My Bandung Trip: Tips and Tricks (Part 3)

The Part 1 of this entry is here, and Part 2 is here.

• SIGHTSEEING
  • The only place that I visited outside of the factory outlets is the Tangkuban Perahu (means Perahu Terbalik in Malay) active volcano. It’s about 1.5 hours journey from my hotel. The weather is cooler the higher you go up the mountain. But once you go near the craters, it’s hot as hell. Entering the volcanic park will cost you IDR35,000 per person.
    
  • Once you reaches there (you will see a lot of street peddlers), you can decide whether you just want to stick around looking at the craters, or be at the craters. Out of nowhere, a tour guide (with official badge) will introduces himself and will tell you the history of Tangkuban Perahu. If you decided to go down the craters, the tour guide fee is IDR250,000 (negotiable) per hour. You will need a good 2 hours to go down to the crater and up again (a 1.2km journey by foot). If you suffers from knee pains (like I am) and heavy, please avoid going to the crater at all cost. The man-made steps are too steep even for a six-footer like me. But it’s good exercise nevertheless.
    
  • The guide will bring along a few street peddlers (disguised as tour guides). They will talk and laugh with you en route to the craters. They even massage your feet in the hotspring pond (no obligation according to my guide…which translates as free massage) with volcanic mud. Once completed, they will open their bags and peddled their wares, which may consists of metal tasbih (IDR400,000!), a set of wooden pens (IDR150,000!) and/or keychains (IDR200,000!). Definitely much more expensive than in Bandung town. Try you best to say no to them, or you may lose more than IDR500,000 to them like my brother-in-law.
    
  • If you don’t want to be bothered, avoid them before the journey. I have to give tips of IDR50,000 each to two peddlers because I don’t want to buy their ridiculously expensive wares. But since they helped me while going down the craters, I think I owe them something.

  
  

• SOCIAL
  • Bandung is full of social people. Music scenes are aplenty. It seems that everybody in Bandung can sing (even it’s an old Javanese song). Just ask your taxi driver to sing some songs (don’t forget to tip).
  • Karaoke outlets, dangdut clubs and bars are everywhere.
  • People in Bandung is very service-oriented, especially the hotels and restaurants.
  • Try to have a ride around Bandung at night and you’ll noticed the same similiarity with KL (except KL is hot at night).

• FOOD
  • Nothing I can say about food as I’m not the experimental type. I’m sticking to the normal Sundanese and Padang food. As a rule of thumb, a lunch/dinner set for 12 people will cost you about IDR500,000 (RM156.50). I think their food is a bit dry and lacks the gravy. But loves the sambal cili hijau. Heaven!
  • There are two types of Sundanese and Padang’s restaurants. The expensive ones (as stated above) and the cheap ones. My advise is to avoid the cheap shops, as location-wise it’s too near to the road and the food is uncovered. Just think about food poisoning. Ask your driver the best nasi padang/sunda restaurant, and they will bring you to the best ones.
    
  • Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) is everywhere but I didn’t found any McDs. Hmmm.
  • Hotel food is awful (at my hotel at least).
    

• GOING HOME
  • Make sure you have enough bags to carry all your stuff.
  • Be ready to pay for excess baggage.
  • Don’t buy your cigarettes at the airport, as it is expensive! Buy it earlier at Circle K convenient store (like our 7-11 over here), which is way cheaper than the roadside cigarette peddlers. Moreover, stocks at the airport might be limited.
  • If you are being approached by a kebaya clad lady at the airport offering a place to relax, best is to ignore her. She may be part of the airport staff, but she is selling a service where you have to pay IDR35,000 per person for a nice place to rest and plenty of drinks and food. She didn’t tell us beforehand, and we only knew that we had to pay when we try to leave the room. But if you don’t mind paying for a comfortable aircond resting lounge, unlimited drinks and food, then look out for the ladies in kebaya. They are normally the pretty ones and very, very friendly.
    
  • Airport tax is an automatic IDR75,000 per person (except infants). So, don’t throw away your excess Rupiah yet.
  • Would I go to Bandung again? Definitely YES! I love the cool weather, the people and the natural surroundings. But I hates the traffic.

• OTHERS
  • If you want to buy some souvenirs to bring home, the street peddlers have a lot to offer. Things like wooden pencils with Bandung inscriptions, home-made keychains, fridge magnets, metal praying beads (aka tasbih), Bandung t-shirts (be aware of dual qualities of t-shirts they’re selling). You can bargain with them until the cows come home, but don’t put a price on any item. Ask them first to name the lowest price. If you think it’s low enough, then name the price you’re willing to pay.
  • Don’t promise any street peddler that you will buy things from him, as he will follow you everywhere you go until you buy something from them.
  • Your driver will follow you to every FO you go and they will wait outside. You can pass your shopping bags to them for storage inside the van.
  • Enjoy the night weather in Bandung. It’s nothing like Genting Highland or Fraser Hills, as it’s cooler.
  • Make sure you drink plenty of water, as the weather could get a bit dry during daytime. Almost all of my entourage suffer from sore throats, fever and foot pains back home, but that maybe from inhaling the volcano’s sulphur smell, hiking the hills and FOs. Just don’t forget your supply of “minyak angin”, tiger balms, panadols, uphamols and whatever your fancy.

