Ok, couldn't think of any logical way of doing it, so will just crack on regardless. Firstly, Barney has been over for a visit. I made the schlep over to Singapore to meet him from the airport, and I hired us a limo to have a mooch around the city. The driver was nice enough and was a good tour guide, although it would have been nice if he had occasionally paused to take a breath. I bet he would be a wicked didge player. Got ourselves onto the ferry, for the magical hour long crossing to Batam. About halfway across it started pissing down, so we sat under cover, while the locals asked Barney if he was David Beckham and got their photos taken with him.
We arrived in Batam, blagged our way through Immigration, hopped into the car and headed straight for the hotel. Ten minutes into the journey, Barney went to get something from his bag, when we remember that it is still at the ferry terminal with the porters there. Had to race back down to the ferry, bribe the porter chappy and try again.
We got to hotel and got Barney settled in to my lounge room and partook of a quick beer or two and some grub, we headed off to a local joint opposite the hotel, which was really nothing more than a shed, some plastic furniture, and some pretty al fresco toilet arrangements. After an undisclosed amount of beers and Barney falling off his chair, we adjourned to a pleasant seedy collection of bars on the seafront. Being about 2am by now on a Monday night, they were closed, but a load of the staff were sat outside a shop having a beer. As a couple of them recognised me, they called us over, and we had a beer with them. After half a bottle, they decided to open up the bar for us. We sat by the sea getting quietly mashed, while all the staff decide to go swimming. In the middle of the night. On a rocky beach well known for its cobra infestation. In a sea you could fry chips in. Barney and I did not join in. Bit of a grey area, memory-wise, but ended up back at hotel with a bundle more beers.
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