bandung

Bandung needs no introduction.. Culinary, shopping & sightseeing were the main attractions. If you do internet search on factory outlet , you will eventually come across to Bandung , thanks to rave online reviews that it has received from its loyal patron.. So, why i choose Bandung instead of thousands other destination in this world? 1st, it's situated in South East Asia, just nearby Malaysia, so the language doesnt differ much (although they converse in Bahasa Indonesia, it's still understandable!).. So, it's a shame if i never set my feet there.. 2nd, its Rupiah currency vs RM allow me to kill 2 bird with one stone, shopping while enjoying the nature it has to offer.. Having experiencing shopping spree in Vietnam, why not consider shopping in my itinerary? 3rd, it's accessible via Jakarta. Jakarta was the capital of Indonesia, so, i can proudly say that i used to go to MONAS at the capital city of Indonesia. What to shop depend on your favourite. For me, i consider kain sulam first (i know Bukittinggi offer more kain sulam but hey, i'm more attracted to inactive volcano & highland of Bandung with strawberry farm & tea plantation more than shopping alone ).. Different shops/outlwts have different design & pattern, so it's best for you to grab the pattern that you like straight away.. I leave some spaces for Jakarta's kain sulam but there were limited choice for me ( i dont know if i went to wrong location but not much choice at Pasar Baru Jakarta, Tanah Abang, IT Mangga dua(the section for kain sulam closed that day) & few other places) The lists continue with 1) telekung solat- Telekung travel is cheaper here(light & isnt bulky, helpful to reduce a kilogram or few gram in your luggage while teravelling here & there) For ordinary telekung, sulam dominated most of the pattern, some even have bag for that telekung & some contain sejadah.. The same item was expensive in Malaysia ( expensive is subjective ) 2) perfume - i'm not a fan of branded perfume but here in Bandung, you can request any smell that you want, just name your favourite perfume brand, be it Lancome, Christian Dior, Anna Sui, Hugo Boss or any brand that you like, chance are, they'l be ready in just few mibutes!(if the queue isnt long).. The extra feature that i like most is, i can request for alcohol free perfume! Although they are colourless ( the coloured one usually contain alcohol- that was what the boss at In Parfum told me) & the price tag for alcohol free perfume doubled than normal price (the price doubled because they use more concentrated essence & skip the alcohol diluent), believe me, it's worth it. In fact, i cant differentiate the original brand with the fake one. The smell of my perfume lasted for 1 - 2 days & i love it! If you bring along your original container, no one will say that you use imitation!( oh, exception for those yang brand conscious, maybe this cheaper alternative doesnt suit you!) 3) jeans Tailor-made jeans are widely available here.. as for me, i made few items, including peplum & overall(being a copycat, 100% copy the idea of my friend).. i can choose the material & the design. For the peplum, i googled the design & choose one & gave the picture to the staff & i'm satisfied with the outcome. Even my mother & my friend's mother complimented that my choices were good (not fit & design ok).. However, that was the result of fitting, alter, fitting & alter again.. the reason? the owner was a chinese, & usually, the Chinese love the design that fit your body perfectly ( showing every curves that you have) & when she measure, she use that 'fit' measuring & note 'lebih longgar'.. However, that lebih longgar wasnt loose at all, so need to alter it.. Both my friend & i said add 2 inches but 2 inches in Indonesia means 2 cm & that 2 cm doesnt make any difference.. & that call for 2nd alteration! The best solution here is to give 2-3 daus extra time so that if you need alteration, you still had plenty of times to wait.. Bring along the sample for measuring purpose if you dont believe their measuring skills! 4) Factory outlets' items like branded clothes/ trousers/children attire/ leather products, shoes, bags & the leist continue.. 5) Souvenirs - Fridge Magnet & keychain are cheaper in Bandung than Jakarta. For those who love to collect FM as a proof that you had once being there, it's advisable to buy it in Bandung because it contained Jakarta's FM as well . For nature, i want: 1) volcano & the breathtaking scenery along the journey to the volcano Kawah Putih located in the suburb of Ciwidey.. The journey to Ciwidey was a pleasant one, woth its natural bauties / well preserved nature.. The sight of tea plantation areas, strawberry farm, horse with carriers ( i dont know what's the name but it's common in the outskirts of Ciwidey.. Bajaj(bajai?) & angkut were available in the town but not in the village) .

