Indonesia, Bandung

I went to Bandung last Christmas, which was two weeks after my Bali trip. I must say that last year was an Indonesian year for me because I visited two different cities in one month.

I've never traveled to Indonesia, but after coming back from both trips, I find that Indonesia has many scenic places to go to. I simply love exploring the rural and admiring the traditional buildings. Somehow, I felt a sense of pride infusing through me when I observed the cultural heritage here. Both cities are worth visiting to me!

 





















Map taken from: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/asia/indonesia/

Here's the map of Indonesia, the 4th most populous country in the world. Bandung is situated 3hrs from Jakarta if you were traveling on the road, but we took a direct flight from Singapore, which was about 2hrs max.

We landed at Hussein Sastranegara Airport around 12 noon, and the airport is one of the highlights in my trip. According to my uncle, this is what Singapore airport looks like in the 60s. Imagine that? Both my cousin and I were awe-struck because it's like traveling back to the past. I wasn't even born and yet I could have a feel of it in Bandung. All I can say is that this trip is gonna be super exciting!!! 

The immigration where we had our passport stamped is in one small room so everyone had to squeeze into 3 lines to wait for our turn. And it turns out that there is only one luggage conveyor belt in the entire airport! Wowee...

We're eating Padang food for lunch. With old parents in tow, eating rice, our staple food is a must. We're familiar with Padang food because it could be found anywhere in Singapore so the taste is similar to our taste buds. I guess most of the early immigrants who came to Singapore last time came from West Sumatra. That's why we develop a taste for Padang food. However, Bandung is in Java and the people here are from the Sundanese descendants. So I couldn't wait to taste the Sundanese food in our next meals.

I also ordered the Avocado drink which is the specialty of Bandung. Yummy.

This is Rumah Mode, a factory outlet which we visit on our first day. Many people just went crazy when they were here as the clothes were very cheap. Still, I only bought 2 T-shirts, that caught my eyes. I'm really not a shopper. Too many things confuse me and everything looks the same.

The traffic jam is killing me in Bandung and it's drizzling outside our comfortable car. Here are some marvel pictures along the road. We were heading towards the Cihampelas Walk, a shopping centre, which looks like normal Singapore malls so it's not that interesting to me. I didn't take photo of the place. We were there for about 30 min as my cousin had to go to the pharmacy and while waiting, I bought ice-cream for everyone.

Our first dinner highlight is dining at The Valley, which was located on the highlands in Bandung. The place was really beautiful but we didn't get to see the valley that night as it was raining.

The food, however, was superb. Try to go for the Western menu as they tasted nicer than the local menu.

Spaghetti bolognaise and aglio olio. Nice presentation, with assortment of bright colours.

Fried rice with some keropok (prawn crackers).

And of course, the best - steak!! Just look at the generous serving, which add up to one satisfying meal.

We enjoyed our time at The Valley and we were already looking forward to next day.

Stay tuned on my Bandung post.