temporary escapes # 7

hehe..

u must be wondering why i start at the #7, mane gi nye # 1, 2, 3 etc etc .. well i wanted to update about my trip to Bandung two weeks back, and its not exactly escapes #1, cos actually ive been meaning to update about my trips to Spain and Amsterdam and Cambodia..which all happened last year but i never got around to update them because..well, because i was just plain lazy back then :p

but thennn, a friend reminded me of the reason why i have this blog in the first place (if u wanna why just baca jer ade dlm archives la malas nak ulang banyak kali nanti u guys ckp saya overrr laks hehe) and also i wanted to write out where ive been and wat ive done so that nanti my future family (chewahh) can read about where their mom or grandma or their favourite-coolest-travel savvy-globe trotting *giggles* aunty have been in this world :)

so anyhoo, without further adoo..

Bandung - 9th August to 12 August 2008

first of all, i just wanna say I LOVE BANDUNG (^_^)

i do, i really really do!

ni my second trip to the so-called Paris of Indonesia, really memang org panggil Bandung that, but i dont really see the resemblance, having been to both Paris and Bandung, lain la korang, tak sama... i would say Bandung is more like Ipoh actually, tapi lagi sejuk hehe but Bandung still have their own unique charms, with their cool weather and abundance quirky cafes and shops and boutiques along streets that are well covered with huge trees... it certainly make shopping much much easier :p

here's a quick recap and tips and what nots of Bandung (yelah kate nak update pasal banyak lagi negara kan, nak citer semua, sebulan tak habes ni :p)

1. HOTEL = we stayed at Sukajadi Hotel, damn cheap..the room is okay but the bathroom..ermm..i wouldnt stay there again la just because of the bathroom, takpe bayar mahal sikit asal kan bathroom ok..last time i went to Bandung we stayed at Karang Setra Hotel, pun lebih kurang sama...ok2..to be fair, its not that bad, but to me, it matters kay? tapi masa tu, budget punye pasal, terima je la kan :p

2. SHOPPING = kalau u guys can choose, please dont go Bandung over the weekend, ramai orang Jakarta turun, so traffic and people, ramai mcm KL on a rainy friday after 6pm. serious. and it would spoil your mood to shop cos berasak2 with ramai org. nak shopping tak selesa. nasib baik bandung sejuk, kalau tak ngan panas nye lagi huhu..places to visit; the whole stretch of road of Rumah Moda, Natural, Donatello (ni kedai kasut, shoes sizes up to 12 i think, so those yang got big feet please borong yr shoes here, gerenti tak jumpa kat msia, the pumps and flats are so deliciously gorgeous and murahhh kay, like rm30 to rm50 per pair!) the whole stretch of Jalan Dago, Ciampelas (but i dont really like shopping at Ciampelas cos the shops are, erm, creepy a bit and takde aircond hehe, mengada takkkk :p) but Chi Walk is a must cos its a bit like Bintang Walk and ada JcO Donuts yumm.. ade a few more factory outlets, but yang i list down nie jer maybe dah cukup kut hehe..

BUT..

if u wanna get kain, telekungs and kerepeks and batiks, go to Pasar Baru. heaven! this place is 7 storey high building filled with everything from..erm..everything! tak cukup we spent 3 hours here. should be a whole day, tapi tak sempat tak banyak masa. but i managed to grab myself 2 gorgeous kebaya sets, one in dark brown and one in beige with tiny blue and pink and green flowers embroided, and a beautiful telekung, all three for rm100! damn cheap! i made a mental note that next time, if and when i get married, i will definetely shop for my wedding stuff here, really really worth it.

3. JALAN2 = a must are Tangkupan Perahu, a still active volcano but a truly fantastic view, worth the climb up the mountain, eleh climb pun naik keta bukan jalan kaki hehe AND Ciater Hot Water Springs kalau nak bermandi manda air panas :)

4. FOOD & ENTERTAINMENT = if u are a indon music enthusiast like me, u must must go to Atmosphere Cafe, this place, oh cantik nye, i wish ade kat KL, is two storey high, open air concept, the second floor have verandah like alcoves where the seats are sofas and low tables, u sorta have to climb into and seat crossed leg, or berbaring if u want cos its huge and so oh comfortable :p nanti la kat bawah ni ade gambar :p outside, there is a huge garden and u can choose to seat at on their many many gazebos scattered throughout..lawa sangat kay! and the best part, the live band here! lovely food, fantastic music a mix of both excellent indonesia music and english, what else do you need to chill out after a long day of shopping? :p another must see, is to drive up to Dago Valley, where you can see the whole of bandung from on top of a hill..cantik korang..we went there and makan desert jer sebab dah terlalu kenyang hehe tapi careful, some of their desert contains rum so pandai2 la tanye k. Ampera cafe is good food too, yang ni standard leh jumpe di mana2 saja and bloody cheap.

