Tangkuban Parahu

Another quinessential Bandung trip is up the dormant volcano known as Tangkuban Parahu, the "Inverted Boat-shape" volcano, which is about 30km north of Bandung. It's a nice spot to spend a few hours, despite the hordes of tourists, and is certainly worth the long journey to get there (at least an hour to drive, more on angkot/colt/ojek).

Here's the legend behind the unusual shape of the volcano: There was once a god who, unbeknownst to himself, fell in love with his mother. He proposes to her and she, for some reason, accepts. I guess this was before the story of Oedipus got into wide circulation. Later she realises this is a terrible idea (as you would) and tries to dissuade him, though not, apparently, by telling him that she's his mother. Instead she opts to ask him to create an enormous lake and a canoe with which to cross it, all in one night. As he's a god this turns out to be difficult, but not impossible. So it's getting towards dawn and she realises, damn, he's going to make it, and so sneaky as you like, she starts making cockerel noises to suggest that dawn is sooner than he thinks. Luckily, this god turns out to be fairly slow-witted, and thinking his task is doomed to failure, he kicks the nearly completed canoe, which lands upside-down on a local mountain ridge (handy, that). Then he goes away and is never heard of again, apparently.

Two creation stories in one: The lake basin in which Bandung is held, and the weird boat-shaped volcano that overlooks it. But I digress.

The entrance fee is the good old-fashioned two-tier price: 50,000 rupiah for foreigners, and about 7,000 rupiah for locals. You have to pay to take a car in, too. The road winds up, past turnings for the "son" and "daughter" craters which are nearby. At one of these (I forget which), you can take an egg to boil in the hot springs, but eating it is not recommended unless you like the taste of sulphur. If you're in a coach you have to get off about halfway up and walk the rest of the way, or take either a minibus or ojek to the lip of the volcano.

At the top there's a fantastic view over the whole crater, at which you can park your car if you get there early enough. One lookout point gives you another great view of the volcano, whilst on the other side above the mosque there's an alright view over Lembang and Bandung in the distance (visible only on those rare clear days). There are also lots of facilities here should you need them: Tourist information, toilets, food stalls, people selling funny hats, angklungs...

The crater itself is quite impressive. There's a stupidly toxic-looking lake at one end and lots of steam at the other end, making a terrific noise as it jets out of the earth. Stumpy-looking trees and shrubs cling to life at the edge of the caldera, and there's a generally noxious, sulphurous smell in the air (probably sulphur). You're supposed to not stand in one place for more than 15 minutes, though how this ruling is applied to the vendors I've no idea.

Walk along around the lip of the volcano for more cool views of the place. There are, typically, a whole load of people selling all kinds of stuff, from angklung and gamelan, through rice bowls and spoons, to obligatory volcano ninjas (don't ask). There are also some more interesting local specialities: Bags of powdered sulphur and knobbly twigs which when brewed are reputedly good for rheumatism. Of course there's food, and fried corn is particularly prevalent. Not sure how I'd feeling about eating it though.

Apparently there are a few weeks of the year when you can actually go inside the crater itself, but this sounds kind of terrifying. Having said that, it's kind of comforting to think that if the volcano did again erupt, you'd be polished off quicker up at the volcano than down in Bandung. And, with all the traffic you'd have to battle with to get out of the way of the lava, you would be polished off.

On the way back down from the volcano, keep an eye out for the massive government tea plantations just off the main road. You can head into the rolling hills and, if you turn your back to the road, you can't see civilization anymore. There's still a little bit of untamed forest at the top of some of these hills, which makes for an amazing contrast with the regular patterns of the tea plantations.

Heading back towards Bandung,you can also see some of the traditional markets that Lembang and nearby towns are famous for. The area, with all its volcanic soil, is very fertile, and is famous for fruit, vegetables, milk and rabbits, all of which you can buy at the roadside.

