Hotel Panorama Lembang Bandung

... there around 12:15. I tell the lady that I have a reservation for 1:00 and give her my name. She replys that the bus is not yet there and she will call me when it has arrived. I wait and meet a few people at the station. Around 12:55 I go and ask if the bus has arrived. She tells me that it will be another 15 to 20 minutes. Around 1:10 I ask again at which time she tells me that my name is not on the reservation list and the bus is full ...

... and then I continued on to Cupu Manik puppet factory where of course they manufacture the puppets. All puppets here are handmade and handpainted. Quite interesting to observe the work in progress.

Bandung is alsoknown for its cultural performances and there was one at 3:30 today at Saung Angklung about 8 klm from the hotel. This place is very well known ...

... not quite in the same condition as the one in Ciberon but it is the best I could find at that price. Others that I checked out were in the 800,000 range or same price with no wifi. After checking in and getting my luggage at the other hotel it is close to 6 pm so I decide to have diner at the hotel and go back to the room and plan my stay at Bandung.

Learned about the earthquake on Sumatra via email from the US. We didn't feel a thing and the locals don't complain to their guests, I guess.

We;re off to Bandung today. Very slow day, waiting for our ride. The route takes us thru Puncak Pass, a resort area for the locals. Its elevation makes it refreshing, but the traffic is a horror. On weekends it is so bad that commercial transport, like our mini bus, has to bypas it and take a long way around.

Today I was a bit bored and waiting for Yudi to get back to give me a lift to the bus stop to get to Bandung. When Yudi arrived I did go to Bandung, which took a couple of hours. From here I had to wait to get the night train to Yogyakarta. The overnight train was a nightmare I barely got any sleep as I was sitting next to somebody so I couldn't stretch out my legs out and sellers got on the train every hour, shouting out to try and sell food, which really ****** me off. Eventually ...

... sleep at all. Went out looking for Internet. Everybody gave me directions to different places, none of which had Internet. Came back to the room around noon and collapsed. School lets out, kids are playing soccer in the alley outside my window, pausing for the occasional unmufflered motorcycle to roar by. Decided I needed to break down and have some Western comfort food. Since January 27 I have eaten only Asian food. The Tulip Steak House ...

... lahella joten otettiin sielta bemo ja kuski osas jattaa turistit, eli meiat, sinne tulivuoren kohdalle. Noh, meian piti ostaa ensin liput sinne mitka makso 35 000rp/hlo. Ja luoja niita paikallisia jotka oli meian kimpussa kyytiensa kanssa. Sinne ylhaalle oli siis 5-7kilsaa matkaa mut me ei jaksettu niita huijaavia kuskeja ja vaikka yritettiin tinkia ei saatu ees kohtalaisen halpaa summaa sovittua ja paatettiin menna eteenpain ja odottaa jotain turistibussia mika on menossa ...

... practiced since I was about four. By the time I had finished I think there was more rice on the table than in my stomach, but it was still great fun. From here we continued up the hill to the top of the crater, unfortunately it was quite overcast when we were there so we couldn't fully appreciate the view, non the less the size of the crater is still an impressive sight. Sunday morning we treated to the sights and delights of the most iconic street in Bundung. Jalan ...

... a couple years old, and the women in there were seemingly healthy. Old, but healthy. So today we got to see both sides of the poverty spectrum - old and young. All in all it was a lot of laughs, and it is always nice to help put a smile on someone's face. But it also made us better appreciate what we have, and unfortunately for Callista it made us be ********* her for not appreciating the things that she has... Hopefully she can learn something from this ...

... t disappointed!!! The road took us high up into the hills around Bogor with stunning views over the tea plantations and surrounding countryside! I think if we come back to Java we'd definitely try and stop off there for a few days - some of the hotels looked to have corking views! Unfortunately just as we reached the top, as was becoming the norm late afternoon, the heavens opened so much so that we felt like we were on the news when floods are advertised! There must ...