Bandung Tourism Tourism Travel Guide

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Bandung Tourism Travel Guide and Tourist Information.

Bandung is the capital city of West Java, Indonesia, situated on a plateau 768 metres above sea level with a cool climate throughout the year. Although it has a population of over two million the pace of city life is slower than Jakarta's. There ore short drives up to the mountain resorts of Lembang and the Bosscho Observatory, and higher to the volcanic crater of Tangkuban Perahu, the only crater in Java accessible all the way by car as for as its rim. It is an aweinspiring sight of emanating sulphur fumes. Descent into all the volcano's 12 craters is only possible with the aid of an experienced guide, because of the presence of suffocating gases at certain spots.

Bandung is the most European city of Java. The raining season starts in Bandung a little bit earlier, then the rest of Indonesia. Normally the raining season in Indonesia is from October till May, the peak of the raining season is in January. The dry season is from June until August, temperature is then 25-30 degrees Celsius during the day. In the morning, the sun is almost shining every day, but in the afternoon many times it gets cloudy, for sunbathing we have to wake up early from 6.30 the sun is already there. In the evening when the sun is down the temperature has drops. The average temperature in Bandung is 22 degrees Celsius; the weather is pleasant all year round.

During the Dutch colonial era, this city became the vacation place for the Dutch people who lived in Batavia (Jakarta). Bandung then was called "Paris van Java. The indigenous people of West Java are the Sundanese,the Bantenese, the Naga people, and the Badui people. Even though these people live in part of Java Island, but their cultures are distinguished from those of the Javanese who live in Central Java and East Java. The Sundanese's unique musical instruments namely kecapi,angklung, suling,etc.The popular dance of West Java is called Jaipongan. Their traditional martial art is called Pencak Silat.The Sundanese also has traditional shadow play, Wayang Golek.

The West Java people are called the Sundanese, endowed with language and traditions unique to that of the rest of Java. The Sundanese language has 3 distinct hierarchies, starting from the lowly harsh, middle, and soft Sundanese. Many Sundanese words have been adopted into Indonesian, although many of its contributions consist of profanities. Pajajaran Kingdom was the oldest kingdom in the region. The West Java region is also named as Parahyangan or the "Land of the Gods". In its later history, the region fell under influence of the Central Java kingdoms, reflected in elite Sundanese having borrowed much of its vocabulary and grammar from elite Javanese. In Indonesia, the Sundanese people are known to be more easy going and less formal in their temperament than their distant relatives from Central Java and East Java. This is reflected in the grammar of the Sundanese language, which has many forms allowing for meaningless light banter. Interestingly, Sundanese has contributed many swear words to the Indonesian language spoken in Jakarta.

The most popular traditional musical instrument is angklung, made of parallel bamboo tubes tuned to specific frequencies with a hammer and is shaken to produce certain notes. Music is performed by a choir of angklung players, each of whom are responsible for sounding certain notes. Its melody is only slightly different from that of Central Java's gamelan ensembles.

The Sundanese language is spoken by approximately 27 million people and is the second most widely spoken regional language in Indonesia, after Javanese. This language is spoken in the southern part of the Banten province, and most of West Java (excepting the northern coastal areas which has seen significant urbanization), and eastwards as far as the Pamali River in Brebes, Central Java.

As West Java's capital city, Bandung is a great place for some serious sightseeing and is so popular with local Indonesians that many Javans from Jakarta head here at the weekend. Guided tours of Bandung are available and recommended, and take tourists all around the city and also to Garut and Pangandaran if you have the time. In the city centre, Jean's Street (Jalan Cihampelas) is one of the world's most unusual shopping streets, since it features larger-than-life models of super heroes from movies. Bandung Zoo is a reliable attraction for families and a good place to spend a sunny afternoon. For culture vultures, the Saung Angklung Udjo offers an insight into the traditional Indonesian bamboo musical instrument named the 'Angklung'.

Bandung is situated approximately 120 km / 75 miles to the south east of Jakarta and its metropolitan area is particularly densely populated. The city is rather spreading in nature and encompasses the northern foothills of a vast and very scenic plateau.

