Inappropriate Language

I have previously posted several stories of the notorious ANGKOT (small public