Greetings to the readers of kembaratravelog.blogspot.com. This is my first post on this blog. Hopefully, I can provide the best reviews for each adventure and travel experience. Since I am new to writing posts, my writing style might not be perfect, so I apologize. InsyaAllah, I will try to improve in future posts. For this first post, I will be reviewing Bandung, a city located in the province of West Java, Indonesia.
If you want to know, Bandung, Indonesia was the first foreign country I visited in 2008. By the end of 2010, I had traveled to Bandung three times. The first time was when I accompanied my parents to buy goods and import them to our country for sale. The items there were very cheap. For instance, one physical item sometimes costs 1/3 of the price in our country. When brought back to Malaysia, we would get a profit of 2/3 of the value when sold locally. The second time was the same, accompanying my parents for a cooking course there. The third time was my ‘simple honeymoon’ with my wife after we got married in October 2010.
In 2008, at the age of 31 (quite sad, others had already made passports and gone abroad early, while I was just starting to experience a foreign country), the excitement to travel was indescribable. It was so much fun. Not because it was my first time on a plane—I was already used to flying since primary school. The journey took 2 hours (sometimes flights were delayed by 15 minutes, and sometimes they arrived 15 minutes early). As usual, I flew with ‘Now everyone can fly!‘ which is AirAsia. The tickets for the first and second visits usually ranged between MYR300-MYR450. My wife and I originally traveled to Bandung last year because of the super cheap return tickets offered by AirAsia at MYR250 per person. We immediately booked online. Want to know the booking period and the departure date? Hehe, just a week apart. The AirAsia website, sometimes you have to check frequently. On ‘crazy’ days, the prices are insanely cheap.
Okay, let’s talk about the excitement of my first trip. Two to three days before going there, I looked up reviews about Bandung on Virtualtourist.com. When I started looking at the photos on the site, wow, I got really excited. Initially, I thought Bandung was just like Malaysia since it was near the equator. Plus, my parents invited me, and I said ‘yes’ without much thought. I knew nothing about Bandung, what it was, and all that. Excited, I started planning seriously. Some of my ridiculous plans included printing a map of Bandung (a huge map, only a crazy person would print it, especially since we use GPS these days), printing every page about Bandung on Virtualtourist.com (about 30 pages, which ended up not being used at all there), and buying a mini flashlight just in case the hotel had an electrical blackout. I thought Indonesia was very underdeveloped, but beware! My assumptions were way off. Not all areas there lack facilities. For example, if you want to know, their 3G service is three times faster than Celcom’s 3G broadband. I was really surprised. Popular voice and data providers there include SimPATI. Okay, here are some additional references that made me even more excited:
http://forum.cari.com.my/search.php?searchid=2154&orderby=lastpost&ascdesc=desc&searchsubmit=yes
After slicing through the clouds in an iron bird for 2 hours, we arrived at “Husein Sastranegara Airport, Bandung.” For your information, “Bandara” actually means Airport. That’s one quirky thing about Indonesian language pronunciations. They love to shorten words. “Bandara” is a combination of “Bandar Udara,” resulting in Bandara. Another example is that Bandung is located in West Java, so the short form for West Java (Jawa Barat) is Jabar. If it’s East Java (Jawa Timur), it’s called Jatim, hehe.
Okay, since this trip to Bandung was to accompany my parents, they had already booked a driver with a Suzuki APV van. The van is quite decent. In Malaysia, it looks like an expensive van (probably costs around MYR70K). But over there, vehicle prices are indeed cheap; I think the new price for this van is around MYR25K. Cheap, right? Anyway, I won’t go into detail about our automotive policy, let’s ignore that.
Typically, the van rental price per day is between RP300,000 to RP450,000 depending on the driver’s character (whether he is a leech/scammer or not) and the type of vehicle we rent. Seems like a lot, right? Hehe, for those who are not familiar with Indonesian currency, you can visit this site, XE.com, and convert the money. For Indonesia, make sure to select the “IDR” currency, and for Malaysia, select “MYR.” So, RP300,000 is equivalent to MYR105 per day. Is it cheap? For me, it’s okay because the daily price includes fuel costs and the driver’s fee. We were there for 4 days and 3 nights, and we rented the van for 3 days.
Additional information: Although RP300K online is equivalent to MYR105 if you go to a money changer, they will charge a fee that may increase MYR105 to MYR120. Most money changers in Malaysia will take that much commission. You need to find the best money changer. I usually exchange money at Tesco Extra, Cheras or Ampang Park. Unless you use a credit card to buy anything online from Indonesia, then the exact rate of RM105 will be charged. My advice is not to exchange money when in Indonesia or other countries because they will buy our currency at a lower rate even though our currency is actually higher. It’s better to exchange in Malaysia before going there.
