Holidays in Java.

It was pre planned sometimes back that the family to go for a holiday in Jakarta and Bandung. The last trip that we all went was quite a disaster and cramped. My daughter was in Jakarta when Jakarta had a major flood and I went two days after the Ritz Carlton bombings. This time we hope the weather would be good and the Jema’ah Islamiah stayed away from the cities.
Only my closest of friends at the Mosque knew about my disappearance and where about.

24 March 2010: We left by Air Asia from KLIA and arrived at Soekarno Hatta Jakarta Airport at noon. Took the Airport limo and checked in into Ibis Arcadia Hotel at Jalan Wahid Hasyim. The Hotel was pre confirmed and prepaid by my daughter. We should have taken the Blue Bird Taxi instead as the limo charged us IRP 200,000 (MYR 74.00) to the Hotel. The room was a little bit smaller compared to the Ibis Tamarin where I last stayed. The advantage: walking distance to Garuda Nasi Padang and quite near to Tanah Abang Shopping Complex.

Bandar Djakarta...........here we come.

After lunch at Garuda we went to Tanah Abang Shopping Complex, the Malaysian shopping paradise in Jakarta. The only problem they closed very early at 1600 hours. We hopped over to the A Complex where they closed at 1800 hours. It was a problem getting a Taxi back to the Hotel in the evening as the roads were all jammed up with traffics. (machet in Indonesians). We decided on the “Bajaj” (Vespa Toot Toot) which could maneuver its way in between the traffic. The Bajaj is poor man mean of transportation as trishaws (beca) had been banned in Jakarta. Three of us cramped into the Bajaj and we were laughing all the way to the Hotel. It was so funny but it was the only alternative available. The Driver mastered all the short cut, went through the back alleys and the fare was IRP 14,000 (MYR 5.18).

Tanah Abang Shopping Complex.

The next day would be a long day and we called the night early. I had arranged for a car for the following day itinerary.

March 2010: Pak Sukino the Supir was right on at 0800 hours waiting at the Lobby. We went to Ancol at Tanjong Periok, the Playground of Jakarta. Since it was early morning, the place was rather deserted. We drove through and took a break by the beach to record our presence. We then proceeded to Taman Mini Indonesia and admired all the model houses from all the Provinces in Indonesia. To complement our visit to Taman Mini Indonesia, we decided to see the Taman Mini from the air and paid a return trip on the cable car. The view was fantastic but I was rather scared of heights. I held on tight to my seat.

At Ancol.

Held on tight in the cable car.

One of the model houses at Taman Mini.

The next stop was Hard Rock Café at EX Plaza where my daughter picked up several items for her and her big brother. While she was busy, I adjourned to Starbuck with Pak Sukino for coffee. We then drove to Gambir Railway Station as I had to book the Executive Coach of Argogede Train from Jakarta to Bandung for journey on 27 March 2010 ETD 0900 hrs. For the three of us it cost me IRP 195,000 (MYR 72.15). Per person was about MYR 24.00. Pak Sukino had to make several detours as the roads were closed due to Demonstrations. According to Pak Sukino it is a common affair that people demonstrates in Jakarta and creating havoc to the traffic flow. For every single thing, the people would demonstrate. That is democracy!

We had late lunch at Garuda and strolled back to the Hotel. The day car rental was IRP 500,000 (MYR 185.00). A little bit expensive but we don’t have to walk and catching up with Taxis which in the end would take us for a spin and slaughtered the strangers in town.

At night, we all slept early as the day outing was really stressful.

26 March 2010: Free and easy in Jakarta today. Breakfast at 0900 hours and headed for Mangga 2 – another Shopping Paradise in Jakarta. It is quite a distance away and the complex is so bloody huge and interconnected. We could get practically everything. We just went for window shopping and just picked up a few things. Bandung was targeted for ultimate shopping by the ladies. We took tit bits as we surveyed the thousands of stalls in the Mall. At one of the Camera outlet, I found the camera casing that I had been looking for in Malaysia. It is for my Canon EOS Camera and I happily bought it. We spent the whole day in Mangga 2. We finally came out at the wrong exit and simply flagged any Taxi that passed by back to the Hotel. We practically lost our way in Mangga 2.

Mangga Dua Shopping Complex.

As usual, Jakarta was jammed up and it took us sometimes to get back to the Hotel. I walked to Garuda and bought three “nasi bungkus” for lunch and dinner.

At night, was packing time as we would be checking out early morning for Bandung - the Paris of Java.

27 March 2010: We checked out at 0800 hours and took the Taxi to Gambir Railway Station.
The Argogede scheduled to leave at 0915 hours now delayed to 0955 hours. The train coach was worth the money as it was just like flying in a Business Class plane. They have the Train Manager, Steward and Stewardess. The only thing missing is the safety belt and the oxygen masks. Food and drinks were available on board and payment when the train nearing Bandung. The Passengers were well informed and at one particular point the train purposely slowed down for tourists like me to record the panoramic sceneries in camera and video. The sceneries were fantastic as the train is running along a mountain slope track. At one point it was really scary as there was a landslide and only one track was serviceable. The other track was hanging, the base soil being washed away. The train inched its way up the mountain slope, so slow that poor children lined up the track for token from the Passengers. At certain stretch the track run parallel with the toll highway. The padi fields carved along the mountain slopes is a nostalgic scenario as we have not seen such spectacle in Malaysia. Our journey was cheered up by a two year old boy, Rafael who sat in front of us travelling with his Dad. This small guy was so talkative and cheeky.

