From Jakarta to Bandung

Due to time constraint this time we decided to just spend most of our time in Indonesia. But Jakarta, the capital city, is not exactly a touristy place. Growing up here, I spent most of my weekends at the mall. Window shopping, meeting up with friends, catching a movie or taking family for a weekend out. I noticed there are more malls this time than last visit.

Another way to spend your weekend would be to take a short out of town trip to local cities like Bandung. Bandung is located in West Java. It's about 150km from Jakarta. Years ago it took hours to reach Bandung. These days due to the new Cipularang Tol (highway), Bandung can be reached within two hours from Jakarta.

Located 2520ft above sea level, Bandung has cooler temperature than Jakarta. During our stay there, night time's temperature was around 75. Day time was mild, over casted and very comfortable.

Around Bandung, you could visit Ciater where the hot spring is located. I remember visiting the hot spring during my childhood. The smell of sulfur in the area. The water was warm so it's nice to dip yourself in when the temperature was a bit cool. Another touristy place was Tangkuban Perahu crater.

Rumah Mode on Jalan Setiabudi
pic courtesy of http://mattingtong.blogspot.com/2007/02/rumah-mode-bandung.html

These days another attraction for local tourists would be shopping trip to FOs (Factory Outlets) that have mushroomed on a few streets in Bandung. If you're going, make sure to stop by Jalan Riau, Jalan Setiabudi and also Jalan Juanda (aka Dago). The items sold there are supposedly excess export quality clothing. But having checking out a few stores, the only ones worth visiting if you're looking for branded clothing are The Secret on Jalan Riau and Rumah Mode on Jalan Setiabudi.