Batam Indonesia: Grab driver rang me to say he couldn’t pick me up from where I was, could I possibly go around the corner. Daylight, not a problem:) The reason is that outside this big shopping mall, which just happens to be opposite the ferry port, the developer owns the taxi company outside and the driver told me he would possibly get a good beating for picking up customers or his car damaged. After speaking with this gentleman, turns out he has two wives, who just are preparing lunch in the first wife’s home, legitimate for his religion and can have 4 in total.No wonder he’s tired:)

ATM’S machines: Be very careful when using isolated machine booths, One experience I encountered was that I used an ATM machine and because my card was declined as I was asking for a limit that the machine wouldn’t authorise, it was still registered with the banks fraud team and showed a red flag, even though no cash wasn’t withdrawn. It also showed that the card was used at a different place altogether, a hotel, which I’d never used! Therefore I was eventually told that EDC machines can access different signals of payment/transaction to a different recipient. Please take that into consideration, if any transactions are showing a different recipient and are close by, as this is likely to be the case. Your card may not have been used at those premises…

We now after trouble with cards, always have a backup card hid somewhere safe, we also use Transerwise as our second travel card with many perks for travellers including one of lowest International transfer funds going.

Overstay in Indonesia

Well during my visit, I happen to have my credit card cloned somehow! I only used it in 3 separate places of all the time I was there and still had it on me, but they nearly cleaned me out.

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Therefore when it came to leaving, I couldn’t due to having not enough funds, my card now on block and waiting for a new one. Luckily I had some cash on me for food and rooms. I tried all over to get funds in to leave, but my bank had to investigate fraud which took 3 weeks before any reimbursement, my salary wasn’t due for another month, so I contacted an immigration officer who had his details given to me by a member of the local Batam Ex-Pats forum.

Tip: Have two or three bank cards: Transferwise are our security net.

This was a mistake to trust this guy, as initially he told me to come to the office and they would possibly detain me for a month until I sorted things. “really” how am I going to sort things while being detained, if you ever get into a position of having to overstay by forgetfulness, complications, illness etc.. OVERSTAY IS NOT A CRIME! I wasn’t overstaying for any other reason than I had to have time to sort this mess out. So the immigration officer said he couldn’t help me if I didn’t turn myself in and that was the end of that.

Around 17 days later he contacted me and said he had some info for me, I rang him and he said the 1 Million IDR could be reduced to 1/2 Million IDR a day overstay fine. This was music to my ears as now my bank had paid me back and I could leave, I was now though 38 days over and therefore 19 million in the red.

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I mentioned to him, I will buy a ticket to leave and then go to the airport, he instructed me to be their 2 hrs early and meet him outside for the money exchange ( alarm bells ringing. ) Then 2 hrs later he had changed his mind and wanted to meet me the night before for the exchange, which I said sorry but I will hand it to you tomorrow when you supposedly walk me through immigration and stamped. He said he wouldn’t be able to help anymore if I couldn’t meet him, my choice if I didn’t meet him!

As id already bought the ticket and booked a room for the next trip. I went to the airport and told immigration everything and they said we will have to speak with boss number 1, then boss number 2 and all the time my flight should have landed. I asked them what was happening as my planes here. They said I now would have to go to a different office for processing and possibly detention until they process the forms. Or I have the option of paying 38 Million IDR and then flying. So really back to square one, as I didn’t have that kind of money until I wired some more money, which would take me more time and more fees.

In the end and this was a big gamble, I instructed them we had 3 options, 1. You keep my passport and when I get more money in, I will pay you the full amount. 2. I pay you 19 Million now and fly out if I’ve time still. 3. you detain me and I will pay nothing apart from a flight, then we all lose.

Cut a long story short, they accepted the 19 Million, 1k UK tea money and somehow got me on that flight as it was 15 minutes before take-off and I still hadn’t got my tickets or checked my luggage. They managed it though with a lot of phone calls, a new exit stamp etc.. Bye bye Batam, Indonesia, you won’t be ever seeing me again as it was also noise central.

That is one of my major concerns now is the power that immigration officers have to mess your life up.

Motorbike Rental Scam ( Cambodia )

In most countries rental shops will want your passport as a reference for renting a bike, this is illegal as it’s not yours, it is the government fo your country.Try to give them photocopies or driving licence and a small deposit.

I rented a bike from a shop and gave them my passport, silly me. One day, I decided I would like a drink and leave my bike chained up outside of a popular place on a busy road ( should have left it in a better parking place I agree.) When I went back for it the next day it was gone. So I left it for a few days to see if I could find it around the area, bike market where most stolen bikes end up etc.. after a few days I realised this had gone, possibly somewhere secure or another province. I had informed the bike shop via email as soon as it was taken to see if they had it and they said no.

So I went to find a conclusion for this at the bike shop, I knew that there was an overrated fee for no return/write off and to see if we could come to an arrangement for the actual bikes worth. The bike shop owner said no negotiation, he wanted the full fee, to which I smelt a rat as well as he wouldn’t answer any questions or give me advise on possibly where to look for it if it had been stolen. He just mentioned I would get my passport back as soon as I paid him the overrated price for the bike.

So I walked out and said I would give it a thought, within a week of still searching and hitting the forums, I sent him an email stating I would pay more than the bike was valued at and that be the end fo it and I would like the logbook / green card when he suddenly announced that the bike was taken by the police and compounded. He mentioned that I owed him for rental and that he had to pay the police for its return of $200 bucks. When I went to his shop, I stated I will pay if shows me a receipt from the police or give me the police departments number where it had been kept. He said he had already paid it.

What a load of lies, he was hoping I was just a 14 days tourist and would pay the excessive amount and he would still have the bike. Win-win for him and I can see many doing that as they need the passport to return home. I said $100 and 3 days extra rental which he agreed with a smile. When I asked him for my things from inside the bike, he said it had none. clothes etc.. He was smiling all the time and laughing when I was accusing him of working with the police. They know which rental shops have the bikes and they pick them up and compound them, It’s not an offence to leave the bike on a street. So why did they take it within such a short period?

Another lesson learned the hard way.

To follow:

Blocked ATM machine card.

Detained in Cambodia and incarcerated (adults only viewing with George Carlin) in Thailand.

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