Yok ke Bandung! Final Part

From Tangkuban Parahu, we went down with the hope to visit Tea Plantation but we were told that is quite far..

Tea Plantation from far..

From here, we passed by an area where most of local people have their own nursery, selling all kinds of plants and flowers...exactly like Cameron Highlands. I wish we can go down & look around but its rather difficult to park your car because its very near to the road side.

We stopped at Kampung Daun, one of the most popular destination for tourist.

Story began that a young woman looking for water braved the dark unknown and stumbled across the magical waterfall here. Despite the protests of all the villagers, she continued to come to the forest and was soon convinced that this place could become something very special. So, she saved up all the money she could, and with the help of a few others, built a small food counter at the foot of the forest. It was a beautiful setting and they began serving local favorites and soon, they added few stuff to make this place more interesting.

Her dream was now a reality, and she named it Kampung Daun, which literally translated means Village of Leaves.

This concept of Kampung Daun is based upon a real village where the locals go about their daily activities with their trademark lifestyle of humbleness, friendliness, caring and service to each other.

Reservation? No worries, they accepted walk in but of course, you got to register first to get your hut.

They landscaped the area beautifully and creatively....

Eating out really means eating out here. You eat inside a hut near a waterfall.

However, due to the peak season and bad weather, we got to wait our food 1 hour! Starving and tired due to the long walk before, we decided to look around and get the alternative food selling along the road side.  This is Putu Bamboo, taste just like Malaysian one..

Finally the food arrived.  Don't expect the taste to be half as good as the view , just enjoy the scenery & experience here..

My sis ordered Cincau..but i guess their cincau very different back in Malaysia.. they put coconut milk and worse the jelly was green color! Eww... slimy and taste yuk!!

I ordered Teh Poci, their local tea. They put lots of herbs and lemon basil..acceptable.

Overall, it was just okay for us and the food prices are higher than in Bandung or even other high end restaurants because you need to cover the cost of the use of the huts and their maintenance perhaps?

The atmosphere here is enchanting and magical.

In terms of experince and the ambiance, it was wonderful..Hatur Nuhun in Sundanese means Thank You..yeah, you eat, you pay, thank you!

Back then to Bandung city, we start our most awaited activity...shopping!

In the 1990s, local designers opened denim clothing stores along Cihampelas Street which transformed into a "jeans street". The city attracts people from other big cities to buy local fashion wears, as they are cheaper than branded items.  We wouldnt missed the opportunity to visit Toko Tiga and borong jeans, especially my fav, Levi's!

Factory outlets are prolific and have a very wide range of export quality items. These are sometimes available in the larger sizes that may be suitable for some visitors.

Owh, forgot to intoduce...this is our driver aka tourist guide. His name is Ucop, still a bachelor. His is very kind, polite and knew Bandung very well. With only Rp800,000 for whole 3 days of using his Avanza, he can bring us anywhere without any hesitation. The price all included his added value services like paying the parking, even tips and also helping us carry all the shopping bag without asking. Very worth it.  Note : He even accompany me to the ladies room, waited outside patiently... & each time i took out money to pay, he quickly checked, scared if i overpaid or wrong calculate!  Awesome...

 At night, we rest a while, freshen up in the hotel then heading to Paskal Market for food hunting.

You got spoiled with many choices, but beware of pork! They do not separate the menu tough..

There was performance, also dance by the workers here..(but in a minute after that we saw them sitting at one corner, eating the food balance from the customer's plate that they have collected to wash...shocking!) It takes me a while to erase that image from my memory....

My stomach somehow telling me that she cannot accepted any Sundanese food anymore, so i choose the western food...

Ha... start looking at our 'damage' for the day!

My sis has this crazyness over superman! In here, it cost only around Rp35,000 per piece.

The next day we chekc-out as early as 7.00am and cant wait to start our shopping activity again!

Our last moment in Hyper Inn

First destination was Pasar Baru, means new market. It was a traditional market selling fresh meat, vegetables, etc. It was on fire sometime ago, rebuilt and then renovated to its current look: a modern 7 storey building. It is still selling fresh meat and vegetables as well as cooked meals in the basement. On top there are wide range of products ranging from textile, garments, shoes to souvenirs, food and locally produced decor items. If you really want to look and survey, it takes a day here.

You can find lots of things here, baby and children wear, as well as men and ladies wear, trendy Muslim clothes, batik, bags, apparels, bed sheets, and many more. The quality of the goods vary, but if you have good eyes you can find high quality goods also. Pasar Baru is normally crowded as soon as it opens in the morning until it closes around 5 pm.

The best thing we love about Pasar Baru Bandung is that the price is cheaper than other places, especially if you buy in bulk, then you can get wholesale price. It is easy to go to Pasar Baru, because it is located on Oto Iskandar Dinata street, right in the heart of Bandung, you surely find it.

