Bandung was known as Parijs van Java aka Flower City.
Before going to Bandung
A lot of things that i found in the internet says that:
1. Bandung is a paradise for shoppers
2. Fods in Bandung are all nice and must-try.
3. Weather in Bandung is plus minus like in Cameron Highland
4. April is a rainy month
5. It is important to have supir to drive us anywhere
At Bandung
I realise that:
1. Bandung memang syurga for shoppers. For branded items and export quality items, Bandung has it all. Especially if you are looking for branded and nice baju sejuk, dan for kidswear also you will have a lot of option. Handbag and shoes from leather, jeans, laether products, this is the place where you have a lot of items and you feels that you want it all.
2. Foods at Bandung is not that good as it is being told. Few things are worth to try, but make sure you go for hygene first. Don't simply eat at the raodside stall, as the cleanliness is quite fatal. A lot of food poisoning happens, and of course it will kills your holiday spirit.
3. Yes, the weather there is cold, but not as cold as cameron highland. Going up yo the Tangkuban Perahu, it's getting colder and windy. In the town of Bandung itself, it is not so cold, but you will not sweating. It is a nice weather, though.
4. Yes, April is full of rain. Mostly, from the early of the month until 20th, you can expect raining all day. Gradually, it will keep less towards May. The thing is, you can hardly walk in the sideways since the water is flooding the road as well.
5. Supir is not so important, unless you want to visit outskirt of Bandung, such as Tangkuban Perahu or Jakarta. Apart from that, you can always use Angkutan Kota (Angkot), which is quite reliable and cheap. Choose your hotel/motel properly, so that you can minimize the use of any transportation.
After coming back from Bandung
Few advices and as a remberance for all:
1. If you need to walk along their roads, do not walk by the side of the road. Angkot will honk you many times as asking either you need them or not. Walk a little bit deeper of the road, normally there are a pedestrian walkways there.
2. Their time is one hour late from Malaysia (if Malaysia jam 15.00, Indon jam 14.00). Their solat time also different from ours.
3. Most of the shop will close at 17.00 waktu Indon. Most Factory Outlets will close at 21.00. After that, only roadside stalls are open until 24.00 or 01.00.
4. They really proud of their teh. Normally, you will get teh o suam for free at almost any restaurant/stalls/etc. You can buy the same taste of teh in Teh Botol.
5. Durian is everywhere there. You can try the Ice cream Durian at any roadside stalls, it is refreshing and tasty. Kopi durian can be found at Blue Monster, a restaurant right in front of Rumah Mode FO.
6. Ayam kampung is a must try delicacies. Either fried or grilled, both will satisfy you.
7. The way people drive their cars there is very much different from here, so, do not rent a car. You might face difficulty. Traffic light is very few and rare.
8. People there, they love cheese and chocolate very much. I tried their mushroom soup, and it was full of cheese. I think i got enough cheese to last for many years now.
Anyway, it is a good experience and nice holiday for me. We found people from Malaysia here and there, and in the crowd of Indonesian, we proudly speak Malays like good friends.
:)
Propose Itenerary for 3day4night in Bandung:
Day 1: Arrival and check in at Royal Dago/Patra Jasa. Explore FO along Jalan Dago (Level, Edward Forrer, Blossom, Grande, Jetset, Glamour, etc). Take your lunch at Restoren Timbel or another restaurant. Dinner, you can try Amanda, they got a nice salad, and sandwiches.
Day 2: Explore Jalan Dago. Check out from hotel and take a cab to Hotel Cemerlang / Kenangan / Mutiara. Explore FO there (Heritage, Stamp etc).
Day 3: Suggest to spend whole day in Pasar Baru. You can find telekungs, chiffon, lace, and a lot more at a very cheap prize. You can have lunch at their Food Court, and try Nasi Timbel Complit. Very nice one. Pasar Baru close at 17.00. After that, you can take taxi, and go to Cihampelas Street. Alot of jeans there. The landmark is McDonalds, just beside Hotel Aston.
Day 4: in the morning, you can visit few FO. Then, check out and make your way to the airport.
By this way, you can travel by walk and do not need any supir, so can save up to 450k rupiah which u can use for more shopping. Check your receipt each time, few FO are giving out vouchers together with the receipt.
Do not afraid to ask around. You may find dificulties speaking their language, but they understand that your are foreigners.
Lastly, save up few rupiah for airport tax and cab's fare (normally cab's fare to the airport = 20k - 25k using meter and airport tax = 60k per person)
:)
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