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Indonesia 2024 Day 7 & 8: Braga Street Bandung!

Jakarta-Bandung 2024 Day 7 & 8: 14th & 15th July (Sunday & Monday)

Small Group (Non-cycling) Tour of part of the West Java (Jakarta, Lembang & Bandung), Indonesia;
Day 7 & 8- Braga Road Bandung:

Kedaton Hotel>Braga Road>(the following route on the Bandung Tour On Bus (Bandros): Maung Monument (Braga Road)>Gedung Merdeka>Taman Photo Bandung>Gasibu Field>Maung Monument)>Braga Road>>Bandung Wetan>Kedaton Hotel>(the next day) Kertajati International Airport>Malaysian Airlines>Kuala Lumpur International Airport>Kuala Lumpur.

(transfer to the airport was by a Private Van).

This is page 7 of a 7-page blog, Click Here To Go To Title Page.

< D6: Hello Bandung | Go to Other Days | D1: KL-Jakarta >

Route recommendations, here're some tips on travelling in and around Jakarta:

1. Traffic Directions!

Traffic in Indonesia is right-hand drive, so drive/cycle on the left. The same thing applies when crossing the road, take note of the direction from which traffic is approaching!

2. Immigration & Customs Requirements

Submission for customs e-clearance is advised for getting past the airport customs without a fuss. E-submission can be done before leaving for Indonesia. Click here for to access and fill up the Indonesian E-CD (Electronic Customs Declaration) forms for approval. Upon successful application, a QR Code is given, save this to your phone and show it to the customs officer upon arrival. With a quick scan, one is cleared to enjoy one's holiday.
OR upon arrival, one can scan the QR codes posted along the arrival halls & corridors and fill up details accordingly and an individual approval QR code will be given.

Immigration entry is via digital gates which scan one's passport and take a facial photo, so put on your best smile 😊.

3. Getting to and around Jakarta & Lembang.

Getting around Jakarta is easy, just install the Grab Van e-hailing app and conveniently hail a ride. Within Central Jakarta (and perhaps some outskirts), autorickshaws called bajaj (pronounced baj-ai) are a convenient way to get around, do negotiate a price before boarding though.

From Jakarta, we took the new Whoosh HSR Train to Padalarang at a fare of IDR225k per pax. We boarded the train at the Halim High Speed Railway Station. the train ride just took thirty minutes. By driving or the normal train, it would have taken 2-1/2 to 3 hours! (Note: Free entry to some local attractions, within the Greater Bandung Area, is given to the Whoosh ticket-holders.)

Click here to purchase tickets for the Whoosh HSR Train, one should arrive at least 30-minutes before departure. Ticket prices remain dynamic and are dependent on passenger density levels, as well as the train schedule.

From Padalarang, a hired van took us to and around Lembang and Bandung. Private van contact: Enc. Budi Rukana mobile/WhatsApp no. +62 813-2111-6869.
We flew back to Kuala Lumpur via Malaysian Airlines from Kertajati International Airport. Presently there's only one flight per day.

4. Accommodations

In Bandung, we stayed at two rooms for two nights at the Kedaton Hotel (GPS: -6.91550, 107.60784) near the renowned Braga Street. At a central location and was within easy walking distance to the older parts of the town. A tip here, rooms facing the city has good views, but is noisy as it faces the nightlife district with acitivities lasting up till 4am. The rooms on the other side are quieter but have no views.

5. Places & Things of Interests

Enroute were several places of interest, some of which we visited and others we did not for lack of time (Note: click on GPS coordinates for a directional map to respective places):

a. Kuih Bingka Ambon & other pastries at Kartika Sari Kebon Jukut (Kartika Sari Kebon Jukut) (GPS: -6.91442, 107.6053).
b. Braga Road Shopping Street (Jalan Braga) (GPS: -6.91782, 107.60943).
c. Bandung Tour On Bus (Bandros) starting from the Maung Monument (GPS: -6.91626, 107.60895) at Jalan Braga and looping to Gedung Merdeka (GPS: -6.92138, 107.60907), Taman Photo Bandung (GPS: -6.91347, 107.62713), Gasibu Field (GPS: -6.90030, 107.61870) and ending back at the Maung Monument (GPS: -6.91626, 107.60895).
d. Braga Citywalk Mall (GPS: -6.91716, 107.60896).
e. Duty-free Shopping at Heritage Factory Outlet (GPS: -6.90561, 107.61713).

6. Meals

Day 7:

a. Breakfast: inclusive hotel Indonesian & Western buffet breakfast at Kedaton Hotel (GPS: -6.91550, 107.60784).

b. Lunch: Nashville Chicken Rice, Nasi Campur Bali, Mie Tek-tek, Hojicha Pang Cha Dessert at Gasblock Braga (GPS: -6.91401, 107.60488) at Jalan Braga.

c. Dinner: Ketropak Betawi, Mie Goreng Ayam & Tahu Telur Petis at Rpublic (GPS: -6.90509, 107.61497). Day 8:
a. Breakfast: take-away packet from Kedaton Hotel (GPS: -6.91550, 107.60784).

b. Lunch: Meals on board Malaysian Airlines Flight MH844 from Bandung to KL - Nasi Lemak, and Egg & Sausage.

7. Communicating with Each Other

When travelling in a group it's important to be able to communicate with each other, especially if one gets lost from the rest. We bought online China Unicom pre-paid 8-days 16GB (2GB per day) phone sim cards through Hello 1010. It was delivered to our home/office within a few days, and we installed it into our phones upon arrival.

