Natural and Cultural Tourism

Well, the first blog entry about Bandung gained decent feedbacks. So, here we go; an extension.

Last weekend, I traveled to Bandung, did some kind of flashback of places I thought would be nice if can be shared to others –especially those who are first timer to Bandung—. More or less like “Places you should go while you’re in Bandung” but this list is a bit different.

You may google Bandung and find the usual must-see like Kawah Putih, Tangkuban Perahu, Lembang, Pasar Baru Otista, Rumah Mode, Heritage, or other familiar ones But this list is more personal. Trust me; these places below are worth visiting. They are certainly not the typical Lonely Planet list.

So, shall we begin?

01. Unkl347
Type: Fashion
Location: Jalan Trunojoyo no. 4
Price: IDR 40,000 – IDR 1,000,000
Web: www.unkl347.com

I remember back in 1998, looking for the store somewhere in Dago Atas. I found the clothing line from a liner note of Bandung’s legendary band Cherry Bombshell, it said this clothing sell the band’s merchandise. So I looked for it, I was a fan of the band. Just after I arrived at the small shop, the view changed things forever. They were selling tshirts, pants, and bags that were extra ordinary for a local brand. But for pants and bags, we need to place order and then the stuff arrived 3 weeks later. The design was a breathtaking one back then.

Of course, the business now is not the same. Unkl347 wonderful story has made its owners rich young men wearing their idealism proud. They’re the biggest local clothing company with distribution spots in Malaysia, Singapore, and of course Indonesia.

They still a market leader with wide product variety. You can easily spotted wallets, shoes, bags, fine tshirts, jeans, cute female dress, and even series of band merchandise or Lomo camera.

It goes as simple as this: you’re not cool enough if you haven’t got a piece of Unkl347 in your short life. Up until today, it’s the only local clothing that stays on my life. I’m cool enough, then. Haha.
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Gedung Sate, is a neo-classical building mixed with native elements that now serves as the governor’s office of the West Java province in Indonesia. Located in Bandung, the building was designed by a Dutch architect J. Gerber.

Its common name, Gedung sate, is nick name that translates literally from Indonesian to ‘kebab building’, which is a reference to the shape of the building’s central flag pole.

Unlike many countries in Europe where milk is part and parcel of everyone’s daily diet, milk in Indonesia is considered somewhat of a specialty. For many years, breast feeding has not been very popular and most babies were raised with powder milk. In recent times, this is changing and slowly the public stance towards mother’s milk as the most healthy thing for the lil’ ones is spreading.

The government plays a big role in advertising dairy as a daily necessity but milk and cheese intake in general is still low. Milk and cheese are relatively expensive, one reason being that cows are not held on a big scale.
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Jalan Braga is located in central Bandung, and connects Jalan Asia Afrika, named after the famous conference of the non aligned nations in 1955, and Jalan Lembong. It is the place in Bandung where you can see remnants of its colonial past, and what happens to them if maintenance is disregarded. The once-beautiful buildings that line the street are now, with some exceptions, up for a complete overhaul or at least, a thorough renovation. The whole neighborhood displays a tired look of what it once was, and although it still is one of the sites where history is brought back alive, it’s not alive and kicking, but more alive but tired.
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Because of its easy access, the Mount Gede-Pangrango National Park with its spectacular panorama is a favourite site with visitors. Located in the province of West Java this Park encompasses the peaks of Mt. Gede, Mt. Pangrango. Around these peaks are tea plantations, recreation parks, waterfalls, hot springs, lakes and accommodation facilities within the park as around its periphery. The Park was declared nature conservation area in 1889, although prior to this the Cibodas Botanical Gardens was already established here in 1830, where cinchona (quinine) and coffee were first cultivated to become Java’s most prominent exports in the 19th century.
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Imagine a peaceful place, surrounded by verdant atmosphere. Sound of nature the rustle of the wind amidst the bamboo leaves, the chirping of the birds, the faint rush of the river. Baduy village, located in the hills of Kendeng mountain, about 75 kilometers southward from Rangkasbitung, West Java, is the perfect place to people who want to taste a bit of serenity seldom found in big cities. Those with a taste of adventure might find trekking to Baduy village both interesting and stimulating.
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Waruga is a coffin made of stone that is used to put the dead body of Minahasa tribe, in a squatting position. Waruga lies in Sawangan village, Airmadidi sub-district or some 40 kilometers from Manado,North Sulawesi province.

Based on local beliefs, this coffin is made of carved stone and formed like a house and this tradition has existed since 1600AD. This coffin forms are varied, depending on occupation or profession of those buried in Waruga.
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The Banda Islands are one of Indonesias top destinations for divers. Both experts and beginners will enjoy themselves here, as the diving ranges from the shallow lagoon between Banda Neira and Gunung Api to the vertical walls of Hatta Island, the most easterly in the group. The Bandas offer stunning tropical scenery, a remarkable history, friendly villages, and some of the globe’s most pristine, biologically diverse coral reefs. Scuba is new here, but the pioneering divers didn’t have to work hard for their thrills. The undersea world around Ambon and the nearby island of Saparua have top-rate dive sites. Highlights among reef walls here are the presence of large marine life – sharks, enormous turtles, schools of Napoleon Wrasse, giant groupers, tuna, rays, and huge lobsters – neighbors to generous schools of reef fish.
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CouchSurfing is an international non-profit network that connects travelers with locals in over 230 countries and territories around the world. Since 2004, members have been using our system to come together for cultural exchange, friendship, and learning experiences. Today, over a million people who might otherwise never meet are able to share hospitality and cultural understanding.

Our mission as an organization is to create inspiring experiences: cross-cultural encounters that are fun, engaging, and illuminating. These experiences take many forms. CouchSurfing’s initial focus was on hosting and ’surfing’ (staying with a local as a guest in their home). Alongside these core experiences, we now also facilitate a growing array of activities and events.

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YOGYAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik believed that the projected 6.4 million foreign tourists visiting Indonesia in 2009 would be reached or even surpassed. “Up to the end of last October, the number of foreign tourists to Indonesia had already reached 5.1 million, so that they may reach the projected 6.4 million by the end of this year, especially that year ends are normally a high season for foreign tourists,” he said in Yogyakarta Friday.

He said in 2008 up to October, however, the number of foreign tourists coming to Indonesia reached only five million, but by the end of that year the projected 6.4 million had been reached. “In 2009 up to October 5.1 million foreign tourists visited Indonesia, so that the projected 6.4 million may be surpassed,” he said.

Jero Wacik said that the regions in Indonesia most frequently visited by foreign tourists are Bali, Jakarta, and Yogyakarta.

“Those to Bali have now reached 2.1 million, Jakarta 1.4 million, and Yogyakarta 300 thousand. Most Malaysian and Singapore tourists before going to Yogyakarta normally went to Bali and Jakarta first,” he said.

Source: Kompas.com