June in Tanjung Pinang

Tanjung Pinang - Went back to the place where I came to this world with my mother on 16th June (sort of like those mother and daughter outings you see on television just that its the son instead this time haha). Tanjung Pinang is the main town on the island of Bintan and its also the capital of the newly-created province of Riau Islands in Indonesia. To get there, simply go to Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal to purchase a one hour plus ferry ticket ride. It has been years since I last visited that place and I was really stoked to see some grown up faces which I've not seen for many years. My mother and I bunked at my aunt's place (I call her 小姨) and before long it was time to fill those empty tummies. Plenty of food which is similar to Singapore hawker food just that is cheaper and tastier (one thing to note is probably the hygiene and that most are pretty spicy so its a good thing to bring some medication if your stomach cannot get use to them). My favourite food of all is the gong gong, a local mollusk dish which is extremely addictive and cheaper than what you can find in Singapore. You have to pull the tip of the flesh out and dip it in a peanut chilli sauce before you can attain satisfaction haha. Beer is also rather cheap here (one can costs around the same as bottled drinks in coffee shop). Saw some of my relatives (wished I could have seen them all but they're like dispersed around the entire Indonesia) and heard about some good news of them like either getting married or started working. Time flies if you ask me, some of my cousins were like my playmates when I was young and now many were either married or working (weird too haha sometimes you just don't want to grow up). However, Tanjung Pinang is still the same since the last time I visited. It still has that old school look in the town area and motorcycles are the ultimate transport with a little addition of internet cafes here and there. There are also plenty of youngsters nowadays. Overall it was a very enjoyable and tummy-filling trip because my mother kept bringing me to places to eat. Definitely would be going back for more in the future.