Bandung adventure

FOOD poisoning! Even when all I took was restaurant food.

Yes, it was on my first night in the west Java province of Bandung, Indonesia. I was all prepared to summon medical help as diarrhea set in to compound my already drained physical condition from persistent vomitting.

Our Lord answered my prayer. At 5am, I took the risk of washing down a protein drink to replenish my weakened body. Amazingly, there wasn’t any need to visit the rest room as I had anticipated. Indeed, He is watching over me.

So Bandung for me was not a food adventure. Over the next two days, I nursed my tummy pretty well, basically watching my diet in the midst of all the hard-to-resist tasty foods.

To make up for missing out on some of the appetising local delicacies such as  Serabi (Sundanese pancake) or batagor (crispy fried fish-tofu with spicy peanut sauce), ayam gantung (hung chicken), sate kelinci (rabbit satay), sate biawak (monitor lizard satay, seriously!) and even the varieties of sambal, I opted for other adventures – a shopping therapy, a volcanic splendour and a cultural delight.

I stopped over at Dago Street – straight from the airport. It was 10 minutes to 9am, just before the shops opened.

Together with my two colleagues, Steph and Mag, I walked along the street, originally designated for upper class Dutch houses and villas.

Remnants of Bandung’s colonial grandeur – a testament to the name Paris van Java – through Dutch-inspired architecture was seen along the long straight street.

Ten years ago, Dago Street morphed into a place with its own attractions. You could find almost everything there – from toast to fashion.

Population and economic growth began impacting on the elite residential area around Dago Street in  the early 1990’s with the mushrooming of shops and boutiques.

We are all cautious shoppers, strolling along the street, looking at names and not stepping into many shops. Of the hundreds of stores on both sides of the street, we only entered one shoes gallery and three other stores selling clothing.

Mag grabbed a blouse at the last minute – that was all we bagged – which was quite a shame! But we had an unexpected experience ahead – one that every journalist would be excited about.

Unusual school

We spotted a school by the road. A sweet lady and a teenage student in uniform (later we learnt she was her sister) were about to enter the school. We were asked whether we would like to visit the school known as SMAK Dago.

Yes, why not? We were curious to find out what are those very rundown school blocks doing along the city’s main tourist destination.

According to the lady, Giovany Kawihelany, SMAK Dago (Dago Christian Senior High School or Sekolah Menengah Atas Kristen Dago) has been running since 1950 and was a top school from 1970-1990 but has only 39 students now.

We did not probe its conspicuous decline and the caretaker told us not to take pictures inside the school compound because of a recent riot along Dago Street – involving the group that runs SMAK Dago and another faction from Jakarta – over the right to use a historical building at Dago Street – the Lyceum building built in 1927.

During the July 2011 riot, two people were reportedly injured and a car set on fire, forcing the police to cordon off the city’s tourist spots for one and a half hours. Stores were shut with customers trapped inside and SMAK Dago was closed for a week.

Eric, our tour guide, said Bandung is serious about education and there are many universities and institutions of higher learning in this historical Java city.

Indeed, of late, I had heard of students in Sibu, my home town, pursuing pharmacy in Bandung – which is highly recommended by the education agents for its good standards and economical tuition fees.

Interestingly, Bandung has produced many famous Indonesian politicians. Sukarno, Suharto, Habibie and Megawati were all educated there.

Relaxed atmosphere

We moved to Rumah Mode, another popular shopping area. I love the landscape where non-shoppers could sip coffee and just laze around in a ‘green’ and relaxed setting for an out-of-this-world experience.

A young passenger (I forgot his name) sitting next to me in a bus said it would be even better if the landscape were more extensive so that men could hang around while their wives or girlfriends shopped to their hearts’ content.

Is that the strategy to get the women to shop more without the men bugging them to hurry up? I do not know, honestly.

Dago Street and Rumah Mode are not the only places for shopping, of course. There are more shops at Jalan Riau and Cihampelas.

Kamisah, an accounts executive, who was in our tour group, said: “Pasar Baru is the real shopping area where you can really bargain.”

