Bintan played a central role in Malay history for centuries. The ruler of Malakka found his refuge on the island in the 15th century, after the Portuguese banned him from his city. At that time, the inhabitants of Bintan weren't Malay, but
orang laut (sea nomads), which were very loyal to their king. After that, the royal court has been replaced several times, to Johor and Lingga, but eventually a branch of the royal family returned to reside on Pulau Penyengat, a small island off the coast of Bintan. Thomas Stamford Raffles got permission to hire the close island of Singapore under the British government in the 19th century.
In the 19th century Penyengat became a centre for Malay and islamic science. Imams from the far Mecca teached in the royal mosque, and more than sixty important books were written at that time. Even now there is an royal air over the small islands, and it's not difficult to go back in time more than a hundred years, to a more slow and easy time.
As well as neighboring Batam is Bintan the centre of development plans in which bilions of dollars ar poored. Under them is a vast industrial complex and a giant touristic complex in the northern part of the island with luxury hotels and golf courses. With the opening of the first hotels in 1994, a ferry terminal was also opened, what caused the travelling time between Bintan and Singapore to shrink until one hour. In the year 2000, about 5 milion tourists visited the island. It's hard to imagine, but the quiet beaches along the northern part of the island are filled in rapidly. For the other, Bintan isn't that much different than it used to be. It's a quiet, low populated island with along it's coast several fishing villages and Chinese trade settlements.
Tanjung Pinang
The biggest city and important entrance to Bintan is Tanjung Pinang, a picturesque, on the whole Chinese city which stretched over the low hills and views over a covered bay along the Southwestern coast. It's a very nice city for a visit if it only was for a weekend trip from Singapore. The city can be viewed very well on foot, starting a the bell tower along main street jl. Merdeka.
Cargo-handling offices, goldsmiths, restaurants and music shops mark both sides of this wide and busy main street. Just across the bell tower is the Vihara Bhatra Sasana temple, with a statue of Kuan Yin, the Chinese godess of mercy, in the central althar. Walk from the temple towards the north over jl. Pasar along the cental market square; rural people sell fruits, vegetables and pots wild honey in the weekends, bees have to attract buyers. Sometimes fire-eaters, which sell miracle medicine, perform a show for the crowds.
Get into a maze of small streets and alleys along the right side. This is Pasar Baru (New Market), where stalls with clothes and plastic household products are sold. Along the waterfront is a big fishmarket where the daily catch is being sold.
Just a little to the north the street turns into an elevated footpath. It takes you through a maze of wooden shops and homes, which are built on pillars in the river Riau. When it's high tide, the sea touches the pavement. Along both sides shops and stalls sell dried fish, shrimps, krupuk, clothing and steaming hot plates Chinese noodles. At the end of the path is the pier Pelantar 2. Turn left just before the end, it will lead you to a Chinese temple. One wall of the temple is covered with colored pictures of people in trance, which pierce themselves with swards and pointed balls. In front of the temple is an open air theathre which is used for showing Chinese operas.
Under the theathre are brightly colored Chinese dragon boats which are used once a year, during the midsummer festivities for races. At the end of main pier Pelantar 2, you can take a sampan of motorized boat to Senggarang, which is located across the river mouth, and can be seen. A long landing stage in Kampung Cina takes you to kilometres of rotting wooden walkways, which connect hundreds of houses above the water. Most houses are used by Teochew Chinese; a view inside shows you family althars.
On the main land, a concrete path leads towards the clan house of the Aw, a ruin of a temple of two storeys, of which the demolished walls which are hanging in the open air, hold in place by air roots of a very old waringin. Direct under the ruins is a new concrete structure, put there by a very rich clan member from Medan to house it's ancester althar. Furthermore the path leads along a salt warehouse towards Vihara Dharma Sasana, a complex of three temples which have a view over the river mouth. The central temple has a very nice roof, and it is said to be two hundred years old; too bad the beautifull wooden doors have been repainted with the wrong paint during one of the last renovations. Ín the hallway is a bassin with siz living turtles, and a stone tiger jumps out the wall. The temple has a serene, sober atmosphere in contrary to the newer and more messy temple on the right side of it. The smallest of the three shrines is made for the god Toa Pek Kong, the god of the soil, synonimous with happyness; people bring offers before building a house.
