After visiting Jakarta and taking an overnight trip to see the botanical gardens of Bogor, our journey across Java continued eastward. From the Big Durian, it’s just a 3-hour train ride to Bandung – capital of West Java, second largest metropolitan area, and third largest city population wise.

During the Dutch colonial years, Bandung developed into somewhat of a resort city for the owners of the many tea plantations that surrounded the area. European style cafes, hotels, and restaurants began popping up all over the city, earning it the nickname Paris van Java (Paris of Java). Thanks to the rapid development and exponential population growth, it’s hard to see much of Paris in Bandung these days. While the city is crowded, polluted, congested, and all those other bad things associated with Asian mega-cities, there’s plenty to see and do here to warrant a visit. From Bandung, there are also countless opportunities for great day or overnight trips to more natural areas. As we were in a bit of a hurry so I could get to Yogyakarta and begin my Indonesian class, we only got the chance to spend one full day in Bandung. Here’s a little rundown of how the day went and what we were able to do.

Stare Down into a Crater

In the morning, we headed out and braved the wild traffic of the city center on foot in search of the correct stop to catch a local bus. These minibuses are called angkot in Indonesian, a shortened version of angkutan kota (city transportation). They are all over the big cities of Indonesia, and they can be a bit confusing to the uninitiated. As there are no fixed stops, you simply find the angkot that you want to take and flag them down. To get out to the mountain, we had to take two separate angkots through some abysmal traffic and then walk uphill for over an hour. It was nice to stroll along the nature trail instead of paying a guy with a motorbike to zoom up to the top, and we even spotted plenty of monkeys.

The mountain is called Tangkuban Perahu, meaning “flipped boat” in Indonesian. Behind the name is an outlandish legend that is definitely worth reading (a decent English version can be found here). For those with short attention spans, here are the ridiculous bullet points from the story:

• A long time ago there was a king who somehow impregnated a female boar.
• The baby grew up to be a charming, beautiful woman named Dayang Sumbi. She was also a skilled weaver.
• One day when she was weaving, her thread fell out of the window. She stated that whoever brought back her thread would be rewarded – if it was a female, she’d make her a sister, and if it was a male, she would make him her husband. A dog brought it to her.
• She married the dog, and they had a son named Sangkuriang.
• When he grew up, the son went hunting with the dog, unaware that it was his dad.
• Dayang Sumbi told her son to bring her the heart of a deer. When he couldn’t find a deer, he decided to kill the dog. He served his mother the heart of the dog, who was also her husband.
• She kicked her son out, demanding he never return.
• After many years, Sangkuriang ended up back in his village, but he had lost all of his memories. He found a beautiful woman and proposed to her. Little did he know that the woman was his mother, who had achieved eternal beauty. When she noticed his scar, Dayang Sumbi discovered that the man was her son.
• As she had already accepted his proposal, she had to think of a way out. She challenged him to build a lake and a boat in the span of one night if they were to be married.
• Sangkuraing almost finished, as he had assistance from spirits. Dayang Sumbi noticed he was about to finish, and recruited fellow villagers to help her create a false sense of morning by raising a wide red cloth and getting the roosters to crow. The spirits disappeared to avoid the sunlight, and Sangkuriang kicked his boat over in frustration.
• Eventually, the flipped boat became a mountain.

You can even watch an animated version of the story on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXS_uQoWcQ8

Visiting the mountain requires an entrance ticket, and then there are extra tickets and fees tacked onto certain parts of the scenic area. We opted for the free things, so we simply hiked up to see Kawah Ratu (Ratu crater) and walked around to get some different angles. As it’s a major tourist attraction, there are also plenty of knick-knack shops around; you can even go for a short horse ride.

The mountain is a popular spot for group tours and field trips, so don’t be surprised if you’re approached by curious students who want to say hello to a foreigner and of course snap a few photos.

Unfortunately, we visited on a pretty cloudy day. There are some balconies that probably provide amazing views on a clear day, but we couldn’t see more than a few meters ahead. As such, we opted to find some food before heading back down the mountain and beginning the long journey back to the city. A tasty and cheap lunch came in the form of some mie bakso (meatball soup), nasi goreng (fried rice), and tofu.

Catch an Angklung Performance

On the way down, we decided to pay a van to take us straight to the bus station instead of walking down the mountain and taking an angkot to get there. Thanks to the quick trip back, we were able to head to the Saung Angklung Udjo, a workshop/school/cultural center that puts on daily performances of traditional music, puppetry, dance, and more. It was a great show, and should definitely be on your list of things to do in Bandung no matter how long you’re staying. In case you missed it, check out our post about the angklung.

Eat Some Delicious Food

Although our stay in Bandung was short, we enjoyed some incredible meals. The first night, we had our first taste of Masakan Padang (Padang cuisine) – food from West Sumatra. In these restaurants, many dishes are set out on display trays which can be seen from outside, and diners get to choose whichever dishes they want to pile on top of rice. It was here that I first tried beef rendang, a dish I would go on to eat many times throughout the trip.

The other night, we decided to try siomay – a steamed fish dumpling served in peanut sauce. This particular version was accompanied by boiled eggs, potatoes, and tofu. We also went with another local dish, which was delicious. I forget the name but remember that it was covered in cheese, which should be all you need to know. Wash it all down with an iced tea, and you’ve got yourself a great meal.

Stay a Few Nights

Our trip to Bandung was short, but staying a few nights helped make it not feel so rushed. We arrived in the evening, checked in, had dinner, and just walked around. Then we had a full day to do the Tangkuban Perahu excursion and take in the angklung performance. It was up and out early the next morning to catch the train to Jogjya, which is much better done during the day to enjoy the stunning views. There are plenty of hostels and hotels in the city to suit all budgets. For backpackers, we were pretty happy with New By Moritz, a cool little hotel with cheap rooms and friendly staff.

In conclusion, don’t be turned off by Bandung because it’s another congested Indonesian metropolis. If you’re traveling across Java on your way to Bali, at least spend a day or two here to take in some of the fascinating culture and visit a scenic area or two. Plus, from here you can get just about anywhere in Java, so you’ve got plenty of options for your next move.