27 Jul 2006

shopping spree, Bandung

Our second day in Bandung was spent shopping shopping and more shopping. We visited all the factory outlets there were on Jalan Sukajadi. Cascades, Heritage, Diaz and so many more. Bought shoes, clothes for Sara and Shasha and handbags, purses, t shirts. Rahman and Lela also had a great time shopping I think. They had to get more money because they ran out after the first shop. 3rd day Lela and I went to the Pasar Baru. The two girls went with their dad to the more modern shops. They seem to like Rumah Mode. Anyway Pasar Baru is just like Pengkalan Kubu in Kelantan or numerous other shops in Jakarta or even in some places in Thailand. Cheap clothes no doubt but I didnt really like the type - very makcik. Lela of course liked them. Bought telekong and some blouses though. Lela bought a lot of stuff - she prefers it here to Rumah Mode or the other factory outlets!
Tomorrow we would be flying back to KL. I think its just nice 4 days and 3 nights. One more night and we'd be bored stiff be'coz there's really not much to do besides shop. And how much can you shop? WE were driven to this scenic place - Tangkuban Perahu - a dormant volcano which is supposed to look like an overturned perahu. Can't really see it though - I mean you can only see such stuff from afar. Anyway the journey itself is quite interesting - we passed pretty villages perched picariously on the hill slopes, lots of gardens (private ones) and vegetable gardens cut into the mountain sides.
Tangkubanperahu was a bit of a disappointment. So many touts trying to sell you everything - the children were the worst. They catch hold of your clothes and will not release you until you buy something. Dont think I'll ever go there again!

26 Jul 2006

Bandung

On 26 July 2006, Repin, me the girls went to Bandung with Lela and Rahman. For most of us it was the first time. Repin had been here before.
Bandung airport must be the smallest I've seen. The arrivals and departures are at the same place and our baggage too were picked in a corner, just after the immigration and custums, all in the same small area. We were picked by Pak Andi, a young man of Dutch descent, quite fair and fairly good looking too. He drove an Unser or actually KIjang as they call it here. Leaving the tiny airport we passed a number of universities, some quite well lnown as Pak Andi says, however they looked uncared for to me.
Anyway the well known Pandjajaran University, was quite impressive looking. It seems that their medical faculty is quite big too.
The hotel on Jalan Sukajadi is small but clean and quite comfortable. My room faced the main road opposite while the girls' room faced the courtyard. So was Lela and Rahman's room. This is our first trip together and it is rather nice to be travelling with your sister.
That afternoon after a lunch at one of the Padang restaurants, we were taken for a tour of the city. Bandung is cooler and less crowded than Jakarta. Since it is higher and more inland too, the temperature remains in the 70s mostly (20s). Nice to walk around.
There are lots of trees - most of the roads are tree -lined on both sides. And the warehouses are actually bungalows- taken over by entrepreneurs to sell reject stuff from the numerous factories. They call themselves factory outlets.