forgetting a handful of Indonesian cash I had exchanged the previous day, I ventured with the rest of the Bucknell crew to the ferry terminal, where we embarked on an hour and a half long ferry to a beautiful island located southeast of Singapore. Bintan is an island located southeast of Singapore, and is an island that is part of the Indonesian archipelago. Bintan is known for its bright and beautiful beaches, diverse activities, and wildlife. Speaking of wildlife, I got lucky to spot a monkey that was chilling out alongside the main road, but was unfortunate to not snag a picture.
Upon our arrival to the island, we were met with a very welcoming audience of locals who approached us in an incredibly kind and warm way. Upon our arrival to the resort, however, the kindness continued where the receptionists brought us a mango-flavored welcome drink, which was much needed for the early wake-up that we endured. We then were brought to a lunch spot on the resort, where I indulged in a comically large club sandwich. After this meal, the relaxation began…
Alongside the beach of the resort, there were a handful of hammocks stationed, and luckily for me, I found an empty one with no one around. I would say, as a rough estimate, I spent 4 hours the first day and 5 hours the second day laying on this hammock, where I went in between reading my book “A New Earth,” dazing off into the amazing beachside view, and dipping into the ocean a few feet in front of me. This hammock provided me with an amazing time to relax while enduring the long hours of the weekday in the CBD of Singapore.
A second and final highlight alongside the beachside hammock was the group dinner that we all attended, which was held at the Kelong Restaurant, roughly 10 minutes away from the main resort building. Being stationed on a dock above the water, the restaurant was a great place to watch the sunset, have a great meal that was thankfully provided by GAV, and had a bar area that was connected to the main restaurant, where a bunch of other Bucknellians and I ventured to after our meal was over to reflect on our great weekend. From this bar area we had the opportunity to see the lights coming from Batam, Malaysia, and Singapore. This night was a great way to cap off a great vacation weekend.
Overall, this week was most definitely a memorable week. The trip to Bintan Island was an amazing and memorable experience, and I am extremely grateful that the abroad program gave us the opportunity to travel there.