Bintan Case Study

5. Top 5 things to Buy in Bintan
When one thinks of Bintan, sprawling shopping malls definitely would not come to mind. Nonetheless, it is possible to obtain a variety of local handicrafts and artifacts along with clothing and food items on the island. These can be obtained at really cheap prices in the local markets. Of course, these markets are also the places to test your haggling skills. A top item that can be bought in Bintan is batik fabric or clothing. Batik is a technique of wax-resistant dyeing which is applied to fabric. Batik shirts, sarongs, shawls and dresses make great gifts. Secondly, one can also buy local eatables like keropok and sweetmeats. Unique to Indonesia, they would also be great gifts for friends and family back home.

Food connoisseurs will definitely not be disappointed with the stupendous variety of food available on the island. If you are feeling adventurous, go straight to the streets to savour the best that Indonesian cuisine has to offer. One should not miss savouring popular local snacks like prawn and fish keropok. Other snacks include tempe which is fermented soy beans. Tempe can be prepared in various forms, either fried till crispy or as a side dish for main courses. It can also be added to soups and gravies. There are also other fried snacks like pastels, martabak and risoles which can easily be found on the streets of Bintan. Secondly, one should not miss some famous Indonesian sweets, locally known as Kuehs. A famous Indonesian sweet is the kueh lapis which is a traditional layered cake. Other sweets include Kue Ambon, Kue Cubit and Kue

Due to its positioning next to the equator, the island not only receives a good amount of sunshine, it also receives a copious amount of precipitation. Temperatures are stable at around 27°C throughout the year, with a high at the 30s once in a while. Humidity is also high throughout the year. It can be said that there are 2 seasons that Bintan experiences- Northeast monsoon and southwest monsoon. The northeast monsoon season which lasts from October to the end of May, sees the most amount of rain with November and December being the wettest months. Generally, rainfall is heavy but short-lived lasting only a few hours in the day. The southwest monsoon season can be said to be the drier season which lasts from early June to end of September. This period receives a good amount of sun with warm waters. Rainfall can be said to be relatively low as compared to the northeast monsoon