Bandung tourism travel guide and tourist information popular destination :

Angklung.
Angklung is a Sundanese's traditional musical instrument. The instrument made from bamboo where its use by of two bamboo tubes attached to a bamboo frame. The tubes are carved so that they have a resonant pitch when struck. The two tubes are tuned to octaves. The base of the frame is held with one hand while the other hand shakes the instrument rapidly from side to side. This causes a rapidly repeating note to sound. Thus each of three or more angklung performers in an ensemble will play just one note and together complete melodies are produced. Angklung was used and played by the Sundanese since the ancient times.
Nowadays Angklung develop as Angklung in duotone that is developed by Daeng Soetigna. Because of it, Daeng Soetigna are well known in Karawitan Sunda as 'Bapak Angklung Diatonis Kromatis', who are an artist pioneering the changes of Angklung tone in Pentatonic (da-mi-na-ti-la-da in Salendro Key) such as growth in Banten (Pandeglang and Serang). In Banten, this new Angklung art is well known as Angklung Gubrag, Angklung Sered, or Angklung Buncis.

Bandung Zoo.
Bandung Zoo offers particularly impressive and spacious landscaped grounds, with plenty of seating areas and a park-like appearance. However, animal lovers will find that some of the enclosures are a little on the cramped side and lacking in enrichment for their inhabitants. The zoo is home to giraffes, zebras, tigers, bears, monkeys, horses, kangaroos, porcupines, Komodo dragons, parrots and toucans, a number of which can be fed with peanuts. There are also elephants and camels which can be ride. This tourism object was popular in City of Bandung. Bandung Zoo always crowded by domestics tourists from bandung and its surrounding. The visitors’ enthusiasm can be looked especially on Sunday or holiday. Beside can be used as recreation media, the zoo also can be used as an education media for whom want to know about animals world.

Merdeka Bulding/Museum Asia - Africa.
In 1895 Its was Important building on Dutch colonial. At the beginning this building named .Societeit Concordia, The center of culture. On this Building was held for Asia Africa Conference in 1955, and nowday become as a Asia Africa Conference Museum. The Museum Conference remembers how the Asian-African Conference helped to promote both the cultural and economical relations between the two nations. This conference was deemed to be a great success and incorporated a number of key principles from the United Nations Charter, including promoting world peace wherever possible. The collection of exhibits include detailed photographs of the actual meeting, showing famous Third-World leaders, such as Ho Chi Minh and Chou En-Lai.

Sate Building.
This building is named Sate Building because at the top the roof there is a form that looks like a sate stick (a common Indonesian food, a row of cut meat, usually chicken). It was constructured on July 27, 1920 and was first used as the centre of the Dutch government when it established Bandung as the capital city of Indonesia.
The architectural style of Sate Building was chosen by the Dutch government based on design proposals submitted by the architects who were involved in this project Ir. I. Berger. Its arcgitectural style is a combination of Indonesian, Spanish and Thai syles. Nowdays the Sate Building as the centre the west Java provincial government.

Mount Patuha and White Crater (Kawah Putih).
Mount Patuha is located southwest of Bandung and it has 2 crater : Saat crater on the top of west, and White Crater under the Saat crater 2.194 m from the land. The White Crater is a Lake on this mountains is sometimes pale turquoise, or as it's name says 'white'.
The craters adorn the summit of Patuha Volcano with approximately 8 meters of water depth. The White Crater Lake represents a relatively stable volcanic system, with no records of magmatic or phreatic activity since A.D. 1600. Surrounded by the tea plantation, White Crater is one af the most tourism object in Indonesia especially in Bandung, West Java.

Ciater Hot Spring.
Ciater Hot Spring is a nice park with small pools in which we can sit or swim. The streams and pools are fed by warm mineral springs, which are created by the heat from nearby volcanoes. About 30 minutes from Tangkuban Perahu crater. Ciater is pretty little place in the middle of huge tea estate. Its main attraction is the Sari Ater Hot Spring Resort; the pools are probably the best of all the hot springs around Bandung. We can enjoy swimming in warm sulfurous water pools that can heal rheumatism and skin problems. Here we can swim in warm mineral water pools, good for healing skin problems. Ciater hot spring is one stop place for entertainment and relaxation. Ciater is located in Lembang, a green, lush place. The water contains iodium and sulfur, well for curing skin ailments and rheumatism. Equipped with tennis courts, restaurants, and camping area, Ciater is a good way to retreat from every day's life.
Tangkuban Perahu is located in the border district of Bandung Regency and Subang Regency.

