Bonjour wonderful people!
Indonesia is an extremely big country that consists of more than 4000 islands. They even speak more than 200 languages! Every island has her own specific culture, dialect and/or language. Today I want to share my experience on West-Java with you guys.
I had a 4-hour flight from Bali to Bandung. I intended to stay here for 2-3 nights. I ended up staying in this amazing city for one week...
A cute village me and my friend encountered while hiking up a mountain.
I took a taxi from the airport, which in Asia is always a bit of a hassle. Remember: negotiate and don't seem to eager. Luckily you get used to it. After a tiring trip, I finally arrived at my hostel (Buton Backpacker Lodge) and I immediately loved it. They have a TV, a couch, a kitchen free for your own use, a garden, a few tables, some chairs and over the course of a week this place became my home. It's run by really sweet and easy-going people, plus they offer 2 remarkable tours. The nature around Bandung is beautiful. You have; spectacular mountaintops, an active volcano, a white crater, hot springs, a floating village, tea plantations and cute small villages in the mountains.
It's also a great place to go shopping. Bandung has many factory outlets where you can get really good quality clothing at extremely cheap prices. You can buy beautiful local batik in Bandung. It's a handmade cotton which has all kinds of colours and prints. It originates from there, many people learn in school how to make it. They tell me it's pretty difficult and I can see why. Hours of work go into making a piece. Rumah mode outlet is a good place to go shopping for batik. They have all kinds of scarfs, shirts and other types of clothing made from batik. The prices are quite low and the clothes have a price tag attached to them. So no need to bargain. As a tourist, it's perfect 'cause you don't feel like you got ripped off! They have relative cheap & high-quality batik. The outlet also sells designer clothes for cheap prices, especially for men. Bandung is also a great place to shop for some good souvenirs for the family and friends back home. I recommend going to pasar baru. They have many different kinds of gifts. The quality is much better than all the things you find in the tourist shops on Bali. Also, it's nice to buy an authentic souvenir from the place you have been.
#1
The white crater aka 'kawah putih'
#2
The tea plantations
#3
The natural hot springs
If you're feeling like spending some money I recommend going to Paris van Java. It's a big and luxurious shopping mall that has it all. Back in the day, during the time that Indonesia was still under Dutch rule, the Dutch named Bandung the Paris of Java. As the town is situated in the mountains, it was a place where the Dutch would come to escape the heat from for instance Jakarta. The shopping mall was named after this.
Let's just say, Bandung has it all.
I personally had a marvellous time in Bandung. I had such a good time I decided to stay longer and skip Bogor. The local people that gave the tour were some of the sweetest people I've ever met and I look forward to going back. I took the South tour where you visit the white crater, tea plantations and the hot springs. You get to swim and even take a mudbath. You go by motorbike, don't worry you have a safe driver and will have a transcendent view of the valley as you drive up in the mountains. It's best if you find some other people at the hostel to do the tour with you. When I took the tour we were 10 travellers. So 20 in total! Usually, the groups are not that big though. If no one wants to join you, you can even do the tour alone, it's the same price!
Bandung is very different from Bali and I would categorize it as a typical traditional town on East-Java. It's quite conservative. You can't dress like you would in Canggu or Gili T. But I would really recommend going there.
From Bandung, I took the train to Jakarta. Which I would also definitely recommend doing as well. You will see beautiful scenery like layered vivid green rice paddies and little towns. No need to visit the Tegallalang rice terraces in Bali! It really shows how stunning Indonesia is.
I stayed 2 nights in Jakarta before flying home. I stayed at Take's Mansion in the business area of the city. The hotel was ok, but I wouldn't really recommend it. The room was ok, but with that everything has been said. It's not the most expensive hotel so you shouldn't expect too much.
During my time in Jakarta, I did some shopping in two of the many modern and luxurious shopping malls. I chose to go to Plaza Indonesia and Central Park. Both are incredibly big and I got lost multiple times. But wow, they really are spectacular. The shopping malls in The Netherlands ain't got nothing on them.
During my last evening, I went to one of the many rooftop bars in Jakarta. I initially wanted to go to the Henshin, but when I got there I found out you have to be 21 to enter. I ended up downgrading and going to SKYE Bar. I had a panoramic view of the city and most definitely enjoyed my time there. Oh, and I would really recommend the Kir Royal and the sweet potato fries. Prices are high compared to the prices you will normally see in Indonesia. But in my opinion, it's totally worth it!
@SKYE Bar during my last night in Asia!