Travel Information
Bandung: “The Paris of Java”
The Dutch colonials first established tea plantations around the mountains in the eighteenth century, and a road was constructed to connect the plantation area to the capital city of Batavia. The Dutch inhabitants of Bandung demanded establishment of a municipality (gemeente), which was granted in 1906, and Bandung gradually developed itself into a resort city for plantation owners. Luxurious hotels, restaurants, cafes and European boutiques were opened, hence the city was nicknamed Parijs van Java (“The Paris of Java”).
Climate
Due to its elevation, climate in Bandung is cooler than most Indonesian big cities. The temperature of Bandung in March will normally be around 19-27 C (67-81 F). The wet season in Bandung conforms with other Indonesian regions, around November to April.
Transportation
Taxis are widely available in Bandung. The primary means of public transportation is by minibus, called angkot (from angkutan=transportation and kota=city). They serve certain routes throughout the city, operated privately and cheap. These angkots are decent transportation, but not usually known for being comfortable.
Reaching Bandung from Soekarno-Hatta Airport
PRIMAJASA shuttle bus is available hourly at Terminal 1B, terminal 2F dan terminal 3 of Soetta Airport (for complete schedule please visit http://pemadumoda-primajasa.blogspot.com/). It is a safe and comfortable transportation at reasonable price (USD 9). The bus serves direct route from Soetta Jakarta to Batununggal Bandung, normally covered in 3-4 hours. Trans Luxury and Ibis Hotel are located about 10km from Batununggal, reachable by taxis that are mostly available 24/7.
Trans Studio Bandung
Trans Studio Bandung is one of the biggest theme park with its 4.2 hectares indoor area. Its roller coaster rink is one of the three fastest in the world (the other two are in United States).
Bandung in the Evenings: Culinary Tourism
Siera Cafe, Dago Pakar, Bandung
Brief Dictionary for Bandung Culinary Adventure
• rice = nasi
• noodle = mi
• tofu = tahu
• egg= telor
• beef = sapi
• chicken = ayam
• sweet = manis
• coffee = kopi
• tea = teh
• ice = es
Most food sellers in Bandung know short English words as listed above, as well as many other English words related to food and beverage. A significant number of Indonesian vocabularies are derived from Sanskrit, Arabic, Dutch, Chinese, Portuguese, and English.
Some useful expressions:
Tolong = please
Maaf = sorry/excuse me
Terima kasih = thank you
Sama-sama = you’re welcome
Tolong jangan pedas = Please not making it spicy (not using much chilly or pepper)
Tolong tanpa gula = No sugar, please
Ini berapa? = How much is it?
Maaf, di mana ………. ? = Excuse me, where is …..?
Some Bandung foods usually found in the evenings:
• Cimol = crunchy snacks from fried tapioca (USD 0.5 per bag)
• Martabak manis = thick pancake with filling as requested (USD 1-2 per pan)
• Martabak telor = thick omelet usually with beef filling (USD 2-3 per pan)
• Bakso sapi = beef meat-ball soup served with noodle (USD 1-2 per bowl)
• Soto ayam = traditional chicken soup served with rice (USD 1-2 per bowl)
• Nasi goreng = fried rice with topping as requested, e.g lamb (USD 1-2/serving)
• Capcay = stir-fry vegetable with topping as requested, e.g shrimp (USD 1-2/serving)
• Siomay = Sundanese delicacy similar to dim sum, with peanut sauce (USD 1-1.5/serving)
Regular meals at middle quality restaurants: USD 1.5-3 per serving
Beverage at middle quality restaurant: USD 0.5-1.5 per serving
Regular meals at malls, food-courts: USD 2-4 per serving
Beverage at malls, food-courts: USD 1.5-3 per serving
