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| What's inside? |
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| Our a4trip Bandung guidebook is a travel guide that provides quick references on tips, alerts, city highlights, and also comes with maps for various locations which includes major venues, points of interests, places to eat, and accommodations. All these information would assist you very much planning your Bandung traveling. They are sorted and categorized by price, location, ranking and traveler. Try out our suggested 1 day trip, it helps you to get the most out of your day trip in Bandung! Last but not least, cultural, festivals and language guides are all included to make it easier for you to communicate with locals. |
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| Save the Javan Hawk-eagle |
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| Collecting fund in progress... |
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| Javan Hawk-eagle is a medium-sized eagle that is approximately 61cm long and is from dark brown raptor in the family Accipitridae. It has a long black crest tipped with white, rufous head and neck, and heavily barred black below. This Indonesian endemic can be found around humid tropical forests of Java. Javan Hawk-eagle was not recognized as a full species until 1953. Read our Animal Blog for more information. |
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| What is an a4trip travel guidebook? |
| a4trip travel guidebook will provide the necessary information to help you plan your travel.Our guidebook, in PDF format, are designed to be concise and comprehensive, yet small enough to keep with you everywhere you go. |
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| How do I make payment? |
| We accept credit card payment via PayPal payment gateway. Credit card such as Visa, MasterCard, American Express (USA only), Discover (USA only). Your a4trip transaction will appear as PAYPAL*A4TRIP on your credit card statement. |
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| Why can't I download the guidebook? |
| Contact us and we will email the guidebook to you. |
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| How often do you update your guidebook? |
| We update our guidebook once a month. |
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| What should I do if I have question regarding a4trip? |
| Please contact us. |
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| Travel to Bandung, Indonesia |
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| By Adline A. Ghani, working mum & freelance writer |
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Bandung, nicknamed 'the City of Flowers', is the provincial capital of West Java. It is also one of the largest cities in Indonesia. A popular tourist destination, it is best known for its high altitude and friendly residents. Located within a river basin and surrounded by volcanic mountains, the city boasts of a natural defense system, which at one point, convinced the Dutch to move their colony's capital from Batavia to Bandung. The fertile soil and relatively cool year-round temperature attracted a large number of Dutch colonials who opened tea plantations along the hillsides.
Beginning the late 18th century, the city was transformed into a resort, catering to wealthy Europeans. Many Art Deco-styled landmarks were built and Bandung came to be known as Parijs van Java ('Paris of Java'), due to the emergence of luxury hotels, restaurants, cafes and boutiques. The architectural jewels of that era include: Villa Isola, Gedung Merdeka, the Savoy Homann Hotel and the Grand Hotel Preanger, which you can still see today.
More current, however, is the city's thriving textile industry. The main attraction for most shoppers are fashion factory outlets, like: Cargo, FOS, Star fashion and The Summit Boutique that sell rejected or excess export quality items. In contrast to the mass-produced fare of garment factories, however, are 'distros' or distribution outlets that sell stylish products made by local designers and young entrepreneurs. Their wares include: books, magazines, clothes, accessories and indie records.
In the 90s, a group of these local designers opened denim clothing stores along Cihampelas Street. Its popularity subsequently earned Bandung the nickname 'Tourist Shopping City'. Indeed even more shopping is to be had at Pasar Kota Kembang, a narrow lane with numerous shops and stalls - the ideal place for bargain clothes, belts, shoes and handbags. There's also Pasar Jatayu, on Jalan Arjuna, a flea market of sorts with interesting antique and souvenir shops.
While shopping is a mainstay, it isn't the only outdoor activity. As Bandung is surrounded by lush mountains, nature-lovers can choose to hit the hiking trails or go boating, fishing or camping at Mt. Tangkuban Perahu, Juanda Forest National Park and Puncrut-Lembang. Within the city, there's the Bandung Zoo, which was built in 1930, as well as a number of museums like: Museum Geologi, Museum Konferensi Asia Afrika, Museum Mandala Wangsit Siliwangi and Museum Negeri Sri Baduga.
Food lovers can also embark on their own adventure, as Bandung has a lot of interesting local flavour. Some of the most popular dishes are: bakso tahu, which is steamed meat and tofu served with a tangy peanut sauce; mie kocok, a beefy noodle soup served with fresh bean sprouts, and last but not least, nasi timbel, steamed rice cakes served with vegetables, tofu, tempe, fried chicken and chili paste. Of course, as a cosmopolitan city, Bandung also has a lot of Asian and Western restaurants serving a wide range of international fare.
If you're looking for a place to stay, you're in luck, because Bandung has many inexpensive accommodations with good service. But, if you want to splurge, head on to the Dago area for 5-star hotels or choose one of the newly-restored heritage hotels. Visitors generally arrive through Husein Sastranegara Airport, which serves direct flights to neighbouring cities and also international services from Kuala Lumpur. Meanwhile, the railway connects the city to Jakarta, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Solo and other major cities. The primary means of public transport in Bandung, are taxis and minibuses called 'angkot'. Over the years, the city has had some issues with chaotic traffic, flooding and waste disposal, however, its inherent charm overcomes the odds and it still attracts thousands of travelers each year.
If you're planning a visit, obtain your Visa by post or in person at an Indonesian embassy or consulate. Some visitors have the option of getting their Visas upon arrival. The fee will depend on the type of Visa, but a single-entry Visa on arrival will generally cost around USD25 for 30 days and USD10 for 7 days. Visitors from Brunei, Chile, Hong Kong, Macao, Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam do not require Visas for short visits. |
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