Along with Jogjakarta, it is another town that I thought was a must-see. It’s Baguio of Indonesia, with relatively cold weather and some other similar things to do, like cheap shopping.
I took a coach from Bogor. I was scared at first of being in a car with 3 other strangers. I was of course mistaken as Indonesian. After they were so comfortable talking to each other, the guy in the front seat turned his head to me and talked to me in Bahasa. I was humbled by the turn of events when they shifted the conversation to English and the whole trip turned out to be a Q&A about Christian Bautista, Aiza Seguerra and my itinerary. We had a short stop and the three of them bought me an Indonesian food and drinks. Indonesians for me are the most hospitable people in Southeast Asia – everyone seems to be friendly and likable.
Bandung was a surprise. I was not expecting anything spectacular; my friends said it’s just another haven for Indonesian shoppers. Old Dutch buildings are just everywhere; colorful graffiti spotted in every corner, same with tempting gallery shops – the whole town is an artist-hub.
Like the Balete Drive in Manila, Bandung has Cipaganti Street, which, although filled with motorcycles and cars waiting for the traffic go signal, I enjoyed the spectacular setting of Dutch mansions. It was like walking through a live gallery of billionaires’ homes. Also, I noticed women with Hijabs driving a motorcycle with their high heels on.
Other than cheap shopping around Jalan Riau and Cihampelas Walk and a great variety of Indonesian food (I loved bakso, a big meatball soup, and their Kampong fried chicken), affordable healthy body massages, and a great nightlife around old street Braga.
I was really captivated by Bandung’s natural beauty; just a 2-hour motorcycle drive from the city is the heavenly Tangkuban Perahu, a breathtaking active volcano. I felt like Che Guevara freely enjoying a motorcycle ride, passing by the green hills, valleys and huge trees, breathing in the mists and the natural perfume of nature. Along the road, it was like almost kissing the clouds.
I just would like to know if I could use some of these photos for my own website
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hi Bara Salim, sure you can use it, just dont forget to tell the world where it is from
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I am Indonesian and I’ve been to The Philippines many times already and I was also mistaken as Filipina for countless times, lol. You should visit Kawah Putih in Ciwidey, Bandung on your next visit. Looking forward for your next post! 🙂
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Hi wijayanita apakabar. Hope to meet you here in manila when you come back.
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Maraming salamat po! 🙂
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I once had friend from Java [John] – a wonderful botanist, friend and chef! I miss him.
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Hi pacific paratrooper, Java people are the nicest, I hope you find and meet him again soon. Better to come and visit Java, I am sure you will have a wonderful reunion.
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I visited here last March 2012. Tangkuban Perahu is very nice 🙂 I loved the factory outlet and cold weather. This really is Indonesia’s baguio.
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thank you tribobot. in fact, i went back twice after my first visit. hehe
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