Batam Info / Interest / Help Thread

[BFOMF5]

Sunset

[BFOMF5]

Originally Posted by nono1973

Where's this place? At nearby Pulau Galang too?

After Viet camp lookup for sign on right.

[nono1973]

Have been testing out Go Car a few times this CNY,so thought i should find out more. Average trip price were around 8k rupiah to 12k rupiah,point A to Point B,the setback is ,its quite troublesome as there is a need to look for a more isolated pickup location so as not to anger those pirate taxi,hehehe...

I need to translate this thing (word by word,hehehe...),but i thought i will do it tomorrow. Now too tired.

Originally Posted by BFOMF5

After Viet camp lookup for sign on right.

Ok,so its after the Vietnam Camp...thanks for the info and photo.

Cheers!

[Black Page]

Originally Posted by nono1973

I need to translate this thing (word by word,hehehe...),but i thought i will do it tomorrow. Now too tired.

After so many times in Batam, it's really time you begin to study Bahasa Indonesia. Trust me: your experience will change.

[JOGK]

[Black Page]

Originally Posted by JOGK

Ayam hunter?

[JOGK]

Originally Posted by Black Page

Ayam hunter?

Bought from korea online

[fde83]

Originally Posted by nono1973

its quite troublesome as there is a need to look for a more isolated pickup location so as not to anger those pirate taxi

Pay cheaper so play by their own rules, stay vigilant and look out for those pangkalan.

[nono1973]

Originally Posted by nono1973

I need to translate this thing (word by word,hehehe...),but i thought i will do it tomorrow. Now too tired.

Words on the picture above :

**Dalam 1 hari yang sama menyelesaikan order (Total 12 point), maksimal bonus yang diterima Rp 300000.

*Bonus akan dibayarkan secara langsung APABILA performa driver mencapai angka 60%. Bonus akan ditahan apabila performa driver berada di bawah 60%.

Translated to become :

In the same 1 day complete order (Total 12 points), maximum bonus received Rp 300000.

Bonus will be paid directly IF the driver's performance reaches 60%. Bonus will be withheld if driver performance is below 60%.

The reason why i posted this out beside being unable to understand bahasa Indo,it is also because the picture i posted was told to me by one of the Go Car driver. He tells me 1 point equal successful completed 1 trip for one customer. So in order for driver/s to get 12 points,they have to make 12 trips for 12 different customers.

My question to my friend who were with me during this CNY 2018 was, if 1 point equals to 1 successful trip,and if in 1 single trip the driver collected between 9k rupiah to 12k rupiah, 12 trips would mean ONLY 144k rupiah at max,but the driver/s are STILL collecting the 300k rupiah bonus.

How is Go Car (or Gojek) profiting from this? They are losing money? Cant possibly be...

In this CNY trip while using Go Car,i also notice one or two of those taxi with a taxi sign above their vehicle were employed by Go Car... (example as like below picture)

I had this feeling that slowly,Go Car is starting to blend in with those pirated taxis in Batam. It is slowly but surely going to allow the more intelligent pirated taxi to work on their own as well as be working for Go Car. I dont know how to explain this but its more like,if there is S$2 ,S$5 and S$10 notes on the floor,which NOTES would a normal person picks up (in the case of those pirated taxi drivers). The more intelligent person would picks up all 3 notes,right?

I am still looking at this situation and observing. Learning new things everyday in Batam,hehehe...

[nono1973]

Originally Posted by cashprice

Hey bro,u manage to get the ticket for the movie? The queue is so damn long & can't seems to get a seat after.

Thx for the Rosella Tea,hehehe...yea,i got the tickets but the seats were limited. Need to book earlier by at least 2 screen time away to get better seats.

The Movie is good,best ever over my last few CNY years,hehehe...you should watch it,the only thing caught me by surprise was the movie ticket pricing at 45k rupiah,i paid for that tho but Black Panther movie ticket was paid by my friend,hehehe....oh,Black Panther also not bad,but not as good as Monkey King 3.

Originally Posted by kardinal05

That said, yes a 100 diff in rate can benefit you. Bro nono, do share with us a better exchange rate if you found any.

I have a small question to ask bro Blackpage by quoting your post. (sorry,i need to)

In his last trip, i think he mentioned he brought a friend to Batam,and he usually stays around in Batam for about a week or so,his probably friend too. This CNY, i stayed in Batam for 6D5N (nearly one week) and i have a couple of friends who turn up too.

