Batam: From Forests to a Thriving City That Shaped My Life

When people hear the word Batam, I often wonder what comes to their mind. For me, it’s more than just a name on the map, it’s the place that raised me, shaped me, and taught me how to stand on my own two feet. I’ve called this island home for over 26 years, and I’ve seen it change in ways I never could’ve imagined.

Batam Center 

I still remember my first glimpse of Batam back in 1999. The Bouraq Airlines plane was descending, and from the window, all I could see was green - endless stretches of forest covering almost the entire island. The moment the plane touched down, my feelings were all mixed up: nervous, curious, and a little scared.

The drive from Hang Nadim Airport to Batamindo Industrial Park was quiet and surreal. There were no villages, no rice fields like the ones I grew up seeing in Java, just forests, swamps, and tall wild grass lining both sides of the road. It felt like entering another world: raw, wild, and completely unknown to me.

But curiosity won over fear. Within a month of living there, I found myself wandering in and out of the nearby forests. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as scary as I’d imagined. The industrial area was always alive with people, and the only “wildlife encounters” we had were cheeky monkeys sneaking into the dormitory to steal leftovers from the trash bins.

As the years rolled by, Batam began to change: fast. Industrial zones started popping up everywhere. Multinational companies set up factories producing everything from electronics and garments to chemicals and medical devices. The once-silent island was suddenly buzzing with opportunity.

And with opportunity came people. The population skyrocketed from just about 6,000 in the 1970s to more than 1.3 million today. New housing complexes appeared almost overnight, followed by rows of shop houses and small businesses. Even informal settlements began to fill the empty spaces on the island.

But progress has its price. The forests I once explored slowly vanished, replaced by construction sites and heavy machinery working day and night. It’s bittersweet to watch the green fade away, knowing that it’s part of the city’s unstoppable growth.

Still, I can’t help but admire how far Batam has come. The city’s economy has grown faster than the national average, attracting not only businesses but also the attention of Bank Indonesia, which even set up a representative office here.

Between Singapore, Sea, and Stories

Geographically, Batam’s closeness to its neighbors: Singapore and Malaysia, has a huge influence on the number of international visitors, especially from those two countries. There’s even a running joke among people in Singapore and Johor, Malaysia:

“If you want another wife, go to Batam, you can get two or three there!” 😂

And when someone from Johor or Singapore says they’re taking a short trip to Batam, people often tease them, “Oh, going to visit your second wife, huh?” Ouch. That’s the kind of image Batam has in their minds, apparently!

Aside from Jakarta and Bali, Batam is actually the third most visited city in Indonesia by foreign tourists. Even though local tourism spots aren’t always managed as well as they could be, Batam still benefits greatly from being just a stone’s throw away from Singapore.

It only takes 45 minutes by ferry to get from Batam to Singapore, so many locals are used to going back and forth all the time: for vacations, shopping, medical treatment, or even buying supplies for their small businesses.

For example, the lady who runs the canteen at my previous workplace once told me she bought her plates from Singapore. Plates! 😄 So yeah, when people from Jakarta proudly say they’ve been to Singapore or Malaysia, here in Batam that’s totally normal, it doesn’t even count as something “cool” anymore. #Sombong 😜

Seriously though, I have a friend who goes to Singapore up to three times a day. Like, literally. Well, okay... he’s a ferry captain, so that explains it. 😆

But what amazes me the most about Batam isn’t its rapid development or bustling city life it’s the fact that the region actually consists of hundreds of islands. Can you believe that just one municipality, Batam City, covers around 453 islands under its administration?

Wow. That’s mind-blowing! Batam truly deserves to be called an archipelagic city. 453 islands! Isn’t that pure heaven for sea lovers and travel enthusiasts?

Sometimes I think, what a shame it would be if I lived here my whole life without exploring them. This land is so vast and rich, filled with untold stories, fascinating local communities, fishermen, and sea nomads who’ve called these waters home for generations.

There’s so much natural wealth here too: thriving mangrove forests, untouched coastlines, diverse marine life, so much beauty still waiting to be discovered and told.

And that’s what excites me the most. I’m not anyone special, just an ordinary woman, a working mom, living a simple life in this city. But little by little, I’ve been visiting these islands one by one, learning, observing, and falling in love with my country in my own way.

Today, Batam is a city that never stops moving, full of energy, ambition, and dreams. It’s a place where people come to build their future, just like I did years ago. This island has given me more than just a home; it has given me a story, one of courage, growth, and transformation.