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.