@emily2u 6 April 2021 more from that month

I love it that Google Photos and Facebook Memories remind me of where I was "on this day" on such and such a year. I never fail to scroll through every morning. Memories come flooding back of those trips, some I may have even forgotten about. Today, I am informed that I was in Bintan around this time in 2019. I remember that travelling to Bintan from my city of Ipoh, Malaysia, was most tedious. Of course, there are quite a few options but what I did to save cost was: Fly from Ipoh to Johor Bahru (JB), spend the night at my friend's place in JB, then catch a ferry over to Batam (Indonesia) in the morning. From Batam, take another ferry service to Bintan (indonesia). Total travelling time, almost two days, including a night spent in JB. Luckily, there was a flight from Ipoh to JB, and it took less than an hour. If I were to opt for the coach (by road) or rail, it would take me at least 7 hours of travelling time, just getting to JB from Ipoh! You may have already heard about Bintan and its reputation as an idyllic island for a weekend vacation, particularly for Singaporeans. This was what I had in my mind as well, prior to my trip. Indeed, Bintan is a perfect vacation destination for travellers looking for some sun, sea, sand and surf. However, one of Bintan's best landmarks is this "desert" landscape, known as Gurun Pasir Busung Bintan, which looks like an Arabian desert with undulating sand dunes. This attraction is actually a former bauxite mine, and not a desert. Hahaha! Gotcha! #Travel