Back in Tanjung Pinang a strawl towards the catholic church in colonial style along jl. Diponegoro, located on top of a hill. From here, you will have a splendid view on the city and over the bay towards Penyengat. At the foor of the hill is jl. Hang Tuah, a coastal road which is used by locals for having a nightwalk. The nearby evening market is a very nice place for eating a satay and a drink when watching the sun go down.
Trip over the island
A short trip to the eastern side of the city brings you to the Kandil Riau Museum anlong jl. Katomso, a private company with a dark and dusty interrios and a rich collection local artefacts from the 18th and 19th century. A part of a Chinese ship from the Ming dynasty is shown, a Malay cannon several instruments and ceremonial instruments.
In Kampung Melayu, several kilometres furter to the easy, is the grave of sultan Sulaiman, the first ruler, from the restored 18th century Buginese-Malay kingdom. From this point you can walk to the waterside and hire a sampan (several dollars for an entire day) for a trip over the Riau River to the graves of Daeng Marewah and Daeng Cellak, two Buginese brothers from Sulawesi which helped to conquer the principalty of Raja Kecil, a Minangkabau adventurour. The boatmen know all places of interest. Stop at Kota Piring (Dish City) on a small island in the river, built in the 18th century by the Buginese ruler of Raha Haji. The local name points to the many Chinese plates put in the walls. Only several collapsed walls are left.
About 35 kilometre Northeast of Tanjung Pinang (one hour by minivan over a good road) are the white sand beaches which are named Pantai Trikora all together. They stretch for 30 kilometres along the eastern shore of Bintan. There is accomodation in the form of several simple hotels and one luxury hotel. The most important beaches are numbered one to four from North to South. On weekdays the beaches are deserted; on Saturdays groups of noisy Singaporese arrive on Trikora Empat (Trikora 4), followed on Sundays by the people from Tanjung Pinang. Sunday afternoon the weekdays rest returns. The other beaches are not to crowded in the weekends as well.
Trikora Empat, the most nothern beach, is the best of the four. A popular stop towards Trikora Empat is Beach Restaurant Trikora (Rumah Makan Pantai Trikora) in Telukbakau. Follow the main road ftowards the long white beach from here. The beach in Kuta, on Bali, iks nothing compared to this. Warungs along the creek sell fresh coconuts, snacks and friuts, as well as simple meals, especially in the weekends. Only the indicental sand fleas, which bites can be itchy for days, can disturb it's idyllic environment. A smelly mixture of coconut oil and onions seems to hold them away, as well as your friends probably. Especially the southern tip of Trikora Empas is suitable for children, since the seafloor descends very gradually.
Whoever does have some time left can follow the beach road towards the north to the village of Tanjungberakit, or turn right before the village and drive to the village of Pasir Panjang. Along this beach the vast and expensife tourist resort is being constructed. Near Teluk Tondang, not to far from the boat terminal, the first hotels have been opened several years ago. The road follows the northern shore to the village along the western short called Tanjung Uban.
On the way back, take the road towards Tanjung Pinang through the inland, which comes close to the highest point of the island, Gunung Bintan Besar (371 metres). Here, several historical and legendaric people would have been burries, under them Wan Empok and Wan Malini, two old widows whose rice harvest turned into gold when the first Malay ruler descendes from the top of the hill. It is said that Hang Nadim, the famous 15th century Malay admiral, is also burried here. The path to the top of the hill which has secundary forests, is hard to follow. Hire a guide and watch out for leached on your way. Good hikers take about one hour to get to the top. A legend dragon will wait for you at the top.
Islands of the coast
From Tanjung Pinang, boats will take you to neighboring islands, Rempang and Galang, south and west of Tanjung Pinang, are relatively big. Both were used as concentration camps for Japanese soldiers after the Second World War, which complained about the bitter Robinson Crusoë circumstances. Nowadays Rempang is a camp for Vietnamese boat refugees, ruled by the UN and not accesible by tourists.
After a stay of several days of maybe even weeks on these islands, which haven't changed much over the last century, the confrontation with the modern Singapore is tough. It's hard to imagine that this metropole used to be one of those small islands itself.