Haa! One more thing, I want to remind you not to exchange money last minute at the money changer in the airport (KLIA or LCCT) within the country, because most international airports in Malaysia only have one money changer per airport. For money changers intending to monopolize the business, they will charge high fees, knowing that people like us might be desperate at the last minute.
After getting off the plane, passengers walk towards the terminal. It takes quite a while to pass through Indonesian immigration. I estimate almost 40 minutes, including waiting for the baggage to be checked. The immigration officers are friendly, but one issue is our baggage. When we queue for passport control, at the same time, the baggage goes through the x-ray machine. Those who queue earlier can take their bags earlier. For those whose passport checks are slower, the bags that have been checked will be placed aside until we collect them later. The concern is that some passengers might accidentally take our bag while choosing theirs. So, you need to always keep an eye on your bag while queuing for passport control. But it’s okay because the baggage inspection area is right next to the immigration area. The distance is only about 3-5 meters, not far.
For those who are new to traveling like me, I want to remind you that it is very important; otherwise, you won’t be able to pass Indonesian immigration checks (and perhaps in any other country as well). If you buy AirAsia tickets online, make sure to print out the return schedule. Immigration will ask for it. If not, it will be a problem like I experienced when traveling to Padang, Sumatra, Indonesia in June 2010. But luckily, I got through. I will tell you more about it in a future post (which might take a while as I need to cover other places first, like Surabaya, Jakarta, London, Saudi Arabia, and others).
The airport is quite simple. After the checks, our driver was already waiting for us outside. I like our driver, his name is Pak Wawan. Gosh, I lost Pak Wawan’s phone number; if I find it, I’ll share it with you here. He is very respectful of passengers’ privacy. For example, when riding in his van, I sat in the back passenger seat, and when I accidentally saw his eyes in the rearview mirror, he closed and adjusted the mirror down so I couldn’t see him, showing great respect for the passenger’s privacy in the back. My respect to you, Pak Wawan.
Pak Wawan took us to the hotel first. While in Bandung, we stayed at Hotel Mutiara. The hotel was OK, I think it was a 3.5-star hotel; all the amenities were fine. Below is a map of Hotel Mutiara.
GPS coordinates: -6.912322, 107.598300
Address and phone number of Hotel Mutiara:
Hotel Mutiara
Jalan Kebon Kawung,
Bandung, Indonesia
+62 22 4200888
Actually, I don’t recommend Hotel Mutiara, because there are many better and cheaper hotels nearby, especially near popular shopping areas. In future posts, I plan to talk about my second and third trips to Bandung. Hmmm, I apologize, ladies and gentlemen, I forgot to mention the delights of traveling to Bandung.
For your information, Bandung is a major tourist destination in Indonesia, especially for shopping activities. Yeah, shopping, women will love it. Bandung is often talked about by Malaysians. Compared to other places in Indonesia that I have visited, such as Padang, Surabaya, and Jakarta, Bandung is the best place for shopping.
What do I love about Bandung? It’s a pleasant place. Do you want to know? The terrain of Bandung is slightly elevated above sea level. This means that in certain months, the weather is quite cool, reaching 26°C (I’m guessing based on a comparison with Genting Highland in Malaysia). So, for those of you who love shopping and walking from shop to shop, you won’t feel tired and sweaty. I forgot which month I visited Bandung in 2008. I think it was May. The weather was indeed pleasant.
Malaysians like going to Bandung for several reasons. Some go there for a vacation and relax in high places (near Mount Tangkuban Perahu) and play golf. Some like shopping for themselves. Some shop to buy items in bulk to sell in Malaysia, and it’s not too much to say that some like going to Bandung because their second wives are from there. Thanks to AirAsia for providing frequent flights to Bandung and affordable ticket prices for Malaysians.
After Pak Wawan took us to the hotel for check-in and storing our bags, he took us to dine at Ampera Restaurant. This restaurant is very famous in Bandung because it has many branches and serves Sundanese food.
In Bandung, what’s great compared to Malaysia is the sunrise and sunset times. Over there, the sun rises and brightens at 6 AM and sets at 6 PM. By 6 PM, it’s already completely dark. This offers a different experience, especially for Malaysians living on the peninsula. So, at 6 AM, it was already bright, with the sound of vehicles on the main road in front of our hotel. Whether we liked it or not, we had to wake up early. For those who want to shop, make sure to start leaving the hotel at 8 AM because, by 6 PM, it starts getting dark. For those renting a van, it’s okay to come back late at night because the driver can ensure the passengers’ safety.
