BANDUNG - THE BOYS DAY OFF (PART 1)

fBandung – The Boys Day Off (Part 1)

The Numero Uno of a traveller’s rule: “In a foreign land, remember you are the foreigner”, so we kept on reminding each other to keep our heads low as the locals here might not be of the same character as those we stumbled upon back home. Bandung they say, is full of surprises. And so we anticipated.  

It was decided about 4 months ago during one of our game at Bukit Unggul Golf Club to visit Bandung for golfing as a “reunion” of old buddies. Why Bandung you may asked. One can answer precisely if one is also a golfer.

We were all classmates back in Form 4 and Form 5 in KL. I only got to know Rashid, Reza and Manaf during that time after my family moved to KL while they in turn have been together since small. There was another buddy of ours that makes up the team of 5, unfortunately he was a non-golfer and he was left behind to take care of the children. I assume the friendship that stretches way back then was one of the reason for the "no-hassle" approvals from our Minister of Home Affairs to realize this dream trip.

THE YOUNGER YEARS

Rashid Taguchi, Me and Reza. In front was Man Hassan

Rashid, Manaf (still with his crown) and me
At Majestic Cinema Jln Pudu , now long gone
In the rear was the "Hungy Ghost" Chinese movie poster

In between my busy schedule in the office, I managed to spot AirAsia’s promotional fares flashed on my e-mail, costing a mere RM5 per pax (excluding airport tax). However, my procrastination taught me a good lesson upon which the Bandung-KL offer was soon closed and left only to book for the KL-Bandung promotional fares.

The excitement of enjoying 3 rounds of golf at 3 different courses in Bandung during the planned 4D3N trip kept on dancing in our mind. Yes, we tried to act as if this planned trip was no big deal in front of the family members since none of them were invited along,  But the SMS messages, phone calls and emails between us were proofs of the enthusiasm. After all, this would be the boys day-off!

We agreed to meet at the LCCT around 7:00 am for the 9:40 flight. Every effort was made to ensure the plane will not be flying without us on board. As for me, this would be my first trip to this Archipelago and hence, my excitement out-lived the rest. Reza had been there twice, Rashid once and Manaf was the regular visitor. Even my wife had made her shopping pilgrimages there twice!

Our Flight Schedule to Bandung

I caught the first glimpse of Bandung up from the plane’s window with impression that it is a high-density city. TV images of Indonesian crowded cities came flashing to me. Statistics has it that  Bandung's population stands at 2.4 million with a density ratio of 15,000 people for every km². Divided into 30 sub-districts, Bandung offers an invigorating climate of 23°C average nestled on elevation of 768m up to 2400m above sea level at towns near in the mountains. 

Part of Bandung Aerial View

Bandung's SasteraNegara Airport looked rather cramped for a city of such magnitude. At the immigration checkpoint, a Golden Labrador came sniffing for drugs on our hand-carries.  Such practice was common in Singapore's immigrations, but not in Indonesia, I was informed. Nevertheless, as this is the land called Bandung, even the K9 looks like a tame, family dog. If ever she can talk, you might hear her say,"... maaf ya pak, saya cium dulu bagasinya ya?"

Upon clearing immigration and customs, a slim local man with a slash of mustache introduced himself as Pak Wawan, our “supir” for the entire period here which we booked beforehand. He showed us to the Suzuki van that would be our mode of transport.  The van was heavily tinted, Mafia style. Manaf got the honour for the front passager seat while the rest of us crammed at the back. His was a natural choice due to his familiarity with the local culture and ability to converse fluently in Indonesian tongue. At one point, Rashid’s attempt to converse Indon style sounded more like a Bangladeshi speaking Malay.

Pak Wawan & Manaf  from Front Elevation

My first 10 minutes on the road was a nightmare which changed my entire perspective on the importance of defensive driving as we watched Pak Wawan’s manuevering techniques in the midst of Bandung traffic. No matter how congested or haphazard the traffic was, motorists always courteous and kept their attitude in check. Somehow, I concluded that I will never qualify to drive on Bandung streets.

A glimpse of Bandung's Sunday traffic

At light-stops, you can find hawkers began peddling their wares to the vehicles, from mineral waters to those hand-made souvenirs. Buskers on ukeleles provide impromptu entertainment for a small token. Child beggars were everywhere too and offering one your loose change would attract the rest come swarming over to you. Later, I caught a glimpse of cyclists on the other street with full gears riding in pelotons. I came to know that they were part of a cycling event participated by almost 2000 cyclists.

Colorful road cyclists on MTBs

Hungry on our journey to the hotel, we told Pak Wawan to,"...cari makannya di tempat yang sederhana saja ya Pak", and he drove us to a Padang outlet called Restoran Sederhana, literally. Back home we have Mee Bandung and Air Bandung which you could not find here, so we tried our luck by requesting, ‘Mee Seremban atau Ayer Ipoh ada nggak?” 

