We took a complete stranger’s car to his home in Batam

All because he said he could rent us a motorbike.

We had just returned from a really good time in Bali, and somehow still hadn’t had enough of Indonesia. So when the Hari Raya holiday came around, we made a spur-of-the-moment decision to visit Batam.

Except we had no plan. AT ALL.

We rocked up to Batam Ferry Terminal early that morning, as clueless as two blind mice. Shops weren’t even open yet, but we were optimistic. Heading straight to the Customer Service desk, we only had one objective in mind: get on two wheels.

Where can we rent a moped in Batam, Indonesia?

Short answer: Nowhere. (As of July 2016, at least)

Long answer: Read on.

“No motorbike rental in Batam. Only in Bali," said the Batam Customer Service Officer flatly.

Uh oh. What now?

And wait, how did they know we were in Bali just a few days ago?! Ok I digress.

Disappointed, we sauntered out to the pick-up/drop-off point, where taxis were abundant and prices, exorbitant. We politely declined the touting taxi drivers, and asked them if they knew where we could rent a moped instead.

“No shops open today. Public holiday. No motor. Only taxi,” a random taxi driver insisted.

OF COURSE we'd decided to visit a Muslim country on one of their most important holidays of the year...

We noticed a group of Singaporean staycationers standing nearby, so I chatted them up to ask for help on what else we could do instead. They weren’t of much help as their hotel shuttle arrived shortly, and they wished us good luck.

Except luck wasn’t really on our side, because it then started to pour.

“See heavy raining… take taxi. No motorbikes in Batam. I bring you go shopping district...”

The taxi drivers behind us were persistent. But why were they suggesting to take us to malls, when they literally just told us it was a public holiday and shops were all closed?

Unfortunately for them, we weren’t buying their bullshit. With the pouring rain and no moped to rent, the trip didn’t seem like it was going to work out like we had (not) planned. Maybe it was better for us to get on the next ferry back to Singapore...

Or maybe not.

“Hello, <insert Bahasa sentences that we do not understand here>," said an Indonesian man, who appeared out of nowhere.

We looked at him, puzzled.

“Motorbike? You want?” The Indonesian man switches to English, while making a vroom-vroom hand gesture.

We nodded our heads slowly and warily.

“You come. My car. My wife coming. Drive. My house. Motorbike.” The Indonesian man pointed to his car, suggesting in broken English that he could rent us a bike.

We exchanged doubtful looks. The taxi driver we’d spoken to earlier immediately started arguing with the Indonesian man in Bahasa.

So many questions ran through our heads and between us. Should we do it? Is he legit? Is he going to rob us? Does he really have a moped? He doesn’t even speak English... Where will he take us?

Should we do it?

We should do it.

Ok, let’s do it.

After battling our uncertainties, we ended up in the car with him and his wife, who happened to be a real person. She also seemed really kind. Maybe they weren’t going to kill us after all. It even stopped raining – things were looking up!

But to be safe, I decided to hide all our cash in my bra. Just in case.

The car ride felt longer than ever. We saw the real, local parts of Batam – tiny neighbourhoods and alleyways we would not have seen had we chosen to take a taxi to the shopping district. We were intrigued, but also extremely nervous.

Finally, we arrived at a little house. It was time to get out of the car. If we were getting robbed of all our money, or our throats slashed with a knife, it was going to be right there and then. We braced ourselves for the grand moment of truth.

The Indonesian man drew out his keys and opened his front door.

Cassie and the moped

There they were: two motorbikes, sitting right in his living room.

We heaved a huge sigh of relief. This motorcycle rental was LEGIT!!!

This guy had turned our trip to Batam completely around. He also offered us some Raya goodies and drinks, which we gratefully accepted before we left with his bike. What a good guy!

If you want a moped, make it happen. -Cassie’s shirt

Our new friend!

The best stranger we had ever met

We scooted away on the island with a story to tell, one that speaks of a momentous experience shared between us in a foreign land. And we’ve got this kind Indonesian man to thank for it.