Ha.. this seller trying to prove to us that this bag is made from genuine leather! Burn!!!  Kiter bakor, kiter bakor!!

Most of the factory outlets are scattered in Dago (Ir. H. Djuanda) street and Riau (L.L.R.E. Martadinata) street until Aceh street. Although these streets are adjacent, it is still a big area for you to wander around.  Its very obvious not to missed their decoration in front of the shop. They have Superman, Spiderman, Rambo, Aladdin....you named it! This is their unique and creative ways to attract customers..

We went to Cihampelas Walk or popular called as Ciwalk, is one of several unique mall concept in Bandung.

More conveniently, many travel operator serving Bandung Jakarta are stationed here in Cihampelas street. You also can find lots of restaurants and food stalls as well as hotels here.

Lunch...we had nasi padang which is very suit to the Malaysian taste..we loved it!  And for all of these... only Rp75,000..wow! very cheap!

We then heading to unique shopping outlets, Rumah Mode which is nice with Balinese touches at every corner.

More fashionable people like to go to Rumah Mode in Setiabudhi street. They have great selections, quality and pricing but I didn't enjoy the shopping experience due to the crowd.

I think in here a bit too pricy, may be because its a tourist spot. Nevertheless, one should give it a try, at least one can say "ya, I've been there"

We went for some snacks at the bakery and they had good selection of cakes and the crepes are delicious.

From here we went to the one of the famous place called, Kartika Sari.

The founder start her business back in 1970s, with a homemade cakes and later expanding her business and named Kartika Sari in 1984. And now her business continue growing with the “Trademark of the Bandung city”.

The phrase “Trademark of the Bandung City” is really a mouth to mouth expression from their loyal customers. They are often quoting, “You have not visited Bandung if you have not visited Kartika Sari”. This phrase emphasizes more and more local and international tourists to make a visit to Kartika Sari when they are in Bandung.  You can see the long que here, expecially on the weekend.  

Why Kartika Sari became a favorite choice? They claimed that Kartika Sari product is delicious and the quality is maintained so it is suitable as souvenirs for family, friends, and colleagues. But for me its just a normal bakeries..nothing to shout about.

Hm..all satisfied & happy....

Knowing that there will be overloaded, we then stopped at Air Asia office at 2nd floor to add another luggage.  You know women when it comes to shopping!

This beggar is very creative..

Crab, Squid called differently here..

Ha.. not using your tooth okay, this is a reminder for driver to use 1st Gear!

Sadly, time to go... we then heading to Bandung International Airport (Husein Sastranegara), where the main airport in Bandung city area, West Java, Indonesia. The airport is located 4.8 km north-west from Bandung city center and 2.4 km from Bandung Central train station.

This Husein Sastranegara Airport was built by Dutch settlers in the colonial period, in Andir village. and named after an Indonesian aviation hero from West Java, Husein Sastranegara.

See all the stuff we bought?  Fully loaded!

Its time to re-pack, re-arrange so that we wont overloaded or end up paying tax for extra luggage.  We did it just near the road side, public area due to small space near the airport..who cares!!

Tada... from the mess, now its nicely pack!

Last memory with our Ucop...

Flights to many domestic and international destinations arrive and depart from Bandung airport. Airlines operating at Husein Sastranegara airport include Indonesia AirAsia, Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air, Wings Air, Silkair and Merpati Nusantara Airlines.

Passengers facilities include two executive lounges, Internet access, TV, prayer room, restaurants, shops and ATMs.  It such a small airport but it says can handle a maximum of 1 million passengers per year.

The airport provides visa on arrival service to international visitors from many countries....

Tips : do not spend all your money yet, you got to pay tax fee here first at Rp75,000 per person!  Malaysian currency is acceptable.

While waiting for our flight, we went along the road side to have our last meal in Bandung.. 

Among all the souveniers to bring home.. not enough?  Still got time to shoppe in the airport but its 5 times more expensive.

Again, our flight delayed but luckily just half hour...farewell to Bandung and we will definately be here again and this time, i will bring lots of Rupiah..., millions, trillions!!!! 

REMARKS

Kampung Daun Culture Gallery & Cafe

Jl. Sersan Bajuri Km. 4,7 No. 88 RR1 – Bandung

Phone: 022-2787915, 2784572, 2784573

Fax: 022- 2787881

Hyper Inn

Komplek Paskal Hyper Square 

Blok D No. 29 - 32, Jl. Pasir Kaliki

KARTIKA SARI (HEAD OFFICE)

Jl. H. Akbar (Kebon Kawung) No. 4 

Tel.(022) 4231355

Fax. (022) 4239678 

Rumah Mode 

Jalan Setiabudi No. 41F 

Pasar Baru

Jalan Otto Iskandardinata

+62 22 4211488