A week in bandung & jakarta: part 1

Firstly, this isnt a post to show off because i just go to bandung & jakarta. i dont work there/dont have relative in bandung or jakarta .. However, experiencing the ups & down for a week, i think it's better for me to share the experience here. Because for a free & easy traveller who want to experience something that package wont offer ( most packages offer almost similar tentative & i want more than that!) , going on your own was 100 times better.. Moreover, i hope this can help the first timer to decide & arrange your vacation (i always depend on blogger review to arrange itinerary & hotel/find uaeful tips) Although i dont go through package, this trip cannot be classified as backpacker trip either. For a group of first timer, hiring supir is a better option to move around. I decide the itinerary, my friend handle the booking(hotel, flight ticket etc) & the other one handle other details.. Overall, Day 1: boarding train ( Argo Parahyangan) from Jakarta to Bandung. From airport, the initial option was taking Damri bus to Gambir station. However, upon arrival, we dont know where to take Damri bus or bluebird taxi since there were lots of taxi with blue colour & not to mention the huge parking areas (2 level). So, we opted for taxi driver outside airport. Our luck: the driver was okay. Actually, need to be careful with the taxi apart from bluebird because sometimes, let's say they quote Rupiah 200 000, when you reached the destination, the' ll request 200k per individu.. Talking about a scammer! & if some people wonder why we dont hire supir upon arrival, my answer is, we wanted to go to bandung via train to view the breathtaking scenery during the journey, so hiring a supir was redundant (paying extra for airport transfer is not preferable since that amount would help me to shop more =). & another remark, when i hire a supir, i dont expect him to be just like a taxi driver, transporting us from one destination to another destination without any guide/useful information.. Translated, why pay more for a supir who just act like a taxi driver? Better to save cost & channel your money to items that you like most (i mean shopping!).. & my two cents' worth: better hire a supir with good reputation & dedicated to his work rather than going for a cheaper alternative but the supir leave you alone not knowing where you want to go & worst of all, waste your precious times there & turned your holiday into a sour experience since you were exhausted exploring an unfamiliar places but that wasnt up to your expectation! & to top it off, you got nothing at the end.. So, my advise, choose your supir wisely.. If your good supir offer a slightly higher or more expensive quotation, just accept it or you'll end up with nothing (oh, maybe an unforgettable memory of being lost in huge shopping complex/place of interest!).. Talking about itinerary, please bear in mind that we only propose but god dispose! An accident occured at one of train station, causing the train to delay for 3 and half hour, so we end up viewing the darkness of Jakarta & the whole route to Bandung! Lucky our supir in Bandung was cool enough to wait until 9pm(expected arrival time: 6pm).. & lucky the process of check in went smoothly & the dinner was okay. Thinking back, i was relieved that we hire supir that day because arriving at an unfamiliar place at night , of course there were risks of danger (criminals/overpriced taxi/ exhausted & hungry since most cafes/restaurants closed early)... By the way, for those who still dont know that 5pm in Bandung was equal to 7pm in KL/Peninsular Malaysia, be careful when you make your own itinerary.. Avoid arrival at night if you wish to view scenery from train (like us).. & another note, i think 'sedekah ' to a foreigner is a a good way to do charity(since our train was delayed, we were hungry but not really sure if the food at train station were halal or not, so we go for a temporary hunger strike =).. Lucky a local sitting beside me offer her pisang bollen keju .. Enough to gave energy to continue our journey.. I'm thankful for that an unexpected 'rezeki' & i think, that was a good way to do charity.. 'Sedekah' halal food for a muslim foreigner (first timer)..