Itinerary for today – A visit to TANGKUBAN PRAHU VOLCANO. Today we decided to rent the car just for 6 hours .. 9am – 3pm. Serik nak marathon macam yesterday… ya, ampuuuunn.. letih sekali!
We took about 1 hour to reach the top of Tangkuban Perahu from Bandung town. Some parts of the road leading up to the volcano were not well maintained.. the bumpy ride and winding road making me a little bit ‘pening’. Thank goodness the crater was accessible by car all the way up as far as its rim, coz I saw some people on foot as we made our drive up.
When we finally arrived and stepped out of the MPV, the air was cool but with strong sulphuric smell. Within seconds, several Indonesian men rushed to greet us to sell their souvenirs. Even though we don’t want to buy any, they were relentless and had a lot of determination and pestering us to buy their souvenirs to the point that it was really getting on my nerves.. crowding my space like that!.
Tip: Next time you go, simply ignore them, don’t show any interest at all, don’t ask or even look at what they're selling. Otherwise, once you start bargaining or to just look at the items, they will stick to you like leeches. But on the other hand, since you came all the way from abroad and would like to buy some souvenirs to take home, the trick of getting big discount, is to buy at the last minute when you are about to get into your car and leave. This last minute buying tactic will ensure that you get a good bargain of more than 100% !
The view of the main crater, Kawah Ratu, was magnificent. If you are the adventurous type, you can hike down to another crater, Kawah Domas, where you can soak your tired feet in the pool of hot water, apply volcanic mud on your limbs for therapeutic effects or boil eggs for immediate consumption. Descending into the volcano's craters is only possible with the aid of an experienced guide, because of the presence of suffocating gases at certain spots. Neither of us felt adventurous enough to want to trek down the crater. Lagipun, the track is rocky and slippery, a good pair of hiking shoes is needed and we were wearing slippers (alasan la tuu, kan..). So kalau sapa-sapa yang bercadang nak pegi Bandung nanti (ehemm..! sapa yer?) dan rasa nak trekking kat volcano tu, sila bawa kasut yang sesuai siap-siap, ok.
Towards noon, we left the place and proceeded to a fantastic resort restaurant ..
When we first arrived and entered the place, we just didn’t know what to do and didn’t know where to sit. The place is so huge. Sepatutnya, they should have waiters to welcome guests upon arrival at the entrance and guide us to where we’re supposed to be seated.
This restaurant is set in a valley of natural surroundings. Many cozy wooden gazebos/huts of different sizes (to cater according to the number of diners) built on the slopes going uphill. No ordinary dining tables and chairs, instead they're replaced with low tables and cushions.
From the huts, you can gaze out to view the cascading waterfalls, and the peaceful small stream that runs down from it and lush trees around the area. Simply an amazing experience.
Food served varies from traditional Sundanese food and Western food. You’ll have to beat the wooden 'ketuk' if you want to call the waiters to place your order.
The food was well served and delicious. I particularly loved the sambal… very very pedas! I fully recommend this place to anyone visiting Bandung. Kampung Daun is definitely one of the treasures of Bandung and is surely a place not to be missed.
Ok.. now perut dah kenyang.. kita pun bertolak balik ke Bandung. Had a short nap on the way back. Tengok-tengok dah sampai ke destinasi seterusnya... Rumah Mode Factory Outlet (pronounced as Rumah Mo-Der). Ramainya orang!! This place is truly a shopaholics nightmare come true! SEEING IS BELIEVING .. and believe me, my two companions actually went into a shopping trance! Mana tidaknya.. from casual tees, blouses to cardigans, lingerie, hats and scarves, jeans, a whole array of children and menswear's section and what-have-you’s (tak tau nak describe dah!) to make sure everyone is satisfied. You can easily put together a full outfit for any occasion. Outside the outlet pulak, there are waiting areas, food stalls and massage stations.
Pak Santoso explained that most of the shoppers were from Jakarta (looking at parked vehicles with Jakarta plates dominating the parking lots). Jakarta and Bandung is just 2 hours drive away, so on weekends and holidays, they’ll come here to shop (particularly at this outlet). Kalau macam tu, next time if we want to come again for a trip here, it’s best to visit on weekdays (ehem..! Tip lagi tuuuu.. – kepada yang berkenaan), to avoid the super-jam and crazy long waiting lines just to try on the clothes!
Seriously.... Yasmin went 'shopping mad' sampai even her Mak Su pun datang duduk dengan I di waiting area outside sebab penat tunggu dia! When she finally came out from ‘Rumah Mo-Der’ , her smile was from ear to ear..beaming away.. lighting up her face. Pure satisfaction la tuuu! Belum pun balik Malaysia, she happily declared to come here again.. this time with her beloved DAD! Watch out, Dad!!
Our last stop for the day is Paris Van Java, a mega huge shopping mall with middle to high end items. No cheaper brands there. Yang ada brands like Charles & Keith, Esprit, Mango (MNG), Roxy, La Senza, Rip Curl, Nike, Crocs, Adidas and many others. They also have Sogo and Carrefour as tenants there. Kita tak beli apa-apa di sini, no point anyway sebab boleh beli kat Malaysia. We were there for less than an hour, itu pun sebab walking around looking for Licensed Money Changer... terpaksa tukar extra duit. Haa.. ni nak cerita skit..
To all who is reading this article, kalau nak ke Indonesia and nak tukar duit sebelum ke sana.. semasa terima duit pertukaran tu, please.. please.. please.. check every Rupiah. Since it’s my first time and trip there, and the fact that I pun tak pernah tengok duit Rupiah ni, I dah kena tipu dengan Money Changer yang tukarkan duit I di Queensbay, Penang (basement area right below Forever 21). Dia bagi duit yang dah tak digunakan di Indonesia. Looks new tapi tak laku di sana! I kena 5 keping duit RP100,000 and sekeping duit RP5000 (all together nilai lebih kurang RM180) ! Punya la geram when they told me duit tak laku semasa nak buat bayaran. Nasib baik ada bawak extra Malaysian cash. Aduiihhh..!
Don't accept these two notes. Duit ni la yang diorang tak nak terima (nampak the bright pink logo above? senang nak ingat)
Selepas tukar duit, terus balik ke hotel. Oleh kerana dah ter-extra 3 jam car rental, kena la tambah bayaran. Later that night, the tailor datang hantar Yasmin’s and Ani’s gown yang dah siap. Yasmin’s fit was perfect but Ani’s gown was too tight and needed alterations. He said it’ll be ready by tomorrow morning sebelum kita bertolak ke airport.
Malam ni , makan nasi yang kita bungkus dari Kampung Daun tadi. Ani was the first masuk tido, followed by me. Si-hyper-Yasmin belum nak tido lagi.. sibuk dok try all her bajusss!! Ntah sampai pukul berapa I can hear her dok 'cat-walking' sorang-sorang depan cermin tu dengan baju baru dia!
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