Most hotels, motels, homestays, restaurants, and airports have free Wifi; but do note that public free wifi may not be secure and registration may be required. But one can save on one's mobile data by using these, especially for uploading or downloading videos.

8. Communicating with Locals

At favourite tourist destinations, locals may speak fairly good English. At the smaller towns, locals speak some rudimentary English, so knowing some basic Bahasa Indonesia will come in handy and also warm one up to the locals.

9. Weather

Day temperatures in Bandung is in the mid-20s and slightly cooler nights.

Useful weather forecast sites for the Indonesia is AccuWeather. For more detailed weather, including cloud cover and wind speed, use Weatherspark and Ventusky.

10. Navigation

I used MapMyRide to track our routes and stops. Geo-tagging of places of interest was via FaceBook or Google Maps.

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PRELUDE

A day earlier we said goodbye to Lembang and headed for Bandung. Along the way we stopped for a renowned lontong brunch, and did some pastry shopping at Kartika Sari Kebon Jukut (famous for their Kuih Bingka Ambon). We then checked in to our hotel and then straightaway headed for White Crater Lake (Kawah Putih), a beautiful volcanic crater lake with pristine whitish-blue waters.
Today, we gave Budi the day off as we explored the Braga Road Shopping Street vicinity on our own. But he will be back tomorrow to take us to Bandung's Kertajati International Airport for our flight back to Kuala Lumpur.
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DAY 7: BRAGA ROAD BANDUNG

Small Group (Non-cycling) Tour of part of the West Java (Jakarta, Lembang & Bandung), Indonesia; Day 7- Around Bandung:

Kedaton Hotel>Braga Road>(the following route on the Bandung Tour On Bus (Bandros): Maung Monument (Braga Road)>Gedung Merdeka>Taman Photo Bandung>Gasibu Field>Maung Monument)>Braga Road)>Bandung Wetan>Kedaton Hotel>(the next day) Kertajati International Airport>Malaysian Airlines>Kuala Lumpur.

(Click here for the Bandung-Braga Road Route Map)
It's a full day in Bandung, exploring Braga Road followed by a tour around the city on their Bandros bus, and some shopping too.

Most of the posts below are linked to my Facebook postings during the trip and are embedded here with some comments. (NOTE: Click on respective posts to link to the FB post to read more details. If you can't see the posts, please log out from your Facebook first)

Kicked off the day with an Inclusive Mixed Western & Indonesian food breakfast at Hotel Kedaton Hotel.

After that, it's straight to Kartika Sari Kebon Jukut for some pastry shopping, it's just a short walk away from the hotel.. Not to be missed are their Kuih Bingka Ambon, which we bought to bring back for some friends.

Hopped onto one of these cute, colourful buses; it's the city's Bandung Tour On Bus, affectionally called Bandros!

The Bandros took us on a loop around the city, starting from the Maung Monument at Jalan Braga and looping to Gedung Merdeka, Taman Photo Bandung, Gasibu Field and ending back at the Maung Monument.

Back at Jalan Braga, we took a stroll down Braga Road Shopping Street, a road lined with restored art deco buildings from its colonial past. Today being Sunday, it was full of life with a bustling blend of old-world charm and modern-day consumerism. It is lined with a mix of traditional artisan shops, modern cafes, restaurants, and boutique hotels. For a better feel of local life, explore the adjoining side lanes. Also popped into Braga Citywalk Mall, one of the older buildings restored into a shopping arcade.

A fusion lunch at Gasblock Braga; Nasi Campur Bali (good), Mie Tek-tek, (interesting name with the word tek-tek) Hojicha Pang Cha Dessert (one of my favourites anywhere).

Music and art along the street!

The girls Grabbed over to Heritage Factory Outlet for some duty-free shopping (photos by Anneh). Being not the shopping type, I scooted back to the hotel to rest..... giving the girls some freedom without a grumpy old man looking over their shoulders 😖.

The girls dinner at Rpublic (photos by Anneh), which included Ketropak Betawi, Mie Goreng Ayam & Tahu Telur Petis.

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DAY 8: BANDUNG-KUALA LUMPUR

5:00 - Budi picked us up from our hotel to send us to Kertajati International Airport. It's about 150km away and will take about 1-1/2 hours to reach. Although groggy, we were enchanted when Mr. Sun slowly came up from behind the hills and painted the sky with tinges of pink and blue.

Breakfast at the airport.
Our takeaway breakfast from Kedaton Hotel. It was passed to us when we checked out early this morning. I love the way they wrapped the rice in banana leaves, reminds me of Nasi timbel.

Starting operations in 2019, Kertajati International Airport is a relatively new airport and presently don't serve that many airlines. So although big, it was relatively quiet and only a few shops were operating. It was a good thing we had our takeaway breakfast.

9:10am - Our MAS Flight MH844 takes off for our flight back to Kuala Lumpur. It'll be a 2-1/2 hours. Although we had enjoyed the food during our holidays, we couldn't resist having the Nasi Lemak meals-on-board.

11:40 - Touch down at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. It had been a good trip, one which was nearby, and one which we enjoyed thoroughly. It changed my perspective of Jakarta. and wouldn't mind going again.

SELAMAT PULANG KE TANAH AIR KU!

(This is a Bahasa Malaysia greeting to Malaysians meaning "Welcome home to your homeland". Click here for a nice song on this theme).

(For more photos of the Day 7-8, Click Here)

This is page 7 of a 7-page blog, Click Here To Go To Title Page.

< D6: Hello Bandung | Go to Other Days | D1: KL-Jakarta >

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