My question is,staying for a week or so for a single person in Batam,how much would bro Blackpage need to change the amount of money equivalent to Singapore dollar to last his spending for his week there? And then adding the total amount his friend has change....hehehe...

I am guessing bro Blackpage only has one friend who joined him in Batam for a week,i have 2 to 3 friends who turns up this CNY staying between 3D2N and/or 4D3N...hehehe...i cant help smiling at how many 50k of rupiah we all have saved in total.

*i am not here with intent to start an argument or debate,but just stating my fact that saving do comes in many form in however small the amount would be. Its almost like information sharing here, a little bit of it a time can adds up to a substantial amount later.

Cheers!

[Hurhurrahrah]

Originally Posted by nono1973

How is Go Car (or Gojek) profiting from this? They are losing money? Cant possibly be...

^ Their market not just Batam mah, and since that bonus system is just for Batam, other markets probably not so lenient and nice with the bonuses.

They probably use their profits from other markets like Jakarta, Bandung etc. to cover up the losses from Batam to help grow the Go Car driver numbers in Batam.

[Black Page]

Originally Posted by nono1973

I have a small question to ask bro Blackpage by quoting your post. (sorry,i need to)

In his last trip, i think he mentioned he brought a friend to Batam,and he usually stays around in Batam for about a week or so,his probably friend too. This CNY, i stayed in Batam for 6D5N (nearly one week) and i have a couple of friends who turn up too.

My question is,staying for a week or so for a single person in Batam,how much would bro Blackpage need to change the amount of money equivalent to Singapore dollar to last his spending for his week there? And then adding the total amount his friend has change....hehehe...

I am guessing bro Blackpage only has one friend who joined him in Batam for a week,i have 2 to 3 friends who turns up this CNY staying between 3D2N and/or 4D3N...hehehe...i cant help smiling at how many 50k of rupiah we all have saved in total.

Your question seems easy and to lead to an obvious answer, but it's not.

By the way, on my last time I changed only few hundreds dollars (200? I don't remember), because that was the only cash I had! Overall, I spent maybe 1500 SGD including everything, but I took all that cash from ATMs using my debit card (the Maestro exchange rate has only +1.25% vs. the official posted on XE.COM).
However, this is not the point you raise.

I agree with you that 100r difference in exchanging SGD to IDR in most cases is a significant amount, worth negotiating.
I say "in most cases", meaning:
- if we change more than 500 SGD (50k is a taxi ride, after all), which is the typical expenditure for a weekend;
- if the effort spent to find a better exchange rate is not too much (I would not spend 1 hour walking around the shops to save just 50k, that is two coffees at JCo).

As I wrote many times, my SOP when I arrive to Batam with 600+ USD cash is the following:
1) I withdraw 2M from an ATM for my first expenses
2) On my second day, I take a walk along Jalan Bonjol, from the point in front Nagoya Hill walking towards kampung bule, and I poll all exchange shops for the best rate. This takes me no more than 30 mins.
3) The difference between the best rate and the worse can be as much as 2% or 3%, even more if I compare it to the rates offered at Nagoya Hill or Lucky Plaza . That means 150k or 200k difference in 600 USD (800 SGD) converted to IDR, that is around $15 USD.
Is it worth? Well, for 30 mins I believe it's worth.

Personally, I would not spend 1 hour of my time to save 50k, but everyone has a different sensitivity.
Wasting money is wrong anyway, but also my time has a value. We have to find a balance and decide what is the value we assign to our time.

[fde83]

Who's going next week, let's go. Boring land

[nitecrawllerr]

Originally Posted by JOGK

Bought from korea online

North Korea?

[nono1973]

Originally Posted by nitecrawllerr

I like this guy, Yang Jian, with the 3rd eye. Hes able to beat ur Monkey God

Yap, Yang Jian was the only chap who could stop the monkey king during part 1 of the movie when he start wrecking heaven,hehehe...

Originally Posted by BFOMF5

Think the protagonist suppose... 哮天犬
BUT 二郎神杨戬 catching all eyeballs.

It does attracted a lot of attention at BCS tho,a smart move (it was at a retail shop front). So,that person who set up has some good thinking when it comes to marketing,hehehe... i wasnt the only person taking photo of the mannequin tho,hehehe...some local indo and Chinese aunties also take photos together with that mannequin.

Originally Posted by iicycold

i was laughin wen i see tis lei....lol...snthg most no get 2 see in btm hor...lol

There was a few photo shots which i find quite unique (a little hilarious) in this CNY trip,the Yang Jian mannequin at BCS Mall was just one of them.

Hmm...i think i will come to that later.