For those who walk and take taxis to get around, make sure to go in groups, because in my four visits to Bandung, I’ve never walked at night. We don’t know what it’s like at night in a foreign country, right? Better to be safe. Stay in the hotel at night, especially since you’re already tired from being out all day. Seriously, if you walk from one shopping place to another (most clothing shops are set up along designated roads), don’t forget to wear sports shoes or jogging shoes. Otherwise, you risk getting blisters. Seriously, I don’t recommend wearing high heels or other unsuitable footwear besides sports shoes. If your feet get blisters, you’ll have to return to the hotel early, which is a waste, right? Hehehehe.
Do you see the fried eel on the plate above? Everything on the plate is my favorite. Hehe. Is fried eel tasty? Just go for it. It’s a must-try. It’s crispy, like nibbling on small fried pomfret. For those who can’t handle seeing an eel that looks like a coiled snake and find it gross, I suggest not eating it. But if you’re brave, give it a try. Why not? You don’t come to Bandung often. In Malaysia, it’s available but rarely found. What else is on the plate? Oh, there’s beef liver, squid, some mushrooms, and chicken drumsticks. The rice is served in banana leaves, like Malaysia’s nasi lemak. There are also sambals, but I don’t know their names. Very delicious, mouth-watering! If you want to know, in Indonesia, there’s no nasi lemak or roti canai; that’s the reality. Both are only popular in our homeland. (FYI, nasi lemak and roti canai are Malaysian popular breakfasts).
After Ampera, we headed to Pasar Baru. This is a heaven for soon-to-be-married couples. There are a lot of cheap bridal outfits here. But I didn’t buy anything except for a Javanese cap and batik cloth. Below are some photos I took outside Pasar Baru (UPDATE: photos no longer available).
Talking about shopping places, the first time I went to Bandung, I didn’t know any place names or anything. My intention at that time was just to see the ‘foreign’ atmosphere, enjoy the scenery, and gain experiences in another country. But once I got hooked, I thought, why not dive into the shopping scene, right? Hehehe. I don’t mean stealing, but lightening my hands to browse for items to shop. Okay, among the places I know are Pasar Baru, Rumah Mode, Heritage Outlet, outlets along Jalan Dago, and outlets along Jalan Riau.
On my recent third visit, I learned more names of shopping outlets, as expected when shopping with my beloved wife. Of course, I had to shop as well, hehe. I’ll cover that in future posts. Stay tuned. Okay, regarding shopping prices, my wife mentioned that some clothes there cost about the same as at bundle shops in Malaysia. But the difference is, there’s more variety and these shopping areas are concentrated in specific streets or places. So, if you visit 30 Jalan Riau, there are more than 10 outlet houses there. Each outlet is about the size of 3-4 combined terrace houses. Walking can be tiring. For those with millions of rupiah in their pockets, I’m sure it won’t be tiring! Hehehe. When moving from outlet to outlet, there will be small, relatively clean stalls in the middle of each outlet.
If you’re tired, take a break and enjoy some Teh Botol. Mentioning Teh Botol, it’s my favorite. Sometimes I buy and finish 2 bottles. There’s one more thing I haven’t mentioned, about Pasar Baru. For your information, sellers at Pasar Baru really like Malaysians because it’s proven that we shop a lot there, either for personal needs or bulk buying. I state here that their market is not for Westerners because Westerners don’t know how to wear traditional clothes. When buying a piece of batik cloth, Westerners know that it’s for souvenirs from Bandung, not for wearing. Only people from the archipelago know the uses of these traditional clothes. So, use yourself as their ‘primary market’ for bargaining. Now that you know this secret, be smart about asking for discounts. Evidence that sellers at Pasar Baru like Malaysian tourists? There was one shop where, as soon as they saw us walking towards it from afar, they immediately played Siti Nurhaliza’s song in hopes that we’d be aware they like Malaysians and be attracted to their shop. Malaysians have ‘purchasing power’ compared to their locals.
One more secret to share with you. You must know how ‘big’ MYR50 feels, right? It feels significant because MYR50 can fill almost 2/3 of a tank of petrol here in Malaysia. MYR50 can also treat 4 friends to a meal at a mamak restaurant. Okay, that’s the feel of MYR50. Now let me tell you how Indonesians feel about their RP50,000 rupiah. They feel the same way. Holding RP50,000 rupiah is like holding MYR50 here. The proof is, one hour of parking there is RP2500. In Malaysia, one hour is MYR2.50. See, it’s the same? Don’t convert our money to theirs because ‘feel’ and ‘convert’ are two different things. So, if you see street beggars and give them RP10,000, they feel like it’s MYR10 here, even though RP10,000 is only MYR3.40. But my advice, if you feel like giving more, please do so; don’t be too stingy. It’s a pity, plus their country has a lot of poor people.
