Indonesia, Bandung (Sundanese Experience)

Right after our visit to Kawah Putih, we went for lunch at Saung Gawir. We were all pretty hungry after the long climb to Kawah Putih. Plus the air was really cool, which kind of made you feel even hungrier. Sigh.. I think my appetite just got BIGGER when I'm in Bandung.

I like the restaurant. Not because I'm hungry but because of its setting. It has a traditional kampung atmosphere, with atap rooftop and bamboo walls. There is also a playground with the good old swing I used to play during my childhood. It's difficult to find that kind of swing now because the new playground is so different. I noticed that the playgrounds today are designed to ensure that they are 'safe' to play in so that kids would not injure themselves if they fall. Seriously, isn't falling on the ground and then getting back on your feet part of growing up? 

Anyway, what is unique about this place is that we can also choose to dine by sitting on a rattan mat around a low table in any of the huts available. Like I said, real kampung style!

All my family members opted to sit at the normal dining tables and chairs though, as getting the maximum comfort was on the top of their list. While my family was ordering food, I took the opportunity to venture around the restaurant to view the picturesque scenery. 

It looks so tranquil here. It mirrors my kind of idealistic environment - a place where I would like to be whenever I feel stressed up. Not the regular shopping malls where people usually engage in impulse buying just to release their tension. Well unfortunately, I do the mall routines too and then regret buying the things that I bought each time I got home.

 

So is this what you would call a high-quality life? Fresh, cool, unpolluted air... Beautiful surroundings... Organic food where you can grow yourself... Simplicity at its best without the need for materialistic display of wealth... Away from all the hypocrisy in life... I could have spent hours here just by looking at the panorama.

When I got back to our table, everyone was already starting to eat. No time to take photo and become acquainted with the food. Arghhh... Spent too much time wandering.

On the long table, my cousin had ordered different types of rice for us to share. This is Nasi Liwet, which I liked the most. You can just eat the rice alone without any dishes because it is so flavourful.

I don't know what this is. Nasi Tutug? The Sundanese people love to cook their rice wrapped in banana leaf. As a result, the rice is fragrant and whets your appetite further.

Nasi Timbel is probably the most well known Sundanese dish here. It tasted nice especially when it's eaten with the fried tofu, fried tempe and grilled Gurame fish. 

On the whole, this was a really lip-smacking, satisfying meal. All of us decided to eat a light dinner afterwards. And no more rice!! In fact, I think I will remain full till tomorrow morning!

We went to pick strawberry afterwards. The Bandung people planted their strawberries in white sacks, which were filled with soil and fertiliser. I had not envisioned a strawberry farm like this, but hey anyone could now buy a sack of strawberry plant and plant it in their own garden.

Beautiful young strawberries - the flower petals are still intact here. I seriously didn't know that strawberry flower is white until I visit this place. My agricultural knowledge is so limited.

The ripeness of these strawberries is just nice. It would turn red when we get back to Singapore, just in time to be savoured by the whole family. 

I couldn't believe I saw a family of brinjals at the strawberry farm. Pardon me.. being a city folk.. a brinjal plant is not common to me.

I ate Mee Bakso, one of Java's popular noodle cuisine, at Bakso Semar for dinner. Hahah.. Thought I was full earlier but in the end, I couldn't resist the hot, steaming noodle I saw from the table next to mine. 

There was a generous amount of beefballs in the soup when my noodle was served. The noodle tasted okay to me on the whole but I had tasted better in Singapore. I guess the Mee Bakso in Singapore was already modified to cater to the Singaporeans' taste buds. The meal finally ended our day and we're ready to retreat to our hotel rooms.