She must be an experienced shopper, armed as she was, with a handy currency-conversion card for quick reference. I saw her bargain for souvenirs and was truly amazed by her ability to haggle for the best deals.

I did not get to experience that kind of buyer-seller sparring over prices although it was only 10 minutes’ walk from my hotel.

A hotel executive Lani told me Golden Flower Hotel is the top destination for Malaysian tourists because of its “downtown” location.

“Bandung is like a second home for many Malaysian visitors. They keep returning during the holidays,” he said.

It may well be so since Firefly, Malaysia Airlines and Air Asia have daily direct Kuala Lumpur-Bandung flights.

The city’s airport certainly needs serious upgrading.

It took us an hour to clear immigration, and the queue ended just a few metres from where the aircraft had come to a stop after touchdown. Husein Sastranegara Airport is reported to handle 700 to 800 international visitors daily.

Land of fairytales

Indonesia is a land of fairytales or dongeng in the local language.

I have heard the stories of the Queen of the South Seas, Kanjeng Ratu Kidul, the brave little mousedeer, Sang Kancil and the bear with a little brain that loves eating honey. They are all dongeng.

So is the tale about Tangkuban Perahu, Indonesia’s famous and popular natural wonder in the form of an awe-inspiring volcanic crater.

The name given to this mountain – Tangkuban Perahu – is derived from a legend which tells of a mythical figure Sangkuriang who kicked his boat over in a rage and it landed upside down to form Mount Tangkuban Perahu.

Sangkuniang was cast out by his mother Dayang Sumbi for disobedience. In his sadness, he was granted the gift of eternal youth by the gods.

After many years in exile, Sangkuriang returned home and fell in love with his own mother. But after failing to marry her, he kicked over a boat he built for her, causing severe flooding and the creation of Tangkuban Perahu which means upturned boat in Sundanese.

The locals believe the vapours spewed by the volcano symbolise Sangkuriang’s unrestrained lust.

Spectacular journey

The journey to Tangkuhan Perahu was spectacular.

We passed by a million-ringgit villas built by the German spy, Bereti, said to host many parties for the Dutch there in order to extract top secrets from them.

Upon arrival at the crater, crowds of souvenir sellers and the sulphurous stench from the volcano were the first things to greet visitors. Both may be somewhat overwhelming but were easily overcome.

The peddlers were not pushy. Once they heard a polite “no thank you” they would leave you alone.

I learned that from Eric and used it to great effect to move around the place.

“Don’t say wait and see – they will follow you every-where,” Eric cautioned.

The choking effects of pungent sulphur steaming up from the depths of the crater were reduced by winds gusting constantly around the area. And it’s strictly off limits beyond the crater’s edge.

According to Eric, the public were previously allowed to descend some way down into the crater but this was stopped when the volcanic fumes reached dangerously high levels.

Snaking a portion of this rock-strewn landscape is a huddle of stalls, including cafes where visitors happily eat regardless of the wafting sulphurous smells.

Most of the stalls sell souvenirs – anything from Tangkuban Perahu T-shirts to rather expensive polished semi-precious stones.

Many of the trees have a dried up dead look – no doubt due to exposure to the volcanic emissions and extreme conditions at the summit.

The day was typically cold with strong wind blowing on the day of our visit.

According to Eric, when the sun shines, it can be hot but when it rains, streams of water will pour out of clouds you can almost touch.

Oh, how I would have loved to feel that “wow” moment of touching the rain-laden clouds but, sadly, I missed it. It made a cold day colder – for me anyway!

The last significant eruption of the volcano was in 1969. But the sulphurous steams constantly oozing through the rocky crevices from the depths of this chasm-like landscape suggest the mountain is dormant for now but may still have fire in its belly.

Will it wake up from its sleep one day?

Probably some 500 years later according to studies, Eric surmised.

These are the allures of Bandung – the historical buildings, the shopping bargains, the haunting legends, the volcanic smoke, ashes, sulphurous steams and vapours that seem to swirl and linger forever.

But this Indonesian city will not be complete without the colourful culture of its very own known as Saung Angklung Udjo or simply the bamboo music that brings you to the playground of your childhood. That will be another story, another day. So stay tuned.