The Argogede: Jakarta/Bandung.

Rafael.

The Executive Coach.

The cute Rafael.

Rafael.

The Deep Ravine.

The track affected by the landslides.

The Padi fields, the kampong and the old road to Bandung.

The three hour journey was extended to four hours as the train makes several unscheduled stoppages due to the landslide and the single track serviceable. Unlike flying, I could retreat to the Buffet Coach to smoke and have a cup of coffee. Upon arrival in Bandung Railway Station, we immediately booked for the return journey to Gambir Jakarta on 30 March 2010. We were introduced to Rafael’s Mum and Aunties. I would always remember this little cheeky cute fellow.
Hotel Cemerlang limo picked us up from the Station to the Hotel.


Hotel Cemerlang – located very near to the Railway Station. Unfortunately the Hotel is undergoing major renovation but still frequent by Malaysians in particular. The renovation work did not bother us as we were never in the Hotel during daylight anyway. We were allocated a ground floor room. Spacious room and I had 58 TV channels to play around.


Pak Termizi of Zafiracar supposed to pick us up at 1800 hours for dinner at The Valley but cancelled with regret at the very last minute. He could not make it and dispatched the Driver instead. We had dinner at Simpang Raya Restaurant, a Nasi Padang outlet. Nasi Padang Restaurant is the safest place to eat when you are in Jakarta or Bandung. After dinner, Pak Wawan took us to the Factory Outlet, to show us around before they closed for the day business. All the Factory Outlets normally close at 2100 hours.

At night I watched the EPL and MU clobbered Bolton 4 – 0.


28 March 2010: After breakfast Pak Wawan picked us up and we drove up to the mountain to Tangkuban Prahu. This is the only thing that Malaysia does not has - a volcanic crater. We drove up right to the fringe of the crater and looked down to the innocent defunct volcanic crater. Goodness me, if it suddenly erupted, chapter closed for everybody. We decided not to ascend to the crater. Distance away, not accessible there is an active volcano emitting steam. God knows when it would vomit its lava.

Tangkuban Prahu extinct Crater.

Me, by the Crater.

The only problem with this place is the Peddlers who haggled and stuck like a leech insisting us buying their sale items. They don’t understand the word “no” and they followed us around. It was bloody nuisance! I came to Tangkuban Prahu to enjoy the scenery and the mountain weather, not to be haggled and mugged. One man claimed to be a Tourist Guide and he would show us around for free. What? I turned to him and told him off that nothing in Indonesia is free. We walked along the several stalls that lined both sides of the road down the mountain slope and the Peddlers still kept on following. I sat at the Tea Stall and he waited outside. Bloody crazy and Bandung Tourism Board (if there is any) should do something about it. The best part, they only picked on Malaysians.

The active volcano.

My daughter bought for her and Shasha hand woven sweater as a remembrance of our visit to Tangkuban Prahu. I sat for hot “teh halia” and picked up conversation with the locals. The lady told me that the last time the volcano erupted; she was just a small girl.

From Tangkuban Prahu, we went for a drive at the nearby Tea Plantations. It reminds me of Cameron Highland, no big deal and so we took a U turn and headed for Kampong Daun for lunch.

Kampong Daun Cultural Centre is a Sundanese Restaurant Village. (Don’t be mistaken as Sudanese) Most Indonesians in Bandung is from the Sunda tribe. Kampong Daun have several wakaf (small hut) and patrons enjoying the food sitting cross legged. The wakaf, built in between the flora and fauna by a jungle hill slope and surrounded by greens, soothing to the eyes. We were given the allocated wakaf and it was personalized. You make the order or calling for service by hitting the bamboo “kerantong” (bamboo with hole that can emit sounds). The Sundanese “sambal belacan” is very tasty and we tried the taste of deep fried ikan gurami. Sup bontot is actually ox tail soup. The word bontot sounds very vulgar. The music is the sounds of the nearby waterfall and the fast flowing mountain stream. Overall the whole settings make the difference. The atmosphere and the taste of Sunda cuisine, the money well spent. After a good lunch you can lie down on the cushion floor for a nap. The total bill came to IPR 316,800 (MYR 117.20).

Entrance to Kampong Daun.

The family at the Wakaf.

The food.

The Waitress.

They were enjoying it.

After the good food.................

Ahhhh.......nap.

The sounds of the waterfall.

As we headed back to Bandung via the hilly and narrow kampong road, there were several colorful flower nurseries under bamboo crafted huts. Just too bad that we could not buy and bring back to Malaysia.

