So I (finally) found the time to blog about my trip to Bandung with my boyfriend, Darren! I'll be doing two separate blog posts for Day 1 & 2 though because there's quite a bit of content.
If you didn't already know, my boyfriend and I decided to take a short 3D2N trip to Bandung (which is in Indonesia, not the pink drink by the way) to celebrate our 18th month anniversary. It was a really last minute decision- we knew we wanted to go overseas to celebrate but we didn't know where and only decided on the country a few days before. Bandung was a really risky place for us to choose because we didn't know anything about the country. Heck, we've never actually even heard of it before! But we made the impulsive decision after stumbling across a video on Youtube promoting the location and after quite a bit of research. Bandung isn't a well-developed country and it is also pretty run-down. Safe to say, it isn't a popular choice among tourists.. Especially since it was our first time travelling alone together.. But hey, unexpected adventures are the best, no? I'm glad to say there're absolutely no regrets.
Day One: 6th September 2015
All prices stated are converted to SGD
Upon touchdown, we immediately went to purchase the local SIM cards there so that we can contact our parents. And from our first ever transaction in Bandung, Indonesia.. We received this note which made us laugh our asses off.
And so our adventure began..
We managed to call a cab and made our way to Hyatt Regency Hotel. We were so glad and relieved that the hotel turned out great and that we splurged to book a 5* hotel because looking at how run-down the airport was, we were afraid that our accommodation wouldn't match up to the amount we spent. But it was decent, so all's good!
TripAdvisor-ed good recommendations for cafes in Bandung and decided on an eatery named Cafe Oz. We took a cab there and ended up getting scammed. :-( So cab rides are super cheap, they're like $4 for a 25 minute cab ride. So what happened was that the cab driver drove us to the cafe and the meter amounted to $3.50. So we were about to pay when the cab driver offered to wait for us to eat for an hour and then send us back to the hotel for +$10 as there were barely any cabs around the area so it would be hard to find one. But one ride back would only cost $3.50 so I was immediately like no, then I bargained for +$6 instead and he didn't want to so I was like okay nevermind then and then started to exit the cab and he caved in. So the agreement was set - $6.
So here comes the rant:
After eating, we went out of the cafe and as expected, there the cab driver was, waiting for us. So we entered the cab again and I realized that the meter had still been running and it was at about $5 already. But y'know since we already agreed on $6, I just ignored it because it didn't matter. When we arrived at the hotel, the meter reached $8.50. But when the cab stopped, my boyfriend went "how much?" and then I looked and him and was like "why're you asking? Just pass him $6" But Darren didn't hear me because he was concentrating on the driver who then pointed at the meter so he just took out $8 and held it in his hand. So I was obviously like WTF- so I faster shook him and tried to get him to listen to me and went "Bro give him $6 like we agreed on wtf he trying to scam our money" then he was like huh? And then the cab driver just took the $8 from his hand and I immediately was like what on EARTH so obviously I was immediately damn pissed at Darren for being so blur. I tried to explain to him saying something along the lines of: omg why the hell you pass him $8??? We agreed on $6 previously remember????????? But that just made him more confused because he doesn't work well under pressure and then he took out another $6 and I immediately went WTF ARE YOU DOING omg fuck it let's just leave then the cab driver took another like $3 from his hand and I went berzerk and pushed Darren out of the cab.
Bae apologized to me afterwards when I explained the whole situation properly and lets just say that.. That was the last time he was in charge of paying for the cab during our trip. HAHAHA
Now enough of that, let's rewind and talk about the food at the cafe.
The Cafe was super cheap so we ended up over-ordering hahaha but damn, we were pretty disappointed at how the food tasted. It looks so good on camera but the taste was bleh.
This was the best thing there though, this oreo milkshake cost $2.50 and it was the best milkshake I've ever tasted. I would pay $10 for that shit.
These spicy wedges cost $1.70 for 6 pieces. I hated the chili powder though, it was really dry and bland.
These calamari went at $2.10 and it was just super hard and rubbery. Not nice.
This plate of Mexican Beef Tacos cost $4.40 but didn't even taste like they were worth more than $1. This was just a super huge disappointment because when it came, it looked super appetizing and cool but the beef was suuuuuper dry and bland, and the sauces... Let's just say they didn't taste pleasing.
This dish though, Bangers & Mash, was the most disappointing dish served to us at that restaurant. Look at it- it looks amazing. But god damn it, it was TASTELESS.
This plate of meegoreng was alright though. I mean, how wrong can you get with meegoreng?
Took a nap at the hotel after lunch for a few hours and then took a cab down to the Cihampelas Walk which is supposedly known to be a busy street at night with all the street food and shops.... But we overslept and by the time we got here, the peak hour was already over and all the shops were closing.... So we went into the mall nearby instead and played at the arcade! (PS: It's super cold at night in Bandung, I was freezing even while wearing a leather jacket.)
The arcade was super cheap, it was like a few cents per game.
Won these two for ma bae because he kept on missing the toys hahaha
Headed over to this really atas restaurant at the Trans Luxury Hotel named the 18th Restaurant & Lounge. We supposed to have dinner there but arrived after the kitchen closed so we stayed for drinks there instead. It was the best-viewed restaurant I've ever been to. When I stepped in I just went, wow. The restaurant had a stunning - no, stunning is an understatement. What's a better word than stunning? Well, basically it was just fucking amazing.
I'm sorry that these photos doesn't give the view any justice at all- you have to be there to understand how crazily gorgeous it is. It was just something you would never experience seeing in Singapore because the houses and buildings are pretty flat in Bandung, unlike Singapore where there're a lot of tall buildings. So the view is extraordinarily vast, I could even see the curve of the city. It was so romantic. Definitely recommend you to visit this place if you're ever in Bandung.
The best part about this restaurant is that they have a corner where the floor is glass so you're practically looking down 18 stories. It was terrifying, but I managed to gather the courage to walk on it.
Will be blogging about day 2 soon, where we woke up at 5am and traveled around Bandung. So stay tuned! x
"If it hurts to look back, if you're scared to look forward, look beside you and I'll be there"
