Batam 2016 Index there maybe updates on StewGreen on Facebook or StewGreen on Twitter

* back to East Asia 2015 Index page

- "I'd like to meet up with locals & CSers at meetups like activities, hikes or Mafia games. And chat about travel I am particularly interested to help people out with festivals etc. I have worked as Engineer/Teacher/Internet/Farming and festivals and many strange jobs"
After Classes we went to Morning Bakery in Green Land.
We played crazy games like Mafia/Werewolf

(Before this see the - 790 Sarawak

- NEXT : JB then Malacca, then KL


Gabfest Volunteer on Sundays
My Opinions : Why Batam

UK is too sunless & boring

Local language you already know mostly phonetic spelling
10% seem to speak bit of English (cos near to Singapore

MANDARIN
mayo gu-an-je= no problem
Chao Fan- fried rice, myan- noodles

Numbers
1- yi 2- R

- Chinese_phrasebook

Ni-ho-ma - Hello
shia shia - Thanks -
Ching Wen - Excuse me
Dao bui chi - sorry
Good Morn/afternoon -

What is your name? -
Wasa Stewart - My name is Stew
Yes - Day
(actually you are saying Have ..as word yes doesnt exist) No -
examples :

INDONESIAN

Carry, Jodoh = minibus (they don't say oplet)'
teh - tea
air puteh - drinking water

Numbers
same as Malay
half = s'tengah'
duta - million

half = metade

quarto - room
M'arf' = excuse me let me pass
- GOOGLE Translate Indonesian

Malay - c=h
cekup Melayu
Terima Kasih = thankyou
bumiputra

Top Links
- main newsblog : Use Twitter but beware gossip exagerration
Good Weather page

Safety
- FCO Warnings for Indo Batam : Seems a bit like Africa, most people OK but neeed to be wary of crazy knife robbers

* Accommodation not in guidebook

- check the WWOOF places
Also worth checking http://www.hostelworld.com or http://www.hostelz.com

Rationalist Connections - nothing just Web meetup
Some of These in Singapore

- rationalist : none
- Science - Cafe Scientifique not found
- skeptic - NOTHING
- freethinkers - NOTHING
- secularist -
- Humanist - NOTHING
- brights - NOTHING

Other Sources of Info : Libraries, newspapers etc
English libraries - in a corner of the big public libraries ..6th floor opposite RTM building in Satok, also South City Hall, nr Hockey Stadium, Jn Putatan

- Sarawak Tribune, Borneo Post

table>
Mo Tu Wed Thu Fri 5 Sat Sun 7

HOT LINKS : Some useful stuff

TOURISM
- Pariwisata Kota Batam not often updated
- unofficial FB page
Test on web and FB: Expat, English
http://www.expat.or.id/info/batam.html maybe not upto date
same http://www.smilinghillbatam.com/newsletter.html

DIRECTORIES
- main newsblog

Couch Surfing Forums (sometimes hidden on FB)
- Complainers are moving to bewelcome.org only 1 member or forums are active
- Batam CS page
- South East Asia Forum
Batam event button mostly Singapore
- Around 2010 a redesign screwed up the CS website, so check, but no FB Group Couch Surfing
- Hitchwiki Nothing found or from couchwiki.org Nothing found
- wikitravel
- wikivoyage KK extensive info.. Labuan
- LP Sabah .. KK .. Sabah LP Forum thorntree thorntree Forum

EVENTS
* Best FB Batam Events page
* workaround :Batam Events page
These also but shows mostly Singapore events
* Facebook local events, problem is FB often resets to wrong location workaround by finding city page
explore ..... nearby
* BatamEvent.org nothing much
CLUBS
FB page of Gabfest English Conversation club ..meets at Alun Alun Park 4pm on saturdays
Sundays - They do volunteer English classes at 1pm
- Water Ski Park S$25/hrLadies day Wednesday ..Waterfront city
* Check Newspapers : Batam Today
Another whole Borneo list bombasticborneo.com checked not much
FB page of Friends of Sarawak Museum good talks
FB page of Kuching Branch of Malaysia Nature Society good talks
Sarawaktourism.com list festivals
Sarawaktourism FB page covers events
No Sarawak Society found
- see meetup.com
Events Calendar

Regular events
- Friday/Saturday nights : NIGHT MARKET Civic Centre park (called Satok Uptown after old location) Annual Events

Best list ?? Where are the interesting events ?? I can't find much by searching in English .

Clubs

Want to practice English ?
check groups for Cultural and languages exchange meeting ( CLEM ) checked on Google and FB NONE active
but there is always similar on - Babel's meetups are NOT language lessons, we just meet, talk and have fun together while making new friends. - no group find

- Expat Forums
- alloexpat.com Sabah/Sarawak not very active

Not checked ones below
- forum.expatsinkk.com an expat forum but little used
- Anglo info nothing found
- expatexchange.com nothing
- britishexpats.com nothing found for Sabah
- expatfocus.com not active

Too many Asia TA & VT to keep track - TA Madeira_Islands loads of posts
TA Madeira Forum the busiest forum
- TA Funchal travel guide is hidden away (not on the main Funchal page)
Useful cos already answers most of peoples questions that they post in the forum...can't edit from Internet Explorer
TA FUNCHAL Forum

- VT Madeira island ..some under province also
VT Madeira island Forum quite active
- VT Funchal Guide
VT Funchal Forum on VT (renamed TRAVEL ANSWERS)

JOBS
Hi, English guy hanging out , looking for live-in job.
Engineer & internet expert, but with wide variety of experience from farmwork to festivals, taught English in 7 countries.Super flexible Not afraid of work or dirt, ..but not all artistic... and I don't work for mafia.
- justlanded.com not much some beware only top of page is jobs rest is ads and most are people looking for work

- employment Agencies list not found

Gov employment Offices ??

Volunteer Jobs checked
- workaway

- WWOOF.org is an alternative to staying at a hostel You pay by working half the day on the organic farm.
- From Helpx.net

VOLUNTEER check vfp.org- but UK site has better search to filter out younger age projects

Kuching City
The Sarawak Tourism Board’s MOved away from Old Courthouse to UTC open late but further away go up to the Hills shopping Mall and down the other side

Some guide sites
- One page mysabah had a great list of destinations I cant find it
- Sabahguide.com 60 things in KK

- second hand shop - don't know


-

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