Impromptu Visit to Bandung

It seems that I become a bit of a travel blogger, isn't it? 

So, I had another weekend spent outside my town, which is Bandung for this month. Actually, I'm a bit lazy to write something about Bandung because Bandung is getting overrated, in my opinion. I mean, look at here, here, here, and here. I don't want to even bore myself writing about this city, so I decided to wrap it up into a simple blog post about places in Bandung that I visited.

As always, I hope you'll enjoy reading this as I enjoy writing it.

#1 NuArt Sculpture Park

I was considering to do some art galleries visits the time I arrived at Bandung... Without knowing that Bandung is quite hellish on weekends (thanks to traffic jams and hordes of people from Jakarta coming to this city for leisure. Including me. Hehe). I started to list down all of recommended art galleries in Bandung and I've got like 10 art galleries to visit. And as you expect, I was only able to visit 1 gallery out of 10!

Anyway, NuArt Sculpture Park was actually a really big park, located inside of a residence in Bandung (I learned that if you're going with taxi, please say the address, not the name. The taxi I was in got lost when going to this place) consisting of sculpture gallery, a quite pretty park you can stroll around, and a restaurant and a café.

NuArt Sculpture Park's owner is none other Nyoman Nuarta, the famous sculptor for his works such as Garuda Wisnu Kencana and a big, swirling sculpture in front of Museum Nasional Jakarta.

NuArt Sculpture Park

Jl. Setraduta Kencana 2 No. 11, Bandung

#2 Garasi Opa & Kineruku

I found this pretty little gem in the heart of Bandung after doing some research on vintage and antiques shops in Bandung (Bandung is quite known for its vintage shops so I decided to give a try). This shop is located in a house at Jalan Hegarmanah. 

Garasi Opa was impressive. They sell lots of antiques from fashion items, old records, old books, and even antique furnitures! Of course, I don't want to miss any opportunity for not buying any goods from Garasi Opa.

While Garasi Opa sells antiques, Kineruku is a small library where people (especially students in Bandung) can borrow some books, just like a normal library do. But... There's something special about Kineruku. Kineruku provides some rare books that aren't in everybody's reading list, such as philosophy books, arts and design books, or even an old Indonesian poetry book. I was amazed. And oh, they also sells some of their books and some merchandises.

#3 Museum Geologi

Probably one of the best museum I ever visit in Indonesia (Museum Kata Andrea Hirata is still my number one!). Museum Geologi is basically everything you want to know about the earth; stones, gems, natural resources, and many things else. The museum was once a Dutch building, but I love on how the graphic design makes this museum not so boring to visit.

#4 Pasar Buku Palasari

Imagine a market... But books! I found this book market while browsing through the web about some interesting places related to literature I can visit in Bandung. This place is quite large and there are LOTS of book shops you might want to explore. It's recommended to visit this place in the afternoon, as the market is not really crowded on that time.

For this visit, I bought myself Friedrich Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarasthura because I've been dying to buy one. I was considering buying Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex but turned it down because I should do some school works, not spending almost my time reading books. Sob. 

#5 Farmhouse Lembang

This place is currently a must visit for every Indonesian. In a nutshell, this place is a giant selfie spots and you can dress up as a Dutch Lady and pretend you're having a giant trip to Europe.

The nice thing about this place is: 1. You'll get a complimentary milk or grilled sausage by redeeming your entrance ticket, 2. There's a quite interesting petting zoo, where you can buy some animal foods such as grasses and carrots, 3. The atmosphere is pretty cool and I guess it's a quite decent place for a  short weekend getaway.

Some things that I don't quite get: 1. The hobbit house that was ALL OVER the media. It's just a pinch and it's nothing like the original ones in New Zealand, 2. Too many people decided to bring tongsis or selfie stick rather than asking their other family members to take their picture, 3. The Dutch Lady dress is just ridiculous.

#6 Tangkuban Perahu

The last place to visit after spending weekend in Bandung is of course, Tangkuban Perahu.

Interesting place, beautiful view, but why oh why people are trying to sell me funny animal hats?

Bonus: The one and only Gedung Sate, the icon of Bandung.