Finally, if you're like me, you'll want to buy a hammock, which you can also find at the side of the road towards the volcano. The woods here are a well-established camping spot, and apparently "the hammock's the thing." I still have no idea how we shall fit it in our bags.

Dago Pakar

If you're in Bandung and missing green space, Dago Pakar (also known as Dago Park) is probably the place to go. Situated beyond the end of Jalan Dago, it's possibly the only place in all of Bandung where you can go for a walk. Apparently you can walk from here all the way to Lembang in the north-east, but I'm not sure how you go about this.

There are maybe three ways to get to Dago Pakar:

1. Get someone to drive you there. This is definitely the easiest option and is the one we opted for;
2. Take a taxi. Probably easy, but you might get ripped off or run the risk that your friendly neighbourhood taxi driver won't have a clue what you're on about;
3. Take an angkot to Terminal Dago, then look for an ojek (motorbike taxi) to take you to the top. I've never tried to negotiate this, but try to get a price first. Apparently 15,000 rupiah will do the trick.

Once there, it's 50,000 rupiah per foreigner to get in (substantial discounts are available for locals). The best thing about Dago Pakar is that there are trees, birds, plants and green space. It's pretty nice. There are lots of stalls selling food, drink and snacks too, so you could spend a whole day here in exploration. There aren't loads of paths to follow but check out the maps near the entrance anyway - follow the signs for the Japanese Cave (Jepang) and the Dutch Cave.

These two caves were constructed by the Dutch and Japanese during their occupations of Bandung. Why exactly escapes me (the explanatory signs are in Indonesian) but they are extensive bunker systems leading back into the rock from the main path.

The Japanese bunker is massive and very, very dark - if you go in, you can hire a torch for 5,000 rupiah from one of the many guides outside. We didn't hire a guide but if you're a foreigner you'll be accosted with offers of tours and torches. It's not terrifically exciting unless you go quite deep into the cave system where you can see absolutely loads of bats. Hold the torch near your eyes and you'll be able to see the reflections from their eyes. You can also watch their ears twitching as they echo-locate, and even hear their relatively low social calls. There are also some small lizards who live in the air vents of the cave, but beware because these tunnels are pretty small and don't lead to path-level exits in the rock face.

The Dutch bunker is a little further along the path. There is an entrance on either side of the rock face and some side tunnels, so you only need a torch if you're going to explore these (note that if you want a torch, you'll have to pay again for one here). There are some bricked up parts of this tunnel which have been broken into (or out of...), which is kind of creepy. Apparently some torture of revolutionaries took place here during Indonesia's struggle for independence against the Dutch and their allies.

The path continues through the park along the main river, which runs far below you between the trees. The path can sometimes be quite rough so it's worth wearing decent footwear if you're going to explore past the two bunker systems. Alternatively you can get a ojek (again, you'll be accosted by these) along the path - watch out for these as you're walking along, but they do make quite a racket. The cyclists, however, do not (and they don't equip themselves with bells, either).

There are quite a lot of macaques who live in the park, often fed by the stalls who use them to bring tourists in. Whilst they seem quite tame, they can be violent if they think you have food, so be careful, and try not to carry food in your hands or plastic bags. Feeding the monkeys isn't strictly discouraged by the park, but it's not advisable - macaques see the handing over of food as a sign of subservience, and they're eventually going to twig that humans are basically a subservient species who they can run all over; this is how they get so violent and aggressive.

Further down there is a beautiful waterfall that passes through a natural stone arch. Unfortunately the view of it is broken by trees, but you can still just about see it and get a classic Indonesian photo (Gents: Serious face on. Ladies: Point to your super-smile).

There's a fork in the path that leads to an interesting diversion: One of the hydroelectric dams/weirs which supply some of Bandung's electricity. If you're a geeky engineer like me, you can go and see this, look at all the valves, filters and sluice gates. Whilst it ain't exactly pretty, it's pretty interesting. There are also some very large piles of rubbish at either side which are screened out of the river. Sad to think of people chucking rubbish in upstream, but there you go.

