BANDUNG AGAIN PART 2

Sorry for the late update. Quite busy reading other blogs and finding some materials for my next reserarch. Also I have a lot of project last November. Spring cleaning, painting my house, then there's also my convocation.

      Well back to Bandung story. The first day itself we went to Pasar Baru. Since we stayed at Hotel Guntur, we only had to cross a concrete bridge, then passing some streetshops and walla...before we knew it we reached Pasar Baru. Lots and lots of things to buy.I bought handbags, kebaya sulam and also telekung (prayer cloth?). My husband was the shopping King. He couldn't resist the temptation so he ended up buying from top to botton: Jacket, new wallet, sunglasses and lots more. My advice is if you want to go to Pasar Baru, start as early as 8 am. There are 7 storeys of endless shops. Then avoid weekends especially Sunday. It was so crowded. To get out of the area was so streneous. We had to walk along the narrow roadside, with cars passing less than 6 inches beside us! At times like that, it is best if you keep your wallet at the front side of your pants, rather than at the back.

      We went back to Guntur Hotel, took a cab and headed straight to Dago Street to Karmila Hotel. Karmila hotel is conveniently located at Dago Street, which have lots and lots of factory outlets. It is also near to KFC and Pizza Hut, also a minimart nearby, less than 50 m.

     Karmila Hotel was so so lah...We chosed it just for the sake of its location. It is less comfy than Guntur. Cheaper but still clean. RP320,000 per night or equal to 40 USD. We slept for a while. We noticed that in Indonesia that time seems to move slowly..maybe because of the difference of 1 hour between Sabah and Indonesia. At approximately 2.30 pm we headed straight to Riau Street. Its nearby, so we went on foot, heading to Factory outlet called Secret. At Secret we ate Batagor, a delicious local dish.,short form of Baso Tahu Goreng or tofu. I bought my father's jacket and also 2 blouse for me. Then we went to other FOS nearby. There's Heritage, Cascade and For Men...We walked along different route otw back to Dago street seeing another side of Bandung. I'll update next time on our experience in Dago street and also on angkotan..with pictures as well

   So long.

BANDUNG AGAIN PART 1

It's been nearly 11 months since i last update this blog. Well during that period, I've been to Bandung again, this time with my husband and in a free and easy way. I booked two return tickets. one form Kota Kinabalu -Kuala Lumpur (which cost me RM 80 return for two persons) and the other one KL-Bandung (which cost me around RM130 return for two, including insurance). All in all it cost me around RM200++ just to get to Bandung from Kota Kinabalu via Kuala Lumpur (for two persons-can u guys believe it?). Cheap, cheaper than getting up Mount Kinabalu..This was why we locals tend to go over the sea la kononnya because it's cheaper than touring our own backyard. Climbing up Mt Kinabalu alone cost RM500++ for one person.


OK, back to the story. This time I've aimed some of the shopping places I've been, for example Pasar Baru. We arrived at Hussein SastraNegara around 9pm, but due to manual custom checking, we got out of the airport at 10pm local time (WIB). We chosed Guntur Hotel since it's nearby Pasar Baru (5 min walking distance). Getting there was easy, we only need to go to taxi counter at the airport, then buy coupon. It cost us RP35000, around RM 15 or 5 USD,which I think was quite cheap since it's already late. Guntur Hotel was very cosy and instantly you will have a sense of security. We the checked in and ordered our food. The food was quite delicious (I am not a picky person when it comes to food. Then we slept until around 6 am local time and had our buffet breakfast.


To be continued....

THE PEAK, BOGOR

My, my...what a beautiful scenery you'll see if you stop at The Peak on your way to Safari Indonesia. It's almost like Cameron Highlands in Malaysia with tea plantation here and there, but it's colder.  I really love The Peak partly because it's cold, windy climate but mostly I like it because of the beautiful scenery. See for yourself...

BANDUNG, PARIS VAN JAVA

Been to Bandung last January. Well, Bandung lives up to its reputation. It's  a  shopping heaven, it's a must go if you'd like to travel to Indonesia. There's FOS (factory outlet selling clothes- some designer clothes) everywhere.

I've  compiled a list of must do for you guys out there who want to go to Bandung. For first timers like me, I have to pack shopping, sightseeing and also culinaries on my list. Since there's no direct flight from Kota Kinabalu to Bandung (I went via KK- Jakarta route), I have to make the most of my trip.

So guys here we go:

1. Shopping

For lots of you who want to buy literally everything in Bandung, FOS is a must. Most famous FOS are situated along Jalan Dago (Ir H. Juanda), Jalan Riau (Martadinata) and Setiabudhi. Personally, I love Secret and Cascade for its surrounding. Then there's Pasar Baru too for those who want to buy telekung, kebaya sulam, textiles and even (fake)designer bags...With as low as IDR50,000 (around RM18) you can buy tens of thousands of LV, Giorgio Armani, Guess and lots more. Jeans is also cheaper here compared to Toko Tiga ( i do not know if the quality differs). You also must go to Cibaduyut for leather products. My hubby bought safety shoes for around RM70 here. Quite cheap. Do not forget to go to Cihampelas also. It's quite happening.

2. Sightseeing

Being in Bandung won't be complete if you do not indulge yourself in its history. Go to Tangkuban Parahu (volcano) for a closer look at Sangkuriang Legend. I almost felt the presence of Sangkuriang and Dayang Sumbi here. I can imagine Sangkuriang digging soil around to fulfill Dayang Sumbi's condition in order to marry her. 

 

Tangkuban Parahu is quite cold, so do not wear shorts. There's also Kawah Putih but it's 2 hours away from Bandung (i think it's South Bandung) and Sari Ater (Hot Spring) which we didn't go coz there's also hot springs in Sabah.

3. Culinaries

Amanda, KartikaSari and if I'm not mistaken Prima is a must if you want to try brownie kukus. I also went to Pak Chi Met restaurant. The gurame and bawal bakar (fish) were very delicious. And Indonesia itu memang jagonya sambal. I love the foods here. And almost every dish is accompanied by lalapan (salad la lebih kurang). So you guys must try out everything...strawberry juice, alpokat (avocado) and sirsak (soursop) juice. Seedaaappp....I personally advise you not to look down on Indonesian foods. There's a lot of delicious food to try out. Ayam bakar komplit is also delicious.

For Bandung first timers,it's important that you have to have a lot of patients here. There's a lot of people selling things here at the streets. So be patient. If you do not want to buy their things, just smile and wave off your hands.

Oh, there's 8 of us who went for this trip. I stayed at apartment in Bandung since there's 8 of us. We used cars everywhere. For those interested, leave your e mails.I'll give you the number of person to contact for apartment and cars. For car, whenever we go to Indonesia via Jakarta, we'll meet this dear friend of ours, Mas Rian who is a very patient and honest driver. For us, he's not a driver. He's a dear friend and a guide who provide better insights into Indonesia. Then there's this apartment owner who's very generous and patient. He waited for us to arrive in Bandung at midnight. It's safe to rent his apartment in Bandung. Need proof? Here am I, safely at home blogging about Bandung now.

Bandung , definitely I will come again.