Mount Tangkuban Perahu.
Tangkuban Parahu is one of the most favored tourist attractions that located in Subang Regency, and is an active volcano in the height 2084 m sea level. Its unique shape resembled the upside down boat (the Sundanese Language: Tangkuban = overturn, Parahu = Boat), is believed had a connection with the legend of Sangkuriang.
Tangkuban Parahu was popolar as tourism object where tourists can hike or ride to the edge of the crater to view the hot water springs upclose, and buy eggs cooked on its hot surface. This stratovolcano is on the island of Java and last erupted in 1983.
This volcano offers many places to see and explore. Whether we look into the huge crater or hike down into it, stroll through the forest on its slopes, or simply enjoy the splendid panoramic scenery. When seen from Bandung, Mount Tangkuban Perahu has a distinctive shape, like an upside down boat. Tangkuban Perahu means, in fact, "up-turned boat" This peculiar shape has stimulated the fantasy of the Sundanese people from early times as expressed in the Legend of Sangkuriang.
Geologically, Mount Tangkuban Perahu has played a significant role in the development of Parahyangan highlands. Eruptions have contributed immensely to the hills north of Bandung through lava flowing into the valleys and hardening into rock, thus forming big cliffs over which waterfalls leap. Likewise, mud flows have formed a semi-circular cone of gentle gradient (what geologists call "a fan"), which is now a mass that blocked the valley of the ancient Citarum River near present day in Padalarang (some 18 km west of Bandung), this caused a lake to form covering the whole Bandung plain.
Tangkuban Perahu is located in the border district of Bandung Regency and Subang Regency.

Juanda Park.
Juanda Park also know as Dago Park is remaining natural attractions in the suburbs of Bandung, precisely located on the Ciburial Village, Cimenyan Sub-Distric. This park is ideal for walks and good places for picnics.
It is a refreshing 50-ha reservation site that preserves over 2500 kind of trees from 40 families and 108 species. You can stroll around in the park, visit underground fortifications made by the Dutch and Japanese, or hike up into the hills above Dago as far as Maribaya. On Sundays and public holidays the park is rather crowded.

Cibaduyut.
This area well know as Shoes and Bag Centre, alongside road Cibaduyut Bandung, you can see stores in a row decorate merchandise that dominated by bag and shoe. There clothes belongs skin jacket, leather suitcase, bag carries, purse, belt, doll, sandal, and others. The price even also vary, begin from several thousands up to hundreds thousands rupiah.
Most of the branded shoes might not be the real thing even though, many still are of good quality and it is hard to tell if it concerns the real thing or not. Other than that most shoes are Indonesian brands, again of good enough quality and economically priced. Nevertheless, if you are keen on shoes and like a bargain, Jalan Cibaduyut will both satisfy your feet as your wallet.

Cihampelas Jeans street.
Cihampelas is famous with Jeans Store. This is shopping area that become popular as tourism shopping object in Bandung. In the past, it was a cheap and therefore, popular place to score some new jeans. Although the prices have been increasing steadily, and a bargain is found better in other places in Bandung these days, Cihampelas is still worth a visit.
The ‘attraction' lies in the huge statues of all-time favourite moviestars that adorn the fronts of the shops. Sylvester Stallone as Rambo, inclusive of bazooka, is lined up next to Spiderman, while on the opposite side of the street Batman invites you to take a look inside the ‘Superhero Factory Outlet'. The kitsch glamour that Cihampelas displays is quite a sight, although more in a grotesque way than genuinely attractive.

Factory Outlets.
Bandung also know with Factory Outlets (FO), on these place you can find other stuff such as, bag, shoe, belt, hat and many more. Some of these items have Grade A (best quality, but overrun product) or Grade B (export quality, but do not pass qualities). It was originally meant for export garment (textile) factories that open a store directly in their area so that they can sell with bargain prices. Since it was a big success, many factory outlets without the factory itself were opening in many places in the city, also with bargain price tags. To attract people, they decorated the store with many styles: the colonial style, an old Chinese dynasty, etc. Some stores even have a small food court.
Enjoy bargain hunting, take a careful inspection yourself. Check for the standard/damaged items. Beware also for the fake products with branded name.

Distro (Distribution Outlets).
Distros are a new phenomenon in Bandung and also in Indonesia, where a shop sells stylish products that were made by local designers. They are served as a distribution store, because these local designers do not have their own marketing label yet. The products that are sold are books, indie label records, magazines and also other fashion products and accessories. After their products receive large attention, then they make their own clothing company. Now, there are more than 200 local brand names in Bandung. One thing that makes distros stand out from factory outlet is that distros come from individual designers and young entrepeneurs, while factory outlet products come from a garment factory.