The path continues through the park to more waterfalls, woods and ultimately Lembang, but we turned back before we had a chance to explore. But if you find yourself craving the natural world, it's a great place to spend any amount of time.

Pak Udjo's Workshop

To continue our super-Indonesian day, we were driven to Pak Udjo's Workshop, also known simply as Udjo. It's a workshop, shop-gallery and cultural centre in Bandung which focuses on angklung, traditional Indonesian bamboo chimes.

Once you arrive, and if you're lucky, you can catch a musical performance. I don't think there are lots of these per day - there's probably a schedule on their website. This is as strange as it is impressive - it probably makes more sense if you catch it from the start, though, which we failed to do. There are drums, gambang (gamelan) and of course the angklung themselves. Not to mention singing and dancing. I am told the music is to a pentatonic, i.e. five-note scale, similar to traditional Chinese music.

Once you're done with this, head down and through to the workshops. Here you can find the completed instruments. The base unit of an angklung is a small bamboo frame containing two or three pieces of bamboo tuned to the same tone, an octave apart. These are hung on hooks within much larger portable frames. The instrument is played by shaking the smaller frames to a tune. The performance is quite demanding as the instrument can be a couple of metres across, and it's not exactly slow music. I believe that there are regional variations between the chimes, but I'm not sure how this is applied.

Next you can see the angklung and gambang in various stages of construction. The chimes themselves are cut from bamboo to roughly the right length, then about half of the circumference of one half of the length is hacked away, using a machete. These rough bits will be passed to a (very skilled!) chap who shaves bits off until the correct note is achieved. Each chime takes perhaps 5 minutes to create; after 3 minutes I couldn't tell the difference between the note tapped on his xylophone and the note sounding when he struck the chime with his knife. Impressive stuff.

There's also a video about the construction of the chimes, but it was in Indonesian so I had no idea what was going on. Better just to watch the craftsmen producing them.

Lastly you can (and should) go and check out the shop, because it's full of bamboo instruments, puppets and some samples of the music. Because the whole complex is pretty forward-thinking and well set-up for local and foreign tourists, this is perhaps the best place in Bandung to buy handicraft souvenirs of traditional puppets and instruments. Certainly the best place I've seen, anyway, in my six weeks here. It is, of course, very busy - but it's worth the visit to watch the guy tuning bamboo, in the very least.

Batik Course

On Saturday we took a trip to Komar Batik, Bandung, for a very basic course in batik. For those unfamiliar with the idea, batik uses wax and dye to create beautiful, intricate patterns for cloth and clothes. The very old traditional methods have been practised in Indonesia (and Malaysia) for centuries, but there's a resurgence in popularity at the moment.

Komar Batik is in the north of Bandung and is a pretty forward-looking kind of place. Not only are the batiks produced exceptional and amazing, but you can go and look around the place to get an idea of how the items are produced. Or just check out the showroom, which is full of beautiful cloth, shirts and bags. If you're really into it, which we are, then you can also do one of a number of course packages (check out Wisata Batik for more information).

The first thing to do is choose your stamp. The stamps are made from copper because of its great thermal properties. More on this later. Komar have over 4,000 batik stamps, which last for a very long time, maybe upwards of 20 years. They begin life as pencil-drawn designs on paper, which are then painstakingly turned into copper stamps by very skilled craftsmen, patiently sticking strips of copper into a wooden frames. Komar use recycled copper, from old cables. The designs apparently take months to construct, and looking at the intricate designs I can really believe it. There is an enormous range of stamps to choose from, from the traditional, localised designs from all over Java, through animal and plant designs, and to more modern designs like aeroplanes, bicycles, Vespas and Android symbols.