Reaching Bandung City, Pak Wawan drove straight to the Factory Outlets - my daughter main itinerary. The first was Rumah Mode. It began to rain and in Bandung when it rains it would be for hours because it is on a mountain plateau. I decided to sit outside and enjoyed watching the incoming and outgoing flow of enthusiastic Shoppers. The B plate cars indicated shoppers from Jakarta. Chauffer driven in D plate cars are Malaysians. We then moved on to Grenada. There were several branded T shirts and I just picked up a few. The last Factory Outlet was Secret. This is the place that interests me most as I was here during my last trip. My daughter finally found her jeans here and I found the small umbrella for Shasha. This is the only Factory Outlet that caters for family especially with small children. There is a courtyard with fountains where children can run around. There is a special Store for children clothing and accessories. The place is huge, spacious and well distributed. The Attendance would assist carrying your purchases right to the Payment counter. Just hand up the credit card, they swiped it for you, put your signature and it all yours. The headache part comes later.

On the way back to the Hotel we stopped at Paris Van Java shopping Mall. We did not picked up anything but carried away two boxes of Donuts back to the Hotel. It was just like shopping in Paris and not the place for me.

29 March 2010: Last full day in Bandung and we had all the time in the world. We had late breakfast and at 0900 hours Pak Wawan drove us to Cinabuyut. Cinabuyut is a town that sells all leather goods from handbags to shoes and you name it. We went to Grutty, the same place that I went last. I saw some cheap batik shirts and bought a few. I don’t quite like Indonesian batik shirts but the designs and the patterns that I saw, tempted me.

The last final shopping was at Pasar Baru, six floors shopping complex. This is the D place for Malaysians. I met and picked up conversation with several of them. There are three Air Asia daily flights from KLIA to Bandung (MAS exclusive). The only time when Malaysians did not come to Bandung is the month of Ramadan. Pak Termizi who own ten (10) cars for rent had all his ten (10) cars taken up on this particular day. Pak Wawan who is one of the Supirs, also glad that with Air Asia flights coming in to Bandung, he has work to do and constant income to support his family. Indirectly, the Air Asia flight is Allah blessing to them.

Finally I met Pak Termizi at Pasar Baru and we adjourned for drink. I told my daughter to take her own sweet time and left them alone to shop until they drop. I refused to join them as I hate the crowd and the bargaining. Pak Termizi excused himself as he had to drive himself and I just sat down watching the world went by at the Kalimantan Stall Food Court. I befriended the Stall Operator, Imas, a Sundanese lady in the forties who agreed to prepare lunch for us Malaysian styles with teh tarik inclusive. She joked that she doesn’t have “Mee Bandung” or “air batu Bandung” in Bandung. My wife had to buy additional hand luggage as their hands were full. I don’t know what they bought during their shopping spree.

Pak Termizi charged us for the Supir driven MPV, IRP 800,000 (MYR 296.00) for the full two days + 2 hours. The Suzuki MPV could easily accommodate six (6). Pak Wawan, our Supir was one Indonesian that I had met who was really sincere, ethical and helpful. He never took advantage of us and even refused our invitation to join us for food.

On the way back to the Hotel HSBC ATM came to the rescue and my daughter withdrew some money. Very easily done, took her only two minutes. I was surprised so as Pak Wawan. The extra cash was for contingency as we had to confront with Taxi fare, Airport tax at Jakarta and miscellaneous expenses along the way back to Malaysia. In future we don’t have to bring million of Indonesian Rupiahs in cash along, have ATM card will travel in Indonesia.

At night was busy packing and dinner vide room service.

30 March 2010: We woke up very early and took the Taxi to the nearby Railway Station. The Argogede left at 0605 hours for Jakarta. It was a beautiful morning train ride and the scenery was even better compared to the time when we came. However at certain part, the train had to slow down as the track was unstable. I spend most of my time at the Buffet Coach sipping my coffee and puffing away. The Train Stewardess was busy serving breakfast to the Passengers.

The toll highway parallel to the rail track.

Monas (Monumen Nasional seen arriving Gambir Station.

We arrived at Gambir Railway Station at 0930 hours and straight away took the Taxi to Soekarno Hatta Airport. The fare was IRP 78,000 (MYR 28.96) but I gave the Taxi Driver IRP 100,000 (MYR 37.00) for the smooth and scheduled journey. He was so happy and rose his hands in prayer, May Allah bless us. My daughter finished her remnant Rupiahs at the Duty Free shops. I was unaware my daughter packed two bottles of orange juice in my hand pack and it was confiscated when I entered the Departure Lounge. They wanted to drink the juices before entering the Departure Lounge but I entered first instead.

The flight to KL was at 1330 hours and was on scheduled even thought it was raining. The plane landed at KLIA 25 minutes before schedule. The wind must be very kind to take us home early.

Home sweet Home.


It was a good break for me and the family. We enjoyed the beautiful sceneries along the Jakarta Bandung Argogede Train ride. It was the first time that I saw a volcanic crater. The one in Toba Sumatra had turned into a Lake. The only confusing part is the currencies. It is a matter getting use to the several 000000 behind.