Bandung
Trip Start
Oct 2007
1
2
4
Trip End
Ongoing
Bandung, Indonesia
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Our tour guide for the weekend was a work friend of mine who grew up here, and still manages to get back most weekends. I was lucky enough to be invited to stay at his parents place where we received hospitality like you could never imagine. From the time we arrived to the time we left his mother was constantly fussing over us, ensuring we always had a full cup of tea, a full plate of food, and enough snacks to keep us going all night. Even if we said we weren't hungry, she would still slip around behind you and when you weren't looking would slip a plate piled high with fried rice on your lap. The only nasty surprise was my Saturday morning shower. I turned the water on, had my morning wee, got undressed then stepped under the shower... It was not just cold, it was FREEZING! The toughest bit was after I had lathered up and had to get back under the shower, it was a real test of my manhood. I think Brisbane City Council could possibly take notes, don't ask people to have short showers, just give them cold water and tell them to take their time. So after this unexpected wake up call we were off to a traditional Muslim wedding which I was fortunate enough to score an invite to. The mosque truly was a spectacular sight, from the traditional dress to the hundreds of flowers; everything was done to absolute perfection in true elegance. I did my best to stay inconspicuous, but it's kind of hard when you are half a foot taller than everyone else, and the only one wearing a shirt that says "love 4 sale".
At the conclusion of the ceremony we were all starting to get hungry, so we all piled back in the van and headed for the hills. We were ultimately headed for Tangkuban Perahu, a huge volcanic crater overlooking the city. But on the way we stopped for lunch in a traditional Sundanese restaurant in the middle of a rice field. We ordered selections from their entire menu, sat on the floor, and ate with our hands. Eating with my hands was some what of a novelty and a skill that I have not exactly practiced since I was about four. By the time I had finished I think there was more rice on the table than in my stomach, but it was still great fun. From here we continued up the hill to the top of the crater, unfortunately it was quite overcast when we were there so we couldn't fully appreciate the view, non the less the size of the crater is still an impressive sight.
Sunday morning we treated to the sights and delights of the most iconic street in Bundung. Jalan Cihampelas, or Jeans street as it is more commonly known. End to end of this street is full or road side stalls and designer outlets. For anyone looking for a new outfit this is the place to come. You can find shirts from under $5 Au, and Jeans from under $10, but this is not why most people visit Jeans st. The reason at the top of most tourists list is to witness the giant superhero statues hanging from the front of each building. Shop owners all try to outdo each other in an attempt to win your business. You can find Spiderman, Superman, Rambo... They're all here, and they're all hilarious. I could have quite easily spent another week in Bandung, but unfortunately we had to leave early so as to miss the traffic jams that were sure to eventuate when everyone returned to Jakarta. Unfortunately they all seemed to have the same idea, at one stage I think we moved less than 500m in 30mins. Remember that stress I told you about earlier? It was back...