Stamps are slowly heated in a bowl of paraffin wax suspended over a flame. Once the stamp is up to temperature, it is removed and the excess wax flicked off. It's at this point that your clothes get waxy. The stamps are tough and heavy, so the stampers tend to be pretty big, strong chaps who do this like it's nothing (I don't think I could do it all day). The aim is to press the stamp down smoothly but firmly onto your cloth, and remove it quickly and vertically upwards to avoid smudging. It can be a big difficult to do all of this at once. Hopefully the end result will be thin, dark, consistent lines with wax on both sides of the cloth.

With a short course you do only one colour, so the next step is the canting (pronounced chanting). You're essentially just pouring wax onto your cloth in a controlled way - adding bits to the design maybe. Some designs are only done with canting too, i.e. with no stamps, and these tend to attract a premium. This is because canting is really time consuming. You dip the pens into a bowl of wax, to fill the bowl. Next you must remove it carefully to ensure you don't spill it, then wipe the drips on a plastic mat covering your legs. Holding your cloth in your other hand, at an angle to the horizontal, whilst holding the pen slightly upwards, you can use the pen to create lines and dots on your design. Patience is necessary here, because you have to allow the wax time to permeate to the other side, otherwise your dye will just come through. When you feel the heat on your other hand you know it's ready. A steady hand and slow pace is necessary for the beginner (you may come away with slightly scolded hands).

Traditionally this role is fulfilled by women, who supposedly have more patience for the fiddly batik designs. This is probably true. They sit in circles around the bowls of wax, and it seems pretty sociable and relaxed, which is definitely a good thing considering the size and intricacy of some of the designs.

Next, the dyeing process. Your design is soaked in water then dunked in the dyes. Some colours need two different dyes, but maybe not in the combinations you might expect - blue, for example, is made from a yellow and a green dye. Your cloth goes from plain white to the brilliant colours you see in batik cloth, and the transformation is rapid and quite impressive. The wax is still on at this point and takes on a bronze hue, which looks really attractive. The dyed cloth is then dunked in hot water with soda ash, which you definitely don't want to get on your skin. The wax comes off and you're left with your stamped and canted design in white on a strong, bright colour. Suddenly you've got batik!

The cloth used is very thin and so drying it takes no time at all. Plenty of time to browse through the shop, though - designs from all over Java, either in cloth form or ready-made into pretty snazzy clothes. Having seen the work that goes into making the cloth, it's exceptionally good value, and the quality is incredible. Best of all, you get to help an up-and-coming batik business that's not only keeping the tradition alive, but modernising all the time and even producing new designs, something uncommon in batik manufacture. And to boot, a piece of cloth with your own design on, and the skills to make it again. Well worth the trip!

Pangandaran

Last Thursday was Islamic New Year so we had an extra-long weekend. Originally Friday had been billed as a working day but there's a rapidly growing middle class in Indonesia, so whenever this "sandwich day" happens, the government usually concede and declare it a national holiday. Then more money gets spent in tourist spots and it's reputedly better for the economy. So after work on Wednesday we were driven to the coast, a town called Pangandaran. It took 6 and a half hours to get there, through crazy Bandung traffic, winding mountain roads and eventually rough roads down to the coast. We eventually arrived at about 1am. Fortunately we had pre-booked a hotel and it was quite easy to find, so pretty soon we were in bed, listening to the intense storm outside. At least it meant it was cooler!

The next day we slept in a bit and then had breakfast at the hotel. This was exciting as they had proper coffee, wholemeal bread and even butter! After this we went to explore the town a little as we hadn't seen much the night before. It is a nice, if slightly scruffy, seaside resort town which sits on a peninsula, with a tourist beach on the east side and a business beach on the west side. The end of the peninsula is covered in jungle - this is a protected conservation area, which is why it's still this way.

The east beach is very long and quite busy, but not many people lie on the beach sunbathing because it's stupidly hot and sunny. Much like Malaysia, the sun is strong even when it's behind a cloud, so you have to be careful. There are lots of little cafes, shops and vendors on the beach selling all kinds of food - probably more than there are tourists, in fact. After we'd walked up and down we decided that it would be most fun to go body-boarding because the waves on the beach looked awesome. Of course we got soaking wet and covered in sand, but it was totally worth it for 10k rupiah for an hour's body-board hire (about 65p) - it was fantastically good fun.

