Weekend in Bandung

When B told me that he had two tickets to Bandung and he was whisking me off for a shopping and dining vacation in exactly one week, I was more worried rather than happy! I was in the midst of a huge translation job, which was still ongoing at the time B surprised me with this trip. Despite working on it for the past two weeks, I was still nowhere near done, and with my client bugging me about it practically every day, I did not feel like it was the perfect vacation moment for me; I'd be too distracted thinking about unfinished business at home.

I was reluctant to leave my home office unattended but B assured me that a weekend of shopping and dining was exactly what we needed to get our mind of things after all that has happened to us this year. Moreover, he too needed to release some steam after working so hard himself and so, that was how we ended up in Bandung one fine weekend! We figured we'd turn it into a typical weekend of shopping and dining, which is how we usually spend our weekend here. The only difference was that we had to take a plane to get to our shopping destination! ;)

The day before our flight, I started feeling sick. I had a headache, my nose was acting up even worse than usual and I was feeling cold throughout the day, despite the sun shining brightly outside. The fact that I was working until the very last minute didn't help either. We still had to pack and send our kitties to the Pet Hotel so I got through the day by popping Panadols, which worked but was not enough to help me regain my strength fully. I didn't sleep the night before for fear of missing our flight which was at 9.50am so after I finally finished packing, I took an early shower at 6am and got ready for our trip!

It was my first Air Asia flight, so I was quite apprehensive at what to expect. Fortunately, everything turned out okay but I had a very uncomfortable flight due to my cold, and though it was a mere two hours to reach our destination, I felt like it was more than that. By the time we reached Bandung, I was feeling really sick and all I wanted to do was to get to our hotel and take a nice hot bath before I could even think of doing any exploring.

We got a cab at the airport to take us to the Grand Preanger Hotel and were told that it would cost us 40,000 Rupiah (Rp). I was glad to finally reach our hotel but had a complete change of mood when the cab driver shortchanged us of 5,000 Rp for this journey. Taking it as a one-off "oversight" by the cab driver, we decided not to make a fuss. I was also sneezing non-stop by then so there was no time to argue with the cab driver. Since we arrived at the hotel 1 1/2 hours before check-in time, we were told that we had to wait for our room, which did not bode well with me at all. I was already very grumpy (sorry love!) from my uncomfortable flight, my non-stop sneezing and from being cheated by the cab driver and was about to resign myself to a miserable wait when B told me that he somehow managed to get a room for us earlier and within 15 minutes we were escorted to our room.

Grand Preanger Hotel

We didn't do much on our first day in Bandung. After we freshened up in our hotel room, we had our welcome drink at the hotel lounge before taking a cab from the hotel to visit several factory outlets. I was excited to see just how much shopping I'd end up with but was surprised to find myself not shopping till I drop! Perhaps it was my cold and the lack of sleep, but I was in no mood for shopping that first day.

Bandung weather was surprisingly cooler compared to KL so walking the streets of Bandung was a delight. I didn't have much appetite to eat however, and though B got a taste of the durian ice-cream which seemed to be in abundance everywhere, my blocked nose did not permit me to really savour the yummy ice-cream! :(

Durian ice-cream

Paintings sold on the streets of Bandung

Factory Outlets we visited on Day 1

We returned to our hotel early and after a simple dinner, fell asleep at 6.30pm! I guess all the traveling and my lack of sleep days before the trip finally took its toll on me. This actually turned out great, because the next day I was up and dressed for breakfast by 8am, a major accomplishment for me. I was feeling much better than yesterday and though still feverish, I was not going to let my cold keep me back from rocking the streets of Bandung! ;)

The early bird all ready for breakfast!

A little chess before we head out shopping

Finally, we're good to go...waiting for our ride to take us on our shopping spree!

Our ride for the day

We decided to hire a driver to take us to all the places we wanted to go. It cost us 50,000 Rp to get to our first destination and following that, we would be charged an hourly rate. Our driver was friendly and extremely polite. He took us to wherever we wanted to go and suggested famous local attractions to visit. Our first stop was a Batik boutique but we did not buy anything much there as the prices were rather high in this particular home boutique he took us to. Plus, both B and I are not huge batik fans.

The rest of the day was spent shopping at the remaining Factory Outlets on our list, while our driver waited for us outside. He'd pounce on us as soon as he sees us coming out, immediately taking our shopping bags from us to put inside the car. At one of our stops, he had to wait for almost 2 hours in the hot sun while we did our shopping! He was paid handsomely for his services though and by the time he sent us back to the hotel he was 450,000 Rp richer! :)

Told ya I didn't shop much!

Stocking up on the famous Bandung Brownies

Later, B and I both agreed that our favourite shopping spot in Bandung was the Cihampalas Walk and Rumah Mode. I think I did most of my shopping there where I found several favourite brands like Esprit, Zara, Calvin Klein and Guess at great low prices. I was however, disappointed that I did not find any Victoria's Secret items for sale in any of the Factory Outlets we visited. Before my trip, I had made a mental note to myself to check out Farah's Bandung post to find out where she got her Victoria's Secret stuff from, but it was a hectic week for me and in my haste, completely forgot to do so. I remembered Farah mentioning that she had a blast grabbing all the VS stuff she could find in her size but unfortunately, there was no grabbing for me that day! :(

Restaurants and shops at Cihampalas Walk

Soto Madura, a Bandung speciality

Taking a break after shopping at Rumah Mode

On our last night in Bandung we had a relaxing cosy buffet dinner in the hotel, served al fresco on the terrace, with a band for entertainment. Though her vocal prowess did not impress me much, the singer did sing some of my favourite Indonesian songs so that was cool. The food was just okay but once again, I have to blame my lack of appetite in Bandung on my not being 100% well!

Dinner on our last night in Bandung

Our last cab ride back to the airport was smooth and speedy but we were upset once again when the cab driver demanded 100,000 Rp for the ride instead of the 40,000 Rp initially quoted. It was a good thing we still had some Rupiah with us and since we didn't want to leave on a bad note, we paid the driver and proceeded to check-in our luggage, where we discovered we had to pay more service charge. By the time we paid all the stuff needed paying, we were down to about 75,000 Rp. While discussing what to do with the remaining cash, an air stewardess came running up to us, asking if we'd prefer to sit in the Executive Lounge while waiting for our flight. It would cost us 30,000 Rp per person but we would be seated in a comfy room with free food and drinks to snack on instead of being stuck in the noisy, crowded airport. You could also get a foot massage if you like, for an additional cost of course! It sounded like a pretty good deal so that's where we were until boarding time. :)

Despite my cold while in Bandung, we tried to make the best of our trip. Though exhausted from our shopping weekend, we were nonetheless happy that we got to experience the better part of Bandung before we flew back home. To my Bandung friends Trinity and MXY, I'm sorry our paths did not cross during this vacation, but I am sure there will be another opportunity for us to visit Bandung again. Until then, thank you for having us in your lovely city. I had a blast and Mariuca will definitely be back! :)