HAVE FUN!

My Bandung Trip: Tips and Tricks (Part 2)

The Part 1 of this entry is here.

• ACCOMMODATION
  • The most expensive hotels in Bandung are located in the middle of the city. But they are a few affordable hotels (or motels) within city limits. The best should be within the Factory Outlets (FO).
  • When I was in Bandung, I choose Sukajadi Hotel. Reasonably priced, good location (along Jalan Sukajadi), nice rooms (they even got a nice swimming pool in the middle of the hotel) and within walking distant to Paris van Java shopping centre (more on this later).
  • Since there’s a probability that you’ll do you shopping from early morning until night, hotel rooms would be used only for bathing and sleeping. So go for cheaper rooms.

• TRAVELING
  • The FOs are everywhere in Bandung, so a proper transportation and tour guide definitely a must. You can always rent a taxi, but in the long run, it would be expensive. If you’re planning to do your shopping in several days and across several locations, renting a van (or MPV as they called it in Bandung) is a good idea.
  • Let’s say your entourage consists of 7 people. Everybody can fit in a Toyota Unser or Innova. The going rate is about IDR450,000 (about RM138), including the driver, petrol, toll, unlimited destinations for 12-hours. Please bear in mind that all the driver’s meals are your responsibility. Asked him to tag along when you go for your lunch/dinner. Tipping is encouraged.
  • If you like to rent a mini bus, the going rate is IDR1,000,000 (about RM313) per 12 hours.
  • The drivers can act as your local tour guide, as they are well-versed around Bandung, and all of them can speak and understand Bahasa Malaysia. You don’t have to converse in Bahasa Indonesia to them, as sometimes it sounds funny.

• SHOPPING (originals unless stated)
  • Toko Tiga (jeans (all brands), Nike and Manchester United clothing line)).
  • Rumah Mode (fashionable FO at Jalan Setiabudi). Probably the largest Factory Outlet in Bandung. They have the so-called “Modern Bali Ethnic” interior and exterior, with restaurants like Cafe Bali, Java Bean Coffee and Rumah Makan Bumbu Desa.
  • The Heritage & Summit (Jalan Riau). Assortment of clothes.
  • Terminal Tas (lots of wallets and handbags). Definitely not original stuff.
  • Donatello and others (Jalan Dago). They sell almost the same stuff. Original.
    
  • Paris van Java shopping centre. Very modern, airy (try and shop there at night), lots of shops, Carrefour, Sogo, Nike shop (IDR599,000 or RM183 for original Manchester United current jersey), Manchester United Restaurant & Bar (I watched Fulham beat ManU 2-0 there) where they have lots of ManU official merchandise (but don’t buy the jersey ’cause for IDR800,000, it’s expensive).
  • Pasar Baru (a lot of choices for textiles and cheap too).
    

…to be continued

Saya ngak mau pulang, pak!

Teman berpeluang sembang dengan seorang pekerja kontrak pembinaan buat masjid masa teman tengah tunggu nasi goreng teman kat kedai mamak tempohari. Teman dok tengah melanguk sorang2 bila sorang mamat Indon nih datang kat teman dan mintak api. Teman ingatkan dia nak mintak gaduh sebab cara mintak pun agak kasar pada standard teman.

Mamat Indon nih, rupa ajer ganas, tapi peramah orangnya. Teman dok menanya dia, bila masjid yang dia tengah buat tuh siap? Dia kata dalam tahun ni jugak, tapi tak tau biler. Kontraktor buat masjid tuh rupanya menjadi mangsa kepada kenaikan bahan2 mentah pembinaan. Kalu siap masjid tuh nanti, senang la teman tak payah nak drive ke masjid dah. Jalan kaki pun sampei.

Teman tanya lagi, dah berapa tahun kerja kat Malaysia. Dia kata dah 3 tahun, tapi dia tak nak balik Indonesia. Katanya, senang sangat nak cari duit kat Malaysia nih. Merata2 ada duit. Orang tempatan pulak tak nak buat kerja tuh. Kalau di Indonesia, nak dapat 1 juta rupiah pun payah, tapi di Malaysia senang2 ajer dapat RM2,000 sebulan (tukaran matawang terkini: 1 juta rupiah=RM310). Kalau dapat kerja setahun di Malaysia, bila balik Indon, memang banyak benda mewah yang boleh dibeli.

Teman tanya dia, permit kerja yang sah di Malaysia ada ke tak? Mamat Indon itu hanya tersengeh. WTF?