(This post is kinda a month and a half late, so please pardon the time difference between my first post on Palangka Raya and this continuation of the trip to Bandung and Jakarta which transpired afterwards. Too much traveling does not make Fareiny a good blogger. Sorry peeps!)
From Palangka Raya, we took a midday flight to Jakarta, arriving somewhat around 3 pm. We rushed straight to Tanah Abang; famous for fabrics and materials at utterly cheap prices and gowns and workwear and many other stuff. Unfortunately, Tanah Abang closes at 4 pm and we arrived there just in the nick of time. The gates to the parking lot had already closed and we had to leave Tanah Abang empty handed.
Tanah Abang consists of two buildings, interconnected with walkways above the road, about 10 floors high, the first five floors is filled with shops and the remaining five is for the parking lot (give or take). The 10th floor is a praying area for the muslims (or so this is what Pak Kurniawan tells me).
We had already planned to spend the night in Bandung, so we instructed our driver, Pak Kurniawan to drive straight to Bandung, which is about two hours away (not inclusive of any traffic jam along the way).
As Jakarta is a very populated city, the roads are littered with peddlers, ever ready to sell their wares to anyone who wishes it to be so. However, on my part, these people are certainly risking their neck to make a buck. And who's to say that life in Malaysia is hard, they should try living in Jakarta.
Upon arriving in Bandung, we immediately checked into our hotel, Galeri Ciumbuleuit Hotel and Apartment. A nice three star hotel, but compared to Aston Hotel Bandung which I stayed in during my previous stay in Bandung, I prefer the latter. Aston is much, much nicer than Galeri Ciumbuleuit.
Being superbly hungry, we asked Pak Kurniawan to wait for us as we checked in, then left our luggage at the good hands of the bellboys and immediately left for dinner. We were absolutely famished! By that time it was already almost 9 pm so we went to Paris Van Java (a mall with an absolutely beautiful architecture) and had dinner at Katapiring. The outer part of the building is littered with many different cafes that it was almost impossible for us to decide on where to eat. Tummies growling, we settled on the first one we saw.
The next day saw us scrounging Pasar Baru (FYI: Pasar Baru in Bandung is the equivalent of Tanah Abang in Jakarta) so I wasn't too sad on missing out on shopping in Tanah Abang.
This is kinda how it looks like in Pasar Baru. Rows and rows of shops selling beautiful fabrics, all at full display for me to choose. Yeay!!
After Pasar Baru, we left for Rumah Mode, which is kind off my favorite store in Bandung. It's well known among Malaysians for selling branded stuff at factory prices (which is why it's my favorite store). I got some shirts for my brothers (Calvin Kleins and Armanis) while I got myself a Marc Jacob, Guess and Armani shirt. I have definitely gone to retail heaven *sigh*.
Rumah Mode is also known for its beautiful architecture. In front of the store there's a nice cafe selling all sorts of food, which are super yummy. A perfect way to start a shopping spree is by making sure your tummy has had a good filling =P.
We ended the day by having dinner at Paskal (superb food, a must-try place for foodies). As our trip was a short one (we only had a couple of days in Bandung) so we didn't really get to venture much. We did go to some other shopping areas like Cihampelas Street but they're not selling my kind of stuff, so, no photos by me, sorry peeps!
Had Batagor at Paskal. Batagor is an Indonesian delicacy. It's some sort of fried dumpling that is dipped in chili sauce prior to the munch-munch (if you get what I mean). Super yummy too.
I must confess that this store sells the best takoyaki that I've ever tasted! I loved it so much that I wanted to get some takoyaki before our journey back to Jakarta the next day but unfortunately Paskal only opens at night. Boo-hoo =(
Since we left Bandung quite early, we managed to arrive in Jakarta somewhere around 3 pm. So I persuaded my friends to let me bring them to Taman Mini Indonesia. It's actually a huge park that consists of the many different types of architectural houses among the Indonesian provinces. I've been here before on my first trip to Jakarta, where my cousin (who was and currently is still residing in Jakarta) brought me here.
This is a replica of a traditional house in Kalimantan (Sarawak's neighboring state). If you're a Sarawakian, you would notice that the architecture is similar to Sarawak's native Bidayuh houses. The building behind me is called a Barok, it's actually some sort of a living room for the longhouses (if I'm not mistaken). Since Sarawak and Kalimantan are neighbors, there are bound to be Sarawakian Bidayuh and Indonesian Bidayuh, same race, same culture, but unfortunately, different nationalities.
This is not a house of any province in Indonesia. But I loved the architecture anyway. Looks like a fairytale castle, so much so that I imagine Sleeping Beauty might be in one of those rooms overlooking the park =).
On our last night in Indonesia, we had our dinner at Sate Khas Senayan, absolutely delicious food, relaxing atmosphere and the best part, free wifi!
We left Jakarta on the morning flight. When we arrived at the International Arrival Hall, we realized that Harrods was open for business. Kak Ratna got herself some pretty bags and purses while I got myself some pretty photos. Serendipity, right?
Til my next travel update, have a great weekend peeps! I'll be off to a wedding tomorrow, hosted in the same hall where I'll be hosting mine. So tonight, I'll have to prep Nikki so that I'll be able to take some photos for my future reference.
Good night everyone! Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite =P
xoxo Fashionista in Action xoxo
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