2D/1N tour of Batam 018G006C
On 27th July 2019, the students of Lamrim class 018G006C, along with our class monitors and family members, met at Habourfront Center for a 2D/1N tour of Batam. Over an hour of ferry ride, we reached Batam. Our first destination was Yayasan Buddha Tzu Chi Indonesia Kantor Perwakilan Batam.
The representatives of Tzu Chi welcomed us warmly. They gave us a walk through of their premises and we were all mesmerized by the grand hall. On behalf of our class, our monitor made a monetary donation, using part of our accumulated class donations, in support of their foundation.
Our 2nd destination is Yayasan Surya Alam Indonesia, a children’s home where they provide accommodation, food and education for 70 Indonesia Muslim children from the age of 5 to 17 years old. Other then giving monetary donations to the children’s home, our monitors and class representatives also donated rice, eggs, packet noodles, biscuits and some other foods. On top of that, soft toys were given to the children which put smiles on their faces.
With a hungry stomach and a heart filled with love, we headed for a vegetarian lunch. After lunch, we had a few hours of shopping time before we boarded our coach to Golden Rabbits Coffee where we were immersed in the aroma of coffee. After satisfying our taste buds, we checked into Hotel 89. After a short rest, we went for our Vegetarian Steamboat Dinner at Avitel Hotel. After our sumptuous dinner, we ended our day and returned to our hotel for the night.
The following morning, after breakfast in the hotel, we gathered at the hotel lobby to start our second day itinerary. Our thoughtful leaders had already purchased fruits, drinks and some vegetarian food for mass offerings before we went over to Barelong Kelong to purchase crabs, fishes and birds to release into the sky and waters. It was a joy to us when we saw the birds fly freely in the sky, fishes and crab swim into the waters. After the mass offering and liberation, we had a short break to enjoyed the offered drinks, food and fruits
Our next stop was Pa-Auk Tawya Vipassana Dhura Hermitage, a branch of the world-famous Buddhist temple from Myanmar. The scenery of the surrounding greens gave us a sense of serenity. After climbing a flight of 198 steps, we were greeted by the solemn statue of the Buddha. At this temple, using the monies from our accumulated class donations, our monitors offered monies and vegetables to the monks. After blessing from the monks, we continued to our final stop, Yayasan Bliss Wisdom. We were given a warm welcome at Yayasan Bliss Wisdom. After praying, desserts were served to us by their volunteers. Yayasan Bliss Wisdom also received our monetary donations from our accumulated class donations to assist them in their operations.
Around noon time, we had vegetarian lunch at Nature Restaurant. We did some last minute shopping before embarking at the Ferry Terminal for our journey back to Singapore.
A special thank to our monitors and representatives from BW monastery for such a wonderful 2days itinerary. Also many thanks to them for their thoughtful actions and fair distributions of the donations accumulated from the class. This is indeed a fruitful and meaningful trip for all of us.
Written by Kristin Goh/ Class 18G006C