Shopping in Bandung

I had a great weekend. A weekend that is different from other weekends. I spent it doing what I love ... Shopping! In Bandung too. Went there with 2 girlfriends and my princess Najihah. We left Saturday afternoon and came home Monday night.

From the minute we walked out of the airport, we shopped the afternoon, evening and night away. Sunday we got up really early to be at the Pasar Baru at 8am and we stayed there until about 1pm I think. Even the driver was surprised that we asked him to pick us up from the hotel at 8am, we told him we wanted to be early before the crowd. That was a very wise decision indeed. The shops were just opening when we arrived and we had a the kind attention of all shopkeepers being early and all. Our stomachs told us it was time to leave about 1pm. By that hour we were at the few topmost floors and the crowd was thin there. Making our way down was a real feat, it being Sunday the market was packed like sardines.

Lunch on Sunday was at a nice place, Kedai Nyonya. The ambience was really nice. Where are the pictures you say? I didn't bring my camera, only because I didn't want to. My intention was to SHOP not to take pictures. Hahahaha ... I left it to my girlfriends to do all that touristy stuff so if I get their pictures I will post them here. Anyway, I had this satay kambing. It was delicious. Meat, fat and meat ... cooked terriyaki style. Must have it again next time.

Some of my friends asked me why I like Bandung as they prefer shopping in Jakarta. Jakarta is bigger and the comparison would be Tanah Abang for Pasar Baru. Tanah Abang is HUGE and I think very much for the business people who intend to buy in bulk. There are more clothes at Tanah Abang wherelese I feel there are more textile shops in Bandung's Pasar Baru. That is what I bought most anyway. Other shops are the same like telekung and t shirts. There are textile shops in Tanah Abang too but the variety doesn't seem as much as in Bandung. Besides, Pasar Baru is smaller and you don't need to walk around as much.

There are many facttory outlets scattered all over Bandung and you can get some really sweet deals for kids' clothes. For adults, I haven't really looked cause not really to my taste but I know t shirts are a steal there. I had a chance to visit the Paris Van Java Mall and it's so so lah. I prefer the Bandung Supermall but it is a bit too far out.

We only had 2 nights in Bandung which means that doesn't give you time to sight see. Shopping alone took up most of the time. Which is a blessing in disguise I guess cause than we would need to phone home for money!

Bandung is not as congested as Jakarta, no traffic jams everywhere, at least not the few times I have been there. Jakarta is a city, like Kuala Lumpur so of course the lifestyle is different and the "activities" would be city driven - movies, karoake, clubs and fancy restaurants. Bandung is a small city -- somewhat like Ipoh so the activities are simpler. Althought my sister did say she went clubbing there and it was not that bad. Bandung has a pretty interesting art scene too and you can see artistes putting up their work along the roadside.

The weather is the best in Bandung ... cool and crisp. Not much humidity so you get less tired. It seems to have been any annual event for me the past three years. Which means I must go again next year!