After this we were totally exhausted so we retreated to a beach cafe for a fresh coconut, which tasted delicious and is probably pretty good at rehydrating you, all ions and sugars and water. We headed back to the hotel for a quick change then headed out to the business side of the isthmus to find the fish market for dinner. Of course we were the only westerners there but it was fun - you choose your fish/seafood and style of cooking, get some rice and kancung (water spinach). It's all really fresh and delicious and since it's what all the Indonesian families go out to eat, very cheap. Well worth the trek!

After our long day we were totally shattered so went back to the hotel and played cards. We had arranged to meet a tour guide at 12:30pm so in the morning we lazed about a bit, read books by the pool etc. Once our guide arrived we caught a rickshaw to the national park. This was a fun way to see some of the town that we hadn't seen before. I felt sorry for the rickshaw driver though, having to push two people around!

Once there we had an amazing tour around the jungle, which is tiny but compared to the rest of Java absolutely teeming with life. We started in a tiny seaside cove where our guide told us about the tsunami that had hit Pangandaran in 2006. It sounded terrifying. Pangandaran is very low lying and most of the buildings are single-storey, so the 3m wave was devastating. They have recovered very well and there's little trace of the wave in the town. But in the national park, which is less managed, the damage is still visible - massive collections of coral churned up by the wave, salt damage to the trees, washed up boats in odd places.

After this we had an explore in the caves of the national park. There were some very large colonies of bats and two porcupines. Then a walk around the jungle, where we saw barking deer, macaques, black monkeys, monitor lizards, a flying dragon lizard, a snake, some cool millipedes, flying foxes and some hornbills. At last we came to a waterfall over the cliffs into the sea below where we sat and took pictures next to a deep natural pool. Sadly I fell off climbing round and went in, shoulder-deep! It was a bit of a shock but quite funny in the end. We walked back through the jungle to the beach for another coconut, then back to the hotel. Our dinner was a bit disappointing because we chose the only touristy restaurant in all of Pangandaran, which was full of tourists and run by a very stern German woman. A bit odd. The fish market was much better!

The next morning we got up early and went down to our favourite, Bamboo Cafe, for banana pancakes for breakfast. We had another hour's body-boarding but the waves were not quite so good the second time, which was a shame. Or perhaps we were just too tired! The day before had been very long and tiring.

At 1pm it was sadly time to leave so a collective taxi arrived to pick us up. We hadn't anticipated that it would take 8 hours, which was a very long time to be cooped up in a car. Eventually we made it back to the hotel in Bandung, very tired but pleased we'd had such a fantastic and worthwhile trip away.

Sacrifice Day

Also known as “Sacrifice Day”, Eid-al-Adha is a Muslim festival commemorating the close call Isaac had with his father Abraham. It’s also a national holiday in most Arabic countries, including Indonesia, so if you’re in Bandung or Jakarta for this time, expect a nice bonus bank holiday. It’s always held on a Friday, but because its part of the Muslim calendar, the precise date varies from year to year.

The sacrifice most Indonesians will (genuinely, it seems) make is either a sheep, worth one person, or a cow, worth seven people. You’ll see the sheep for sale all around the city in the days leading up to the sacrifice. Apparently the sheep must be old enough to have lost its two teeth (although which two I’m not sure), so Pepen’s standard joke is that you should be afraid if someone asks to look at your teeth. I never saw many cows, but there were a few in the backs of trucks, replete with grass to chew on whilst they wait for death. The price of livestock gradually increases throughout the week, up to apparently USD1500 on the Thursday. A large number of farmers grow livestock specifically for this festival. Consider this: There are eight million people in Bandung alone. That’s at the very least 1.1 million cows that need to be sacrificed, and at the most 8 million sheep.