oh, another best entertainment - KARAOKE! we went dua hari berturut2 kay and walking distance from the hotel.. well, actually i went the 2nd nite, my other friends went both nites cos murah sangat, its Inul's Karaoke Centre (i forgot the actual name but it belongs to inul, u know dat dangdut singer, she a has few branches scattered all over Bandung and Jakarta), tempat dia cantik and bersih and MURAH! i think like rm15 - rm20 per person for like 4 hours of non stop singing..plus drinks! my frend belanja ktrg mlm tu so tak sure sgt harga dia but around dat la. and get this, diorang ade score kayyyyy!! so u nyanyi2, nanti lepas tu dia bagi markah! hahaha best2 saya tak pandai nyanyi so i think my highest score pun around 90 jerr okay la kan kan kan :p

5. TRANSPORT = gi bandung, just hire a transport van or car and driver. takyah susah2 nak cari cab..serious murah and tak memening kan kepala. trust me. murah giler. per day about rm20 per person, tgk naik ape kan. shopping2, dump yr bags in the car, then shopping lagik then dah berat, dump balik dlm keta and shopping lagi..sedar2 balik hotel, banyak giler shopping bags taleh nak angkat pastu bag nak balik msia pun tak muat :p hehehehe

6. TIPS = kat airport, always keep your passport with u, jgn pegang kalau boleh, keep it in your bag, kuar kan bile perlu jer. they ALL expect tips for EVERYTHING so prepare duit kecik2 tau. bawak beg kosong, masa pegi tu, bwk sehelai baju pun cukup, confirm mesti beli punye. erm, ape lagi ek, nanti la kalau ingat saya tulis :p

okayyyy, now for the fun part, pictures!

its not really in order, tadi dah susun elok2 pastu i taklehpost, internet bengong then had to upload again then masa susun again tu got problems lagi SO, i give up, but ade captions kat bawah tu, so bace je la kay :p

Atmosphere Cafe

Tangkupan Perahu, the still active volcano..cantik tempat nie and sejukkkk jer

Airport Bandung

ni masa tengah tunggu transport, ktrg ramai kan :p ini pun 3 org terpaksa cancel huhu

haha actually ni gambar balik dah ni, check it out semua orang pakai baju baru kay, semua!

hahahaha ni plak gambar kat LCCT masa nak gi, see, my pictures all berteraburrrr! takpelah korang ek, dah penat la nak susun :p sowie!

asal i berdiri macam straight semacam gege ni depan hotel nak balik dah muka pucat huhu last day ni i got tummy ache and low blood, nasib baik dah last day..

ni ha rombongan cek kiah :p last day..semua org datang satu beg ringan2 jer, masa balik, masing2 mengeluarkan bag2 yg tersorok, ha amik, sorang2 dua tiga bag! haha

hehe i like this picture..muka semua dah penat nie tapi nak jugak lagi shopping :p

me and saza at Rumah Mode

ni dalam hotel Sukajadi


han and saza at Chi Walk entrance

Chi Walk again!

ni la Ampera kawan2 :p ada satu sambal tempe dia tu..perghh..masa last day tu me and nurul wanted to tapau bawak balik msia tapi kedai tak bukak lagi sedeh2 setapppp sangat!

hahaha my wacky frends borong underwear hehe they got bloody cheap victoria's secret lingerie, original plak tu! borong jangan tak borong!

okay, someone ask me how much should they bring to Bandung for a three day trip, my advice, if u guys are really really planning to shop, about rm 800 to rm1000 is MORE than enough, seriously sangat2 mewah la tu, both times i went, i only change rm500, and i bought so much stuff sampai tak muat bag! rm500 ni plus makan dengan selalunye dan banyaknye, transport and tips, shopping sakan beria, souvenir beli beria gaks, i beli tshirts lagi kay souvenirs, bukan key chain yang murah2 and airport tax! kat airport sempat beli lagi brownies yg famous2 itu, kat dalam flight makan beria (u know how xpensive food on air asia kan) AND still got a couple hundred rupiahs left over :p see, mmg cukup, kalau u guys are me la..kalau korang ade anak2 tu maybe lebih la skit shopping baju utk anak2 lagi kan..tapi saya beli jugak for my anak2 sedara yg 4 org tu and my sisters and my parents, and my sayang :p SO, kesimpulannye, rm500 just perfect, rm 800 - rm1000 more than enough gile lumayan, rm1000 ke atas, korang sanggup ke nak bayar excess baggage tu? :p

sekian sahaja cuti2 ke Bandung, Indonesia. next storey morey, my Spain trip, nak tunjuk kat u guys gambar Matador, ole!

(^_^)