Once a weekend town in the hills three hours south of Jakarta, Bandung is now working to place itself on the tourist trail of Asia’s middle class explorers and the airlines that fly them there. The greater city of Bandung is home to some seven and a half million people although you never get the feeling you’re in such a big city. The feel is of a large town - there’s no ‘centre’ or obvious CBD and plenty of old trees lining the roads, a tribute to the Dutch colonists who planted them.
Like most regional Asian cities, it’s difficult to move past the problem of traffic congestion - everyone wants a car it seems - but few find long-term solutions. So, as a tourist wanting to get to your nearest volcano or fancy local restaurant, the traffic will always be there to challenge your itinerary and diminish the experience. Bandung is no different, except they’ve really thought outside the square and come up with a novel solution (you could imagine it working in Phuket).
Every tour bus that moves around the city can have a tourist police escort. They have their siren blaring and enthusiastic tourist police jump out of the cars at crowded intersections to usher the tourists through. You have to see it to believe it, but it works, it really works and changes a potential problem into a fast-track through the hustle and bustle to get where you want to go.
The attraction for Jakarta’s weekenders is the cooler weather. At nearly 800 metres above sea level it’s tangibly cooler right throughout the year. And like just about everywhere around the island of Java, there’s a nearby volcano. A VERY large volcano 2000 metres high with a gaping, wide crater. The Tangkuban Perahu volcano is a 90 minute ride out of town (a lot less with your escort) and up, up, up into the hills where the temperature drops a bit more but still a comfortable low 20s during the day.
Once you push through the ubiquitous touts (a lot pushier than those in Thailand) you do get to experience a very large crater and a few spurts of smoke. The smell of sulphur is still there but the tour guides assure us that we’re not going to die - good to know. Nearby hot springs and another crater that is off limits due to the poison gas still erupting remind us that Indonesia lives in the wake of some of the world’s most spectacular and catastrophic volcanic eruptions. Tangkuban Perahu last erupted in 1983 although there was a bit of a false alarm in 2005 when the roads were closed due to some underground rumblings.
The city is probably most famous for its factory outlets and some stunning 19th and 20th century architecture. The Dutch inhabitants of the city demanded establishment of a town centre at the start of the last century, and Bandung gradually developed itself into a resort city for plantation owners. Luxurious hotels, restaurants, cafes and European boutiques followed and the city become known as the Paris of Java.
While many of the vestiges of European colonisation have been swamped with the fast growth of an independent Indonesia, many of the buildings remain to give Bandung it’s own unique vibe. Apart from the Dutch colonial buildings which house much of the town’s officials and museums, is a collection of stunning art deco architecture. Sadly a lot of it is just rotting away but there’s still enough to attract the world’s art deco enthusiasts - a lot of it hidden away along roads outside the main city. This would be a great project for the city’s leaders to maintain one of the few centres for some of the 20th century’s architectural treasures (Nelson in New Zealand and Miami, Florida being another two.)
But it’s not only the heritage and shopping that are going to lure you to Bandung. There are some emerging signature attractions that are world class and will be part of putting Bandung on the map for Indonesian tourism into the future. Dusun Bambu is just one of these new attractions. Imagine a Bamboo theme park. Walkways through tall bamboo with futuristic living areas, all made from bamboo. Contemporary architecture with displays, fine dining and more relaxed areas. A novel village built from bamboo around a lake and beautifully landscaped areas to just wander and enjoy local cultural traditions. There’s obviously more to bamboo that I thought!
Beyond some of the signature tourist attractions Bandung will keep browsers and bargain hunters busy at its many markets. The layout of the city is a bit of a rabbit warren but the local tourism authority has worked hard to ensure good maps and guides are easy to follow and make getting around easy and fun. And the escorts help a lot too.
Silk Air fly to Bandung, via Singapore.
Tim was flown to Bandung by Silk Air and was a guest of the Tourist Association of Bandung.