Most Indonesians will travel to see their elders at this time, so naturally the roads will be extra busy, not to mention full of livestock. It’s quite a good time to visit ITB, though, as it’ll be totally devoid of people. A good deal of Indonesians will fast for the three days before the Sacrifice, so be culturally sensitive and understanding. The night before the festival all the mosques seemingly go nuts, as there’ll be singing from the minarets for until the wee hours of the morning. The hotel also played the same holy chant non-stop, which at least made a change from the normal CD. On the Friday all the hotel staff wear lovely batik formal wear as it’s a special occasion (service is as good as ever, which is perhaps a shame).

One thing Indonesians seem to get excited about is ketupat, a traditional dish in South-East Asia served at Eid and comprising of rice steam in little packages made of banana leaves. Typically Javanese women weave the cases (a lot more difficult than it sounds, just check the YouTube videos) from a single split banana leaf. If you want one, they are 6.000 rupiah for 10 (possibly 600 for a single casing). This is pretty cheap considering they take perhaps 5 minutes to weave. They are then half-filled with rice and then steamed over water. Once the casing is removed, which seems such a shame considering how pretty they are, the resulting rice cake is cut into cubes and served with chicken stew, fried onions, sate, spicy sauce, liver and onions and other delicious Indonesian classics. Our driver collaborated with the chef at the training house to create a wonderful meal for us all, which was really special.

I don’t know if it’s actually possible to attend a sacrifice or not, but we couldn’t locate one – they might be small family affairs, after all. Apparently hunks of raw meat are handed round as a token gesture (I’m sure you’re not actually expected to eat them) to those present. But whatever you get up to around Eid-al-Adha, there’s definitely a different atmosphere around at the time, one of festival and general hospitality. Be sure to greet whoever offers you such kindness with a warm Eid Mubarak – have a good Eid!

Garuda Restaurant & Pedang cuisine

If you go to Rumah Mode, another interesting stopover once you’re done shopping is the Garuda (“Eagle”) restaurant, about two minutes on foot up the road. Don’t take an angkot like we did or the driver will think you’re stupid (you can see the Garuda sign from outside Rumah Mode). The most difficult part is crossing the road. Avoid crossing when motorbikes are coming (they won’t stop) but if there’re only cars coming you can stick your hand out and they’ll (probably) slow down for you. As always, be super careful because it’s a bit mental.

Garuda is a typical pedang restaurant – steep roofs, a red front and stacks of white dishes in the window containing food. It’s also supposed to be the smartest pedang resto in town. Pedang is a Sundanese Sumatran cuisine which seems to be a pretty unique eating experience, so step inside and take a seat. The waiters (who see very, very few tourists it seems) will bring a huge tray of the white dishes contain a massive array of things to try. Of course, you’re not obliged to eat (or even try) everything, as you only pay per dish, so don’t worry about running up a huge bill.

The food is very tasty but, scarily, often you have no idea what it is. The waiter will generally try to tell you but their English is pretty sketchy, even here. Most things are prawn, beef, lamb or chicken. You may be offered cow brain, which I hear is a wonderful source of protein, but also it is a wonderful source of CJD so I’d steer (ahem) well clear. They won’t be offended if you ask them to take it away (and will just go and offer it to someone who will appreciate it). Some of the food (especially the red and green sauces you get handed) are pretty spicy. Be warned that nearly everything contains meat or fish of some description, but there are quite a lot of egg, potato and vegetable dishes which are just as tasty.

When you’re done, try and let the waiter know. This isn’t always easy as they’ll just keep bringing dishes out if you’re not clear. You’re charged (I think) twice for a bowl you finish and once for a bowl you don’t finish. I imagine the unfinished food gets recycled back for other customers. For two people we had a hearty meal (I’m still full, two hours later) and were charged 270.000 rupiah (less than £20). Make sure you give a hearty terima kasih on the way out and you’re sure to garner enormous smiles.

