Return to Bintan

And there I was last weekend gloating that at last I might have outgrown sea sickness. Two water taxi trips and not a problem, managed it like an Old Salt. It's not the case. The ferry trip to Bintan was like surfing on a rolling simmer and as many of the other passengers dived face-first into the blue sea sickness bags I grimly hung on, staring at the horizon and fanning myself with the menu card from the seat pocket which advertises what is available from the BRF Cafe (if you don't mind).  Now I remember reading this last time! BRF stands for Bintan Resort Ferries but surely they could find another name for the cafe. We discovered they don't have ice on hand, something I have found very useful to suck on when being overcome with sea sickness, but a friend had ginger tablets so I downed a couple of them and perhaps they helped. 
We stayed the 2 nights at the Nirwana Beach Club Cabanas again. I was in the pool in no time, restoring my equilibrium, while Eric went in search of food. The afternoon was spent mostly reading and relaxing or dipping into the resort pool. In the late afternoon we met on Carolyn's balcony and then the whole group (almost 30) got together for sunset drinks at the Calypso Bar followed by dinner at the Kelong Seafood Restaurant. 

On the Tuesday we woke up to an overcast sky which is probably a good thing as we are still bearing the skin colour of snorkelling after last weekend, and yesterday in the water just topped that up. Eric read while I went for a traditional back, neck and head massage. Just sublime, as was the hot ginger tea they serve you afterwards. In the afternoon we ventured out for a walk, a little disappointed that we didn't have the binoculars with us this time. A stork-billed kingfisher visited us right by the cabin balcony yesterday afternoon, as did this friendly water monitor. We walked around the outdoor adventure area where they have a massive flying fox, an archery and air rifle range, horse riding or elephant trails, and all-terrain driving course. Then we discovered a nature walk.

In the evening we reconvened on Carolyn's balcony and this time chose the Indian Restaurant for dinner, quite spoilt for choice really. One important group decision to be made was whether the Edwina Beach Sprint Event, first held in 2012, should be re-run or quietly forgotten. Edwina was a new recruit last year and her personality and work style really didn't gel very well with the company or her colleagues. She left at the end of the year, the company happy to release her from a 2 yr contract. Finally it was decided there should be an event of sorts so a beach volleyball court was the venue for an inter-branch relay. Jurong was declared the winner despite some protests that were lodged and then dismissed through lack of interest. We walked home along the beach, a big mistake as it was polluted with lots of oil and all our shoes are now covered in it. My white sandals from Italy have seen better days and sadly need replacing. 

The great thing about this weekend is the opportunity to get to know your workmates better. We find the time you share with them away from the workplace is often spent discussing holiday options and travel experiences. The amazing coincidence this time around was to discover that 2 other couples are going to Portugal in June, an idea we were just contemplating last week, so that has helped us to make a decision. Now, can we squeeze some of southern Spain in as well or should we just settle for Portugal?  There is research to be done in the coming weeks.
And just in case you were wondering........between the two weekends away we did manage to get to work for the full compliment of hours (just).