All in Abundance in Bandung

WHATEVER YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IN A HOLIDAY RETREAT, FERRY DE BAKKER SAYS BANDUNG HAS IT ALL, AND IN ABUNDANCE.

When it comes to tourist destinations, Indonesia probably has more potential than any other country in South-east Asia. The number of attractions on the many islands, large and small, is beyond belief. Indonesia offers an incredible variety of history, culture, food, natural beauty and, above all, friendly people.

WHERE ARE THE VISITORS?

Yet, it only attracts some 14.5 million visitors, according to the most recent statistics. This is even less than Singapore’s 17.4 million, let alone Thailand, which long ago recognised the importance of tourism to its economy and which runs sophisticated promotion campaigns. It has become a favourite destination and welcomed close to 40 million foreigners last year.

The Indonesian government understands this, as it regards the travel and tourism industry as an important driver of economic development. Its tourism promotion emphasizes its cultural as well as natural resources. The country is increasing protected areas and attracting interest in naturerelated activities.

DEVELOPING NEW TOURIST DESTINATIONS

Yet, Indonesia still doesn’t fare so well on several fronts. For example, as one of the most biodiverse habitats in the world, it needs to address deforestation, insufficient treatment of wastewater, and augmenting threatened species. There is also a need to focus on improving the country’s infrastructure and on increasing the supply of hotel rooms. And, despite the friendliness of its citizens, the quality of service needs to be improved too.

Indonesia is seeking to promote tourism destinations other than Bali, which currently accounts for almost 40% of all tourist arrivals. A thought-provoking initiative, announced in 2016, is the development of 10 tourist destinations across the country, knowns as the 10 New Balis. In November 2017, the government decided it would refocus its efforts on four of them, Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Borobudur in Central Java, Mandalika in West Nusa Tenggara, and Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara.

BANDUNG CENTRE OF ART DECO

There is, however, no need to wait for these

initiatives to be fully developed, to enjoy many of the country’s gems. One that is easy to reach from Singapore is Bandung. Silkair offers daily direct morning flights, which allow you to be at your destination in time for lunch. An exciting alternative is to fly to Jakarta and from there, take the train to Bandung.

The city is Indonesia’s fourth most populous, with over 2.5 million inhabitants, yet has retained the charm of the much smaller village it used to be in the old, colonial days. In the first 25 years of the last century, Bandung gradually became a resort city for the Dutch. Elegantly designed hotels, restaurants and cafés earned it the name ‘The Paris of Java’. A respectable number of them have survived the times and these art deco inspired buildings can be seen all over town. These include hotels such as the Prama Grand Preanger, and the Savoy Homann, built from 1937-39 and designed by Dutch arsitek (architect) A.F. Aalbers. One of the bestpreserved buildings is the Gedung Sate, a colonial building, constructed in 1920, which housed the Dutch East Indies Department of Government-owned industries.

JALAN BRAGA

The old-town, 1920s shopping street must have been something special in the early days. It has obviously changed a lot, but it is a pleasure to wander around. Would like to have a good quality local brew? Go ahead and select the best local coffee shop: Two Hands Full, Blue Doors and Two Cents are good candidates.

A good place for lunch or dinner? The top attraction here is the cool Braga Art Café, where the local, Sundanese, food is delicious, the service very friendly and the atmosphere as relaxed as you could want.

SOTO AYAM

Another noteworthy building in Braga Street is the Concordia Cinema, decorated with a classic Kala head motive on its façade. The architect was Wolff Schoemaker, a Dutchman born in Indonesia, where he was to spend most of his life. He died in 1949. Among his other designs are the Preanger Hotel and the Villa Isola.

As is to be expected, food is excellent everywhere and a good soto ayam can be found both in upmarket restaurants and food stalls on the streets. Hummingbird is a particularly good

restaurant and one which has a comfortable nonsmoking section, something regrettably not always so easy to find in Indonesia.

MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES GALORE

The city has some fun museums. Top on the list should be the Nuart Sculpture Park, a modern building and well-developed surrounding garden with many sculptures in North Bandung.

It was created by the artist Nyoman Nuarta and is an oasis of calm in the otherwise bustling city. A pleasant restaurant, which also serves as a gallery, makes this half-day or longer visit a memorable experience. There are captivating galleries as well, especially in the highlands.

Worth mentioning is the Lawangwangi Art Gallery, which describes itself as a creative space for Indonesian and international artist. Another wellknown gallery nearby is the Selasar Soenaryo Art Space, where Mr Soenaryo’s oeuvre is exhibited, as well as works by talented young artists. Back in town, something completely different and worth visiting is the Museum Konferensi Asia Afrika in the Gedung Merdeka Building. This is where 29, mostly newly independent countries, got together in 1955 to discuss cultural and economic cooperation between Asian and African nations.

THE RESORTS

Along the slopes of the mountains are luxurious resorts, where it is a pleasure to stay. We selected the Padma Hotel, a contemporary structure with all the facilities one can wish for. The views here are beautiful, as it is set in natural surroundings. This also makes it a good location for walks on the many trails that have been created.

This part of Bandung is quiet, green and the place where many large villas are located. In addition, apart from the resort hotels, a good number of restaurants are found here. Interestingly, an increasing number of them, although still a minority, don’t serve alcohol. One can imagine the fears among hoteliers, restaurant owners and the Indonesian tourism board, let alone the tourists themselves, that this trend should continue.

FAMILY FOCUS

When you add it all up, there is much to do in around Bandung. Much of it caters to families and these are places that attract many visitors, in other words, mass-tourism, oftentimes resulting in long queues at the entrance or at the various attractions. The most popular ones are the Lembang Floating Market and Farm House, the Dago Dreampark, the Amazing Art World, and the

Teras Cikapundung BBWS Citarum, to name just a few.

There are also waterfalls and cliffs. Not really my kind of thing, since I can’t stand crowds and queues. Finally, there is the well-known White Crater, also known as the Kawah Putih, a lake which is particularly popular among Indonesian families. There is also a lot of good-quality, attractively priced shopping to do in the malls and local boutiques.

SPEND A WEEK, OR MORE.

All these attractions make Bandung a great place to visit and this is also the problem with this destination. Bandung is crowded and this results in never-ending traffic jams. As bad as these are during the workdays, it is during the weekends that one can experience mothers of all traffic jams. This is when Jakarta residents get in their cars and drive 140km in search of authenticity, culture, good Sundanese food, family amusement parks and above all the mild climate, a result of the town being located 750m above sea level.

Well, crowded it may be, but there are many quiet areas as well in this vibrant city. Whatever you are looking for when you wish to spend a week, or longer, somewhere, Bandung has it in abundance.v