Rumah Mode

Rumah Mode is the most famous factory outlet in a city famed for its shopping. As a result it’s very popular with locals and tourists alike. One advantage is that you won’t stick out like a sore thumb here as there are plenty of Westerners who come looking for bargains. It’s located in Setiabudi, a suburb of Bandung which is reasonably fancy, on the left-hand side of the road as you drive up the hill.

Remember going to clothes shops in the UK and seeing labels saying “Made in Indonesia”? Chances are, that item was made in Bandung. It’s a major city for clothing factories, and as a result, factory outlet stores. Firsts and seconds are massively reduced here – for example, a Ralph Lauren shirt advertised on the label as being worth USD80 was about IDR160.000, or about £10 (Oct 2012). Now I don’t pretend to be interested in fashion, but they are good quality clothes for the price of poor quality clothes in the UK. I was told that Rumah Mode is actually pretty expensive, and the really cheap places are on the way into the centre. But it’s an experience to visit anyway, and well worth it for total bargains.

First you must take an angkot to the McDonalds junction on Jl. Ir. H. Juanda (Dago Street). Get off here. Take care crossing the road (seriously) to the McDonalds corner. Here, looking down Dago Street (not up the hill), you need to cross the road again and turn right, walking down towards the Scarlet Hotel, the nearest recognisable landmark. Now you must catch another angkot, from this side of the road. Make sure it is an angkot to Ledeng (marked Ledeng-Chiheum or Ledeng-Ciyomo). Ask (just say “Ledeng?”) if you’re unsure. Keep your eyes peeled for the big “RUMAH MODE” sign hanging over the road and shout “Kiri kiri” (left) when you see it. The driver will pull into the left. Get out and hand over a 5.000 rupiah note, and expect some change. If you’re lucky like we were a grumpy man on the passenger seat will pay for you and your ride will be free. The best thing to do is look confused and take up people’s time.

Rumah Mode is down its own little sidestreet, with bells hanging above it. It’ll probably be full of people and tour buses, too. It is full of water features and sculptures and is actually quite pleasant, if you ignore the hordes of people (admittedly this is difficult). The water features contain massive carp that I wouldn’t want to feed just in case they take your fingers, too. There is one large shop on the right, towards the end, and lots of cafes, bakeries and restaurants on the left. Apparently the restaurant here is noted for its oxtail soup, but we weren’t about to find out. Once in the shop, which is a closer approximation to hell than KL LCCT, women’s and children’s clothes are on the left, and men’s clothes are on the right. It sounds simple enough but it is pretty confusing.

All-in-all, a couple of hours wandering around Rumah Mode might be stressful, painful and very tiring, but it’s definitely a Bandung experience worth having. And remember – at least it’s not Meadowhall.

PS: Glyn’s claim that his present shopping will be over and done with in ten minutes is not bravado. He is a seriously efficient shopping machine.

ITB Graduation Procession

Graduation ceremonies at ITB are, by all accounts, utterly unique. Forget the dull, stuffy affairs of British universities (although that probably happens too) – this is a riot of noise, colour and solidarity. Especially noise.

The ceremonies happen three times in a year: In April, July and October. Undergraduate ceremonies are on a Saturday (in 2012, the 3rd Saturday in October) and postgraduate ceremonies happen on the day before. Find out from the graduates when this’ll be, although probably everyone else in Bandung will know the dates too. You should head down for around 1pm if you want to catch the whole thing, which goes on until at least 5pm. Take an angkot to the main entrance of ITB, which are plentiful. Note that you should avoid walking back to Juanda Dago from this road after sunset because it’s known for robberies – frequent angkots run back to the main road anyway. On this road there are lots of women selling flowers, as it’s traditional for people to give friends who are graduating a single flower.

