Buttons on the move: Bandung IV

We set early to Jalan Ciabauyut and arrived near 9 am. Not all the shops were opened when we arrived. We checked out whichever shops that are opened. Most of the shoes were not to our likings. If you are looking for vintage inspired shoes, perhaps this would be right place for you. After browsing through from one shoes shelf to another, finally I found a pair of sandals to my liking. And the price? Relatively cheap as it is Indonesian brand - 35,000 Rupiah.

Never thought we would finished shopping at Jalan Ciabauyut less than two hours. Initially, we thought we could go crazy over the shoes but it did not turn out that way. Sigh. I informed our driver to drop us at Barang Bekas shop which we passed by yesterday. Instead of dropping us there, he brought us to another flea market like - Kiaracondong (if I am not mistaken its spelling). Too bad not many stalls were opened and it was due to extended Raya holiday. And the damage was four vintage dresses.

Our last stop for shopping was Runway. It was a newly factory outlet which was launched in Aug 2010. Just like the rest of the factory outlets, it carries many branded clothes.

As for the rest of the day, we have decided to check out the area near our guest house. Had lunch in a shop. I had batagor (bakso tauhu goreng) pisahkan kuah 1/2 porsi, literally translation would be half portion of batagor with separate gravy/soup. It was yummy. Either dipped the batagor into the soup or chillies sauce, whichever way it tasted good.

After lunch, we walked along the road heading towards the guest house and we went from one convenient shop to another shop to buy some snacks and drinks. We spend the whole afternoon and evening just relaxing and watching telly. Not forgetting to pack our bags as we would be leaving for Kuala Lumpur the next day. It was a good fun shopping and thrifting in Bandung and we knew that this would not be the first and last trip, more to come perhaps.

Buttons on the move: Bandung III

On second day, we started our day early as we have planned to do touristy thing - visiting Tangkuban Perahu. The journey from Dago to there was long but along the way one can view very picturesque scenery of houses and small plantation of tomatoes, chilies and perhaps corn. field Nothing much to do here but to enjoy the cooling weather, snap photos or shop some souvenirs for loved ones back home. So, don't forget to bring along a jacket.

Many people recommended to try food at Kampung Daun. And we did, with no regrets. It was a lovely eating place with kampung feel. One can enjoy scrumptious food in a very nature like environment, surrounded with plants and trees. There is a small waterfall as well. Good spot to snap photos. I had chicken satay rice and it was yummy...

Once we have taken care of our tummies, next we were all set to satisfy our hunger for shopping. For vintage lovers or thrifters, Pasar Gedebage would be the place for you. Prior to the trip, I have been surfing the Internet (many, many nights) to find information on second hand shops or flea markets in Bandung. I am glad that found out about this market. Bear in mind, that this market is very far from city centre. The journey was near two hours from Kampung Daun to Pasar Gedebage (there was traffic getting through the city). We reached about 3 plus PM and was informed that the market closes at 5 PM. Within almost one and half hour, I bought eight vintage dresses and one vintage top. Vintage top could cost from 10,000 Rupiah to 20,000 Rupiah and vintage dress from 25,000 Rupiah to 35,000 Rupiah. Since it is a market, you can bargain if you buy many pieces! It was the most fruitful day.

We left the market with handful of bags with vintage dresses and a big smile on our faces. Our driver later advised that we should have gone to the market in the morning and visit Tangkuban Perahu later. By doing this, we could shop more... Oh gosh, I could not imagine how many vintage dresses or tops I would have purchased if we spent many hours there.

In the evening, we went for factory outlets crawl. Among the four outlets, I would recommend to check out the Secret and Heritage (according to my travelling companion as I could not recall much). The Secret is more posh with many high end brands and couple of designer brands.

By the end of the day, my newly purchased vintage dresses were on mind and I could not wait to get back to our room to try on the clothes on properly. Thrifting was so much fun that shopping in factory outlets, well at least for me. As for the next day, checking out shoes at Jalan Cibauyut was on our itinerary...

Buttons on the move: Bandung II

After a relatively quick lunch at a Sudanese cuisine restaurant, our first shopping stop was Rumah Mode. There are two small buildings. The one near the entrance sells designer and high end shoes and bags. At first, the both of us entered this section and we were a bit disappointed as there were no clothes at all.

However, we had more luck after walking pass the cafe and headed to another building. There were more crowd at this building. "This is a good sign," I said to myself. Once we stepped into this building, we saw tones of clothes and of course people busy shopping. Now, we have got a bit excited and did not know which part to start with!

All the brands are mixed and displayed according to kind of clothes, say ladies' t-shirts in a section, ladies' casual wear in another part. Brands that I came across are Guess, D&G, Marc by Marc Jacobs, CK, Elle to name a few. Very limited choices of MNG and Zara.

Central Fashion was our second stop but it was a very quick stop. The selection was just not our cup of tea. We did not try anything at all.

Next, our driver dropped us at Grande Factory Outlet. The weather was not on our side as it started to rain. It was a good thing that we bought emergency raincoats the night before. The selections at Grande was much better than Central. I recalled seeing Burberry jackets, Guess t-shirts and couple of H&M shirts and t-shirts. I bought a scarf for 39,000 Rupiah.

Though it rained, it did not dampen our spirit to continue to the next factory outlet, Jetset, which is just across the road. We braved ourselves to cross the busy road under the pouring rain. There couple of MNG denim dresses sold here. I dug the offer section hoping to find cheap t-shirts. I was lucky as I found a cute vintage-y t-shirt. And the price was 30,000 Rupiah.

Our final shopping stop for the day was Rich & Famous / Happening All Around The World. Feeling tired and hungry, I was not in the mood to shop. I browsed the clothes just to kill time. In this factory outlet, there were slightly more choices of ZARA clothes than the rest that I have been for the day.

Before we headed back to our room, we stopped by at a supermarket to purchase some food (mostly instant food and water). It was a fruitful shopping day and we could not wait for tomorrow.

Buttons on the move: Bandung I

Over the weekend, my friend and I went on our maiden shopping trip to Bandung, Indonesia. The airport is very a small building. It took a while for us to get through the immigration (two lanes for immigration section) and customs.

We were greeted by a staff member from the Dago Guest House. He drove us from the airport to the guest house. Dago is located in the North of Bandung, in a mountainous area. The air is fresh in the morning and in the sunny afternoon, you could feel the cooling breeze brushing your skin, which I found pretty weird. Felt like hot and cold at the same time.

I booked a room via the Internet after reading few reviews and checking with my travelling companion. The price is affordable and the room is ok with basic necessity like gas water heater, bathroom (sharing with toilet), air conditioning and TV. The channels on the TV was pretty impressive with many choices from AXN, Star Movies, Discovery Channel, MTV to name a few.

Bandung is well-known as a shopping paradise for shopaholics. It offers many factory outlets for one to shop from morning till night. Once we reached our room, without any haste both of us headed to factory outlets. Without any particular itinerary in our minds, we let Mr. Hery, from the guest house, to take us around.... (to be continued)