The FIELD FOOD (Masakan Padang)

We ordered some odd-looking Padang dishes. The meal was, well, edible, but I have to admit that I do not have the guts to try servings that were prepared with internal organs like Lemak Tunjang, Limpa, Perut and some other whatchamacallit delicacies… Reza’s remembers that once his Dutch boss, upon seeing similar meals, blurted out that, "...you Asians eat like cannibals!"

Tunjang, or Oxen's bone marrow, I think...

The van reached our hotel, Casa de Ladera at noon local time. The hotel building was a converted Art Deco colonial single storey mansion on a ¾ acre land adjacent to  Jalan Setia Budhi. The main building houses the reception, lobby and restaurant. The rooms would be located away from the main building. Guests can opt for either the elevated rooms with individual car park beneath them or the landed rooms. We chose the landed ones for easy access and to escape the stairs. We liked the rooms, the ambiance the location and the accessibility, but the service can be improved much better.

Casa de Ladera main building. That's our ride in the porch

The 4 Stooges; Me, Reza, Manaf & Rashid. Those are the elevated rooms

Upon checking in and a little rest, shopping was on the following agenda. We needed to at least complete some on the list today since the next three days will be dedicated with the main agenda, GOLFING! We were transported to the shopping vicinity of Sukajadi, which was supposed to be only about 15 minutes drive from the hotel if not for the congestion the local called macet (pronounced “Mar chet’) dragged the trip to almost double the time. As it was a Sunday, most major factory outlets were filled with bargain hunters from Jakarta, Surabaya and other nearby cities swarming by bus-loads. After all, Bandung has been famously known as a shopping haven.

The first stop was Rumah Mode (pronounced “model” without the “l), providing me the first experience of what you can expect from Bandung’s factory outlets. Merchandise here were a bargain comparing to those back home. I got my original, overrun Burberry jeans for Rp249,000, or less than RM100, which fits me comfortably.

Entrance to Rumah Mode's Shop

Later, the crowd purged us away to venture into other outlets nearby. Before the trip, when my wifey suggested for a bigger luggage in anticipation of my shopping spree, I casually dismissed the idea by stressing that the intention was mainly golf and shopping was a “by-the-way” thingy. How wrong I was…

Plentiful of branded merchandise at rock bottom prices at every factory outlets. We willingly surrendered our hundreds of thousands of Rupiahs in exchanged for the apparels.  At Fashion House outlet which was newly opened, I finally found a racing bicycle model I’ve been searching for in vain back home. the price may be a bit steep, but I concurred waddaheck. After all, it’s the Boys Day Off!

Next stop was Cihampelas district. Here, most of the merchandises were a bit inferior in terms of quality compared to those at Sukajadi. We checked into a sports outlet which claimed to offer the  best discount in town. Etonic golf shoes were as low as Rp 300,000 (or less than RM120). I thought of grabbing it until it dawned on me that my existing shoe is only 4 months old, plus additional weight to my baggage later may be hazardous to my wallet. Instead, I settled for an original Mizuno and a Jack Niklaus visors costing Rp70,000 each (or RM25). Back in KL, I have been shopping around for one and the cheapest was at double the price.  Reza got himself a light blue Ashworth polo shirt at a bargain as well. 

Our total damage that very first day was around Rp4.0m combined, registering us as millionaire shoppers. However, I think the amount was considered diminutive as compared to what would be transacted if the wifeys were to join along. That day, I returned to the hotel satisfied upon buying a Burberry jeans, an Anne Taylor denim jacket for my 17 year old, a white Gap denim jacket for the 8 year old, two Guess jeans for both my 8 and 7 year olds, an Armani Exchange black body-hugging collared t shirt, the two golf visors, a Mont Blanc belt the locals called “ikat pinggang” and finally, the prized racing bike model, costing me a total of approx. Rp1.3m.

Dinner that night was at Rumah Makan Sari Sunda serving excellent Sundanese meal. Sitting on a bamboo carpeted floor around a square teak tabletop in a hut with the soothing sound of a man-made waterfall flow provided a relaxing ambiance that can even got us dozing off there. We established a favorite item amongst those delicious list on the menu; Pepes Telur Masin, which has the texture of otak-otak with salted egg yolk buried in the thick paste. By just dictating this makes me drool again.

The elegant Rumah Makan Sari Sunda

Makan hut by the waterfall

We split 4 ways the bill of Rp370,000. Of course, Pak Wawan eats for free. Saved for the banana leaves used to serve our dishes, the rest were practically wiped out clean. Our compliments to the chef.

Ethnic Food Cleansing

The new place forbade us to retire early for the day. After a short rest at our rooms, we continued with our chat at the lobby to catch up with each others progress, and reminiscing our younger years over coffee till the wee hours of 2:00 am, local time. The weather was again, simply superb at around 14°C. Sleep was easy after that but I was wide awake just after an hour dozing off thanks to the strong brewed black coffee. Reza on the other hand, was also kept blinking all night long due to the unanticipated ensemble of nasal orchestra, courtesy of his room mate. Later in the morning, the other buddy proudly claimed that the ensemble was only the side A of a two CD version!