If you’re unsure about where to go once you get inside, just follow the noise. The procession starts on the main steps next to the library and the research building – they’re big, modern concrete buildings at the edge of the campus. Here you’ll see lots of students and other spectators gathered to watch as each major emerges from the tunnel with the year’s cohort of graduates and other members of the department. Each faculty carries an enormous, ancient-looking banner with the logo of the faculty on, each featuring ITB’s iconic seated elephant, which they’ll display on the steps whilst someone with a big voice leads chants of solidarity to the department. Student associations for each major discipline are very strong at ITB and there’s an impressive display of camaraderie between all the students and graduates. Many graduates return each year for this tradition, and some continue to participate in the seeing off of the present graduates. As ITB attracts students from all over Indonesia, there are families there from the entire country, some in their traditional folk costumes. The whole thing is quite a spectacle. Once the main speech and chants are through, they will snake their way up the steps at either side of the tunnel – easily the best place to stand – and down the main boulevard of the campus.

Each faculty wear jackets of its own colours – mining engineering, for example, wear red, whilst oceanography wear deep blue and biology wear green. It’s at this point that you’ll also notice people dressed in other outfits. Each year, every faculty chooses a theme for the second part of the procession, the presentations. On the year I was there, there were themes about Mexico, cartoons, the history of flight, Halloween, dreams and the circus, and many more. Bangbang told me that during his time with the chemical engineers they chose, amongst others, Arabian and cowboy themes.

Once you’re done watching the chanting, head down the main boulevard. ITB is usually a beautiful, calm place which feels very European and pleasant compared to the hectic streets of Bandung. When you enter the campus you’re in the “modern” section of the university. Further along is the “transition” section, where old and new architecture is blended with interesting results. Look out for the union building, a controversially modern design in the “old” section of the university which won a national design competition. Most of the other buildings in this area were constructed by the Dutch in the first half of the 20th Century – stylistically, they feature steep roofs and look much more European than other buildings in Bandung. Stretching down the middle of one section is a long trough leading to a fountain. The base of the fountain is a mosaic of a map of Indonesia, whilst the trough is lined with the music for the Indonesian national anthem.

Past the other university gates, at either side of the boulevard, there are two open spaces where the procession for each faculty will stop. They will have been chanting and marching all the way through the university, so you would think you would hear them approach. Not so. Each faculty performs a presentation with music, dance and theatre, based on the theme they have selected. These range from the informative (the aerospace engineers performing the history of flight) through the melodramatic (a street dance-off between Mafia and Triads, performed by the geography department) to the downright bizarre (some kind of mythical battle, performed by the metallurgical engineers). It’s very strange, but top quality entertainment. Stand on the granite ledge in the middle for the best view – it alternates sides, so you have to keep turning around. It can be tiring on your feet as the ground is stupidly hard and you don’t need to move around much. The place is very busy but feels very safe – everyone there is wishing their fellow graduates well. It’s still probably a good idea to keep your wits about you though.

After the presentation there is more solidarity chanting that can feel like football firms at time, but it’s all in good spirits. The main student body will then wish the graduating students good luck, and there’ll be applause and shouting and drum-banging. By that time the faculty on the other side will have set up and be ready to start, so turn around and the whole thing starts again.

It may sound weird, but the whole experience is a lot of fun, and you can be guaranteed to be the only Westerner there. It’s a very popular thing for Bandung residents to do too, so if you brave this, you’re truly getting into the Bandung spirit.

New leaves

I'm currently working in Bandung, Java, Indonesia. Whilst this state of affairs started six weeks ago, and there's only two weeks left, I've been doing a little writing here and there whilst I've been out here. As such, and as this blog is already 90% travel writing, I've decided to resurrect it, 5 years later.

To coin a forum phrase, ultimate necro-posting.

Anyway, what follows was mostly written 4-5 weeks ago whilst Hannah was away in the jungle, as during that time I was pretty bored most evenings. There's stuff not only about Bandung but also weekend trips (as that's the only time I really got to myself) and also some other interesting stuff that happened whilst I was away.

It's a bit self-indulgent but hey, what blog isn't? Hope you enjoy it.