There’s another shopping place called Cihampelas. For those who like bundle clothing, you can visit Cihampelas. This place is quite separate from the shopping outlets in the city center of Bandung. But for those who don’t like pothole-filled, somewhat smelly places with shops that look of low quality, you can go to Cihampelas Walk or its short form, CiWalk. But if you ask me, I’d go to both CiWalk and Cihampelas, ignore the bad smell, and have fun! CiWalk is a fairly large and organized shopping complex. It’s located right next to the Cihampelas bundle area. What’s great here is when you bring kids (for families) because there are many large, famous statues displayed by the roadside, like Rambo, Dragonball, Superman, Batman, Spiderman, and many more. The statues are quite big. Below, I’ve provided pictures of Cihampelas and CiWalk (UPDATE: photos no longer available):
When in an outlet, to ask the promoter, you can use specific words like “Ini, harga pas ya?” Pas is short for “pasti” which means “fixed price.” If they say “nggak,” it means it’s not a fixed price; if they say “iyah,” then it is. Oh well, I think everyone is quite familiar with Indonesian. But just in case, let me tell you the word for toilet, which is very important during emergencies. They say “kamar kecil” for the purpose of using the toilet. So, if you want to ask the promoter, say “Kamar kecilnya di mana yah?” This word can be used in any state in Java and some other places in Indonesia, although some places like Makassar, Papua New Guinea, etc., might not use such words. I can’t comment much on those two places as I haven’t been there yet. I prefer to talk about places I’ve experienced.
Regarding transportation, some people prefer using a van with a driver because it’s comfortable, easy to request the driver to go here or there, and the driver doesn’t mind waiting for hours outside while we shop. But during my third visit to Bandung, I didn’t use a driver because I already knew many places in Bandung. So, I just used taxis and mentioned the names of the places. That was also because I went with only my wife, so it was easier to get around. Hmmm, in my opinion, if you’re going with more than two people, especially with kids or the elderly who can’t wait on the roadside to hail a taxi, it’s better to rent a van with a driver. It’s easy and saves time, but the overall cost of the trip to Bandung may slightly increase. Not by much though, as I mentioned earlier, renting a driver costs about MYR105 a day, at most MYR150. Let’s say MYR150, for 3 days it’s MYR450. It can accommodate up to 5 people. This price is just for getting around the city, not for trips outside Bandung like Mount Tangkuban Perahu, Kampung Daun, etc.
The driver can also store your shopping items in the van while you shop at other places. So, you don’t have to carry all your shopping items into other shops. For those traveling light or ‘backpacking,’ you can take ‘Angkutan Kota’ or ‘angkut.’ Angkut is a mini-van type of bus. There are thousands of angkut in every city in Indonesia. The fare is cheap. But one problem is, that it’s less comfortable, smells, you sit mixed with locals, and you need to memorize every street name and map because angkut only shows the destination name on its front window. It’s quite challenging for travelers who are new to Bandung.
If you want to save money, plan your trip first. Suppose the first day you want to go to Jalan Riau, where there are more than 10 outlet houses. So, you don’t need to rent a driver because you can spend almost 5 hours shopping there. Moreover, usually, AirAsia flights arrive in the afternoon, so renting a driver seems like a waste unless you rent time starting from 8 AM.
So, on the first day, take a taxi to the hotel, check in, store your belongings, take a shower, pray Zuhur, and then take a taxi to a famous Sundanese (preferably Ampera) or Padang restaurant. After eating, take a taxi straight to Jalan Riau, Jalan Dago, or any place. Spend half a day there. I’m sure 4-5 hours will be enough. By 6 PM, it’s already dark. On the way back, have dinner somewhere, return to the hotel, rest, and sleep because you need to gather energy for the next day’s trip to places that are a bit farther apart. On the second day (or maybe up to the 3rd), then rent a driver starting from 8 AM until night. At that time, it’s up to you to ask the driver to go wherever you want. So, plan your trip like that, I mean “time vs. necessity” – “Is it worth renting a van with a driver for the given time vs. your needs?”
The issue of beggars in Bandung is quite widespread. But when I went there in October 2010, I noticed that the number of beggars had reduced compared to 2008. Maybe their government has done something to clean up the image of Bandung as a shopping tourism city. Imagine, Malaysians would surely pity seeing beggars among children aged 5 or 6 coming to ask for alms, sometimes even following you across the busy streets alone. If you want to give alms, do it quietly because if their group sees, they will crowd around you, which can be uncomfortable, hehe. My advice, as usual, is don’t be stingy. Let Allah determine our deeds for a country with many people in need. It’s not the difference in race and country that matters, but our hearts.
