Before daybreak, my family eagerly got out of bed. We were so excited to catch the ferry to Bintan for a weekend getaway.
This trip was a surprise planned by dad for my mother’s birthday, so he did not tell us much about it too. He only hinted that we had to pitch our own tent just like the “Family 365” camp.
When we got down the bus, I saw a resort called “The Anmon”. I thought my father said that we will be pitching it by ourselves? That arose my suspicion. My dad set the luggage aside and we went to explore “Treasure Bay” first. Treasure Bay holds the largest man-made lake in Southeast Asia. When I laid eyes on the lagoon, it took my breath away. The crystal blue water shimmering under the sun made it look even more beautiful. The weather was hot but we did not care, we went to play at the water park immediately.
This water park was something like that of a “Ninja Warrior” bouncy castle on the water. It may seem easy, but it was actually very challenging. Going through the many obstacles was strenuous. Simply getting back up to the platform from the water was tough. Even with the handlebars at the side, my mom could not climb back up. The life jackets made it difficult for us to move around, but it was necessary for our safety. After an hour of play, all of us were drained. We went back to the lobby to check-in. It turned out that I was right... we were going to be staying in those tiny tents.
The tents in the resort looked like the American Red Indian tents. From outside, the tent looked small. We probably had to share a common toilet I thought. The tip of the tent looked like there was a hole for ventilation, which made me think that it did not have any air-conditioning.
However, when I went inside the tent, my mind was blown. Not only did it have a King-sized bed and two single beds, there were two bean bags one each at the side of the smaller beds. It had a huge luxurious toilet all for ourselves! It also had modern hotel room facilities, for example, a safe box and even a fridge. There were no clocks nor television. I think it was deliberate so that guests will lose track of time and be less distracted. They had Wifi and a mobile app to contact the staff. Looking up, the tent was three stories high, I was amazed that there was an air-conditioner in the room. I think that my father felt satisfied when he saw my mother, sister and I squeal in delight. What a nice surprise for mother!
Glamping in the tent!
Soon, it was sunset. My sister had an interesting idea. She suggested that we eat in our tent like camping. We felt it was an excellent idea. So, we took a buggy to a nearby seafood restaurant to “tapao” back some food. The space outside the tent had a huge table. We sat around it and spread out all our food. As I ate, I stared out of the tent admiring the luminous stars twinkling at me. The sand around the tent glowed in the moonlight. Even though the food was not remarkable, the feeling of eating together as a family gave me a nice warm feeling.
Howie Chia
24 November 2019
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