Bandung on Java Island
Hallo,
It’s been a while since I wrote something. I am enjoying myself so much that I totally forgot. My problem with every place that I visit is that I stay way to long there. So my time is running very short and I have to cut down somewhere on my stay or maybe fly to the next island. Also in Bandung I got so attached to the people and I also had an injury with my toe.
I went to Bandung with the bus from bogor the 3rd of May. It was a long bus ride. We took the road back to Jakarta and turned right to Bekasi. Till Purwakarta it was busy where after the road turned open a bit. The bus drove about 7h in 190km.
I arrived at dark that night at the hostel. Very busy city that almost reminded me of Jakarta. Well, it is the third biggest city on Java. The hostel, Pinisi Backpacker, was just off a busy street in almost central Bandung. The hostel was very welcoming and the other backpackers so friendly. I was shown to my 8 bed room to unpack and shower.
After shower I was quiet hungry and decided to go to the nearest mall that is walking distance from the hostel. However, to cross the street can be difficult. By now I have learned the only way to do this is by being confident to walk and signaling with your hand for them to slow down and giving you a gab. The mall was not much different then previous malls I’ve visited. The usual top 2 floors are dedicated to food. I’ve decided to try something different and entered a Japanese restaurant. A bit more expensive than the Indonesian food but definitely worth it.
The next morning I met with a friend, went for a coffee and she showed me around at the city park. The walking trail is around a sports field. I have been told it is built very recently.
The next day I did a tour to the South of Bandung with a group of friends from the hostel. Our drivers came with motorcycles and we navigated through and around traffic for about 50km before we reached our destination. We first arrived at the White Lake. A crater that release a lot of sulphur. You are warned not to stay too long there since exposure to the fumes can be unhealthy. Our drivers dropped us of in front of the entry gate and we got in mini buses that drove us all the way to the top. The drivers really pushed the limits and you have to hold on for life not to fall out.
The area around the lake was so busy with tourists that it took a while to get a proper photo. Everyone also wants you in there picture and can get overwhelming at times.
Next on the list was the clamping lakeside. Basically it is a boat with restaurant on top of a hill looking over tea plantations and a lake.
The banana with nutella was delicious as well as the ginger coffee ?
We left there with full stomachs and drove to the nearby hot springs (I forgot the name). It is very secluded and not a lot of people. The road to there is scary and I had to bite on my tongue a few times when driving the narrow uphill sections. The road to there is beautiful as well as the view from top of the hot springs.
We start relaxing in the hot spring with average water temperature and moved along the springs with higher temperatures as you get closer to the sulphur rocks. Apparently the sulphur in the water is good for the skin. Make sense but not sure about the sulphur vapor. In the hottest area i was not able to keep my toe in for more than a few seconds. We ended the swim with a dip in the extremely cold waterfall pool.
After being exhausted from the heat we moved on with the bikes in the direction we came from. We also stopped at the strawberry farm along the way to pick some strawberries in our traditional strawberry picking outfits.
The road back to the hostel took way longer then anticipated because of the traffic back. We arrived at the hostel exhausted after spending nearly 3 hours on the bikes. But we had a big smile on our face as a result of the day that turned out to be very productive.
That night at the hostel we stayed up late to talk about everything that happened that day. I was really surprised to get a cake for my birthday at 12am.
The day of my birthday I did not do much and was just relaxing at the hostel. We planned to go out that evening to the famous Braga street for birthday dinner. This street is lively at night with restaurants and live bands. However on our why walking there i did not see the pavement in the dark. I hit my toe quite hard and in the process half the nail came loose. Haven’t felt so much pain in a long time. We went straight back to the hostel to treat my wound and I called it a night. So not the best ending to my birthday.
The next day I was supposed to get to my next destination but decided to extend my stay with another day in order for the toe to heal properly. Luckily may day ended on a positive note with more friends bringing me cake.
The next day I finally packed up my things end went to the bus station. Paid about 65000 rp to get to the beach town of Pangandaran. The bus left at 15h30 and we arrived at 01h00 the next morning in Pangandaran bus station.