Areas outside Bandung. If you’re just walking around for shopping, you don’t have to go to Mount Tangkuban Perahu, but in my opinion, you’d be missing out! Hehe. This is an active volcano, but it’s not due to erupt anytime soon. From Bandung, it takes about 40 minutes to get there. One problem there is the many street vendors who will crowd you until you ‘surrender’ and buy something. They sell all sorts of things, even strawberries. Okay, strawberries there are cheap, definitely buy them. They’re packed in polystyrene boxes. Imagine, 4 boxes of strawberries, about the size of a polystyrene box, for only RP40,000! That’s MYR13.60. In Malaysia, I think it would cost more than MYR30. There are also souvenirs from Bandung. They even sell volcanic sulfur. Many people buy the sulfur for bathing, believing it can beautify the skin. For this, use at your own risk; I don’t guarantee it. Here’s my early ‘disclaimer statement.’ To make it easier, consult the sulfur seller first. And if you buy it, use it while still in Bandung because sulfur is dangerous and cannot be brought on a plane. Otherwise, it would be a waste. Better to use it there.
They also sell volcanic rocks, but I’m not sure if you can bring them back because they contain layers of sulfur. If you’re adventurous, you can hire a tour guide to go down to the volcanic crater and take a mud bath. It’s good for health. But when I went, I only stayed at the top and didn’t go down to the crater, so I didn’t have the experience of soaking my feet in the mud. Before going to the mountain, tell the driver to take the inner route so you can enjoy the houses with lots of fresh and beautiful flowers, and you can even stop and explore them. After that, ask the driver to take the route with tea plantations on the way back. The view of the vast tea fields is very soothing. You can even stop and pick some tea leaves. Why not? When else will you come to Bandung, right?
GPS Coordinates of Tangkuban Perahu: -6.759464, 107.618749
More interesting pictures throughout the journey up and down from Mount Tangkuban Perahu (UPDATE: photos no longer available):
Safety issues in Bandung. Any place can be considered safe or unsafe depending on the situation. When in Bandung, ensure you keep your wallet and pockets secure, especially at Pasar Baru where various types of people might be suspicious, including at Cihampelas (except for Cihampelas Walk). Other places there, I think are okay, especially if you have a driver as your guide, which makes it easier since he can guarantee your safety. I mean, as a local, he already knows the ‘hot’ areas to avoid.
For those walking at night, make sure you do so with a driver and in groups of more than two people. You never know the actual situation in a foreign place. But InsyaAllah, as long as we have positive thoughts and trust in Allah, He will protect our safety no matter where we are, even if the country is at war. And Alhamdulillah, throughout my three visits there, everything was safe.
For your information, and if you still remember, in September and October 2010, there were frequent “Ganyang Malaysia” incidents, throwing excrement at the Malaysian embassy in Jakarta, and the “sweeping Malaysia” incidents that occurred there. Alhamdulillah, when I was there in October 2010, nothing undesirable happened. Everything was safe. I asked one of the taxi drivers there, and he said that the people in Bandung don’t like the “sweeping Malaysia” incidents that happened in Jakarta. He also said that those people are paid to provoke between Malaysia and Indonesia.
The people of Bandung are against those who provoke and he said, “We in Bandung just want peace, sir.” Moreover, we know that the retail traders in Bandung earn a high income from tourists coming from Malaysia. If they join the provocations in Jakarta, it means they are destroying the economy of Bandung themselves. I believe the people of Bandung are thoughtful and will ignore the provocations. Trust that “everywhere, people just want to make a living.” Personally, I think the situation in Indonesia is okay (as of now). And while you’re there, if you need help, you can contact the Malaysian embassy in Jakarta:
Address:
Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said
Kav.X/6, No. 1-3
Kuningan
12950
Jakarta Selatan
Telephone: (6221)5224947 – Canseri (Hunting – 8 Lines)
Fax: (6221)5224974
Email: [email protected]
GMT: – 1 hrs (KL), + 1 hrs (Jakarta)
Work days: Monday – Friday : 8.00 a.m – 4.00 p.m 8.30 a.m – 12.30 p.m / 2.30 p.m – 4.00 p.m
Public Holidays: Saturday & Sunday
I end this first post with a few more pictures of Bandung, hoping that all the information I’ve provided is useful for you. Let’s go for a travel! Take care when you’re in a foreign country!
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