how i survive in jakarta & bandung

1) Hotel 101 Bandung Dago Hotel was good, be it the room & amenities or location.. All is well for me & the breakfast was marvellous ( i dislike indonesian cuisine, the hotel breakfast was the only 'close to home' food that i had - the menu were almost similar to Malaysia & staying in Indonesia for 1 week, made me appreciate local cuisine ).. I'm not a fan of Maggi, so no stock of Maggi .. when it comes to food, i just grab whatever that the cafe /restaurants offer.. Back to hotel, my supir said that he can book 2 room at Aston Marina Hotel Apartment for RM200.. Suitable for a family / a gang of travellers.. I dont fancy apartment for 3 person because i care about safety most(scary if there were only 3 of us!).. The price for 101 Hotel is a bit pricy for me but that was okay because i paid just 1/3 of the total cost! Location wise, hotels in Dago were more expensive than other areas/roads because there were lots of Factory Outlet there.. If you want to save cost, better to stay at Jalan Cihampelas or Jalan Riau (Factory Outlet banyak jugak, cuma x sebanyak Dago).. But if you aim for XL-sized clothes, i think FOs were not suitable for you... most of the clothes are small & fit your body perfectly (i dont like that type of clothes!) In Jakarta, i stayed in Hotel 55 Mangga Dua, but frankly speaking, i dislike the environment.. Much like a typical budget hotel but the environment outside was similar to Chow Kit.. Stayed for 2 night there, for me was more to 'have a place to sleep & rest' since we came back to hotel late ..not recommended for fussy traveller & even if you are a backpacker, for me, better you choose a hotel with a safe environment like near shopping complex or nearby decent restaurants.. i cant complain much since i dont know where to stay in Jakarta & there were lots of bloggers stayed in Hotel 55, so i thought it should be okay.. Please take note that the decorations of hotel was full with Buddhist statues ( nampak patung mcm patung Buddha je).. Another alternative was to find a good deal/promotion at Traveloka, indonesian based website with no hidden charge.. My supir told me that it was a new website that always come up with fabulous & attractive prices for hotel.. 2) Simcard SIMPATI for 5 days was my choice but using too much internet lead to overuse of credit ( bila kuota internet habis, kuota untuk call ditelan).. So on Day 4, i was out of credit & hence, need to top up ( takut bila lost contact & xdapat hubungi sesiapa especially in emergency).. 3) money exchange My friend teach me about TT rate (telegraphic transfer) -, so that i got good deal.. However, considering the location, i cant apply it but I'm grateful because he shared this precious knowledge. Boleh cuba tukar duit dengan TT rate lepas ni bila nak travel oversea (dengan syarat bukan kat location yang tersangat strategik - mesti laa pengurup wang tu action & insist bagi normal rate bila ramai orang tukar dengan dia). In Malaysia, i change my money at UO Chow Kit (rate paling murah yang dijunpai di Malaysia lepas survey kat airport, area Chow Kit & Quill city Mall tapi x semurah di Bandung).. Golden Money Changer near Pasar Baru was my choice in Bandung.. That was the cheapest rate that i could find .. I think the company operated using TT rate because i got the same rate when i withdrew money from CIMB in Bandung ( i dont convert all my money to Rupiah because my friend said that some shop accept RM in Jakarta).. Bila Rupiah di tangan sudah habis tapi xsampai Jakarta pun lagi, memang terpaksa withdraw dari mesin ATM laa.. I activate my card the night before departing to Jakarta in case of emergency & it turned out to be useful.. Minus the RM10 charge for withdrawal through Atm, the rate was okay.. Baik withdraw banyak klu nak ambik thru CIMB sebab rugi charge RM10 tu.. Lagi untung tukar duit kat money changer sebab xde hidden charge.. Rate Jakarta agak mahal, jadi lebih baik tukar duit di Bandung.. But if you are rich & doesnt care about rate, just change your money at airport @ maybe use your ATM card at CIMB, request to dispense Rupiah currency ( ade mesin ATM khas untuk dispense dalam Rupiah, Saudi Arabia Riyal, Hong Kong Dollar, US Dollar, Euro & few other currencies.. 4) Food Choose the cafe or restaurant that you can tolerate rather than stall or masakan Padang (serve all sort of food, you choose what you want to eat & paid only for the portion that you eat@ choose few side dishes & not touch the side dishes that you dislike) to avoid risk of AGE/acute Gastroenteritis @ cirit birit(diarrhea) + sakit perut(cramp).. If you want to cut coat on food, avoid a well known restaurant.. Just choose a regular cafe.. I made mistakes by choosing few popular restaurants but the food wasnt up to my expectation... & talking about Kampung Daun restaurant in Bandung, i think it was overrated.. Lebih kurang Puncak Mutiara Cafe kat Penang je tapi harga mahal.. Environment? Lembang Floating Market & de Ranch offer better scenery. 5) Supir Pak Rudi in Bandung & Pak Nono in Jakarta were both good & dedicated to work.. In Bandung, there was another guide in Pasar Baru,Mas Gono (price already included in supir cost - s

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)..

random

already end of March & thay marked the beginning of Gaji Sudah Tiada nilai lagi(GST) season ..... HOnestly, i'm fed up with current scenario, except for the news regarding hudud .. but i'm not going to ramble about current news since nothing will change.. well, i dont know what i should write here.. the Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta? i went there just for the evening session on 2nd day.. so, nothing much to write actually.. but i'm grateful to the person who helped to dispense Methadone when i had my days off from work..& said that i never go through tough housemanship period when i complained that all work made me a dull person =) Indeed, my PRP moments wasnt as tough as the houseman in term of not having enough time to sleep/socializing, but still, it was a tough year for a beginner like me..but then, 5 years had passed & it was enough to erase all those memories.. guess it's true that the environment during your early days could leave a big impact to your life.. you may fall in love with the condusive environment at certain department & decide to specialize in that area & vice versa.. oh, already 1.30am in the morning & i had to work tomorrow, so, i'm signing off for now

pulau perhentian

look like i wont finish writing my ho chi minh trip.. a bit lazy.. by the way, perhentian island was an unexpected trip.. thinking of visiting friend near my ex school but chinese new year was the balik kampung season, so traffic congestion was unavoidable... 2 hours to KT could be more than 4 hours.. so, quickly switched to the nearest place rather than wasting my annual leave... the place was my hang out port in the evening after finishing work.. i mean, another alternative than driving to Pantai Bisikan Bayu/Tok Aman Bali Beach Resort (a spot for water activities here!),jeti Kuala Besut / Pulau Perhentian, Pantai Air Tawar, Bukit Keluang or sometimes choosing different route @ Tok Bali & Pantai Irama... Since the place was quite near & i have to work in the next 2 days, i decided to choose a one day tour (boat 8.30 am & 4pm)... thinking of it now, perhaps the trip to Perhentian was the cheapest holiday for me rather than going somewhere else... no flight /bus ticket, not much budget for food/lodging & not much fuel consumed to go there... Back to my trip, we head to Taman Laut @ Perhentian Besar, had breakfast near Abdul Chalet, start snorkelling at 10am - 5 different points(shark point, turtle point & 3 more -x-ingat-point), lunch at Kampung Nelayan(Perhentian Kecil), taking water taxi to Perhentian Besar & spend the remaining time at Perhentian Besar.. indeed,the azure blue sky & crystal clear water(with different colour tones!) were the main attractions at Perhentian Island.. one day trip certainly wasnt enough!

ho chi minh in general

1) it's okay if you have no feeling to convert RM to Dong if you go via agent/ package because RM are widely accepted.. except if you go backpacking, youneed USD &Dong to pay food & transportation .. my friend paid our Mee Pho at Hajjah Basiroh & i paid our bingka ubi (soft,delicious!) & 'kopi susu' using RM but of course the price were slightly higher!to be honest, during ny trip, i never use Dong & still clueless camne laa rupa Vietnam Dong .. i paid everything in RM & got the balance in RM too! err, that double trip @ pre and post shopping at Hajah Basiroh were the outcome of shop till drop & last day dah nak balik tp kitorang xde beg pun lagi.. so, we skip breakfast, went to Saigon Square tapi tuﹰtup.. Round Ben Thanh tapi harga mahal.. so we stick to our original plan, pegi balik Saigon square.. tak tawar sangat sebab Singaporean yang kitorang jumpa the night before advise us tak yah tawar sangat sebab dah murah.. He said 50 boleh dapat beg Samsonite yang paling besar.. Tapi bila sampai baru sedar, he mean 50 SGD... mestilaaa dia kira based on duit dia.. tapi still cheap compared to Malaysia... our tour leader, Tory said that vietnamese xheran pun dgn Chinatown Malaysia sebab kualiti barang kat Pasar(Cho Ben Thanh & Cho Binh Tay) jauh lagi superior dgn harg yang jauh lagi murah.. 2) Speaking of luggage, i yang xpernah bwk luggage ikut limit berat redah je bawak naik 35++ kg bag kat KLIA on our way back from KL (balik Vietnam cukup cukup 30 kg,tp pegi tambah masa transit KL) ... rupenye 1 bag xleh lebih dari 30kg sebab nanti beg tu xbergerak bila letak dkt tmpt kita check in luggage.. so, terpaksa laa bukak beg & susun balik.. again, skali lagi beg xlepas sebab they need proper packaging ... tp sebab dah lambat, staff lepas je tp warning : klu xsampai, jangan blame kitorang ye... Lucky that 6 kg bags(3 Deuter for me & younger sister& brother, embroided bags & 4 in1 bag from Mekong) arrived , safely! Oh yes, there are Northface bag, Kipling& so on but the design of Deuter bag are attractive ( in my eyes)... bila selamat sampai baru sedar bag alone dah berat.. patutlaa rasa sikit je beli barang tapi luggage lebih limit.. So, another tips, choose a light but big bag if you want to shop till drop.. sebab klu shopping banyak, rugi kg luggage je.. silk agak berat, so if you buy lots of silk for family, luggage pun sah sah berat.. 3) if you think that the price are already cheap, if you dont have time, just grab the items that you want.. sebab price dari 1 kedai ke kedai lain dekat Ben Thanh lebih kurang je.. kecuali embroided shirts & simple bag, the cheapest that i found was at Mekong.. but too late, Meking takes 2-3hours by bus(or more), & the shops were closed in the evening, so agak rugi di situ.. tapi walaupun mahal kat sane, still cheap compared to Malaysia.. Slash the price 50% were not applicable at Mekong/boutiques.. 3) beware of everything -bawak beg menghadap ke depan untuk elakkan dicuri.. biar strange asal selamat.. say no to beca-tempat dekat tapi harga mencecah ratus RM.. not my experience , tapi pengalaman kawan. Begitu jugak klu diorang offer kacang utk dicuba atau nak kilatkan kasut lelaki.. just be cautious.. penipu & penyangak pun ramai kat tempat ramai pelancong...

random: clinic vs hospital

just finished a short trip to pantai bisikan bayu / tok aman bali beach resort area, jeti Kuala Besut ( jeti popular klu nk pegi Pulau Perhentian), Pantai Air Tawar & Bukit Keluang... just realized that all the beaches are less than 30 minutes' away... & Pantai Irama is quite near too! no traffic jam, breakfast mostly at RM2 / RM3 instead of RM4/5 @KB, spacious clinic, a calm surrounding, wonderful friends & not living alone anymore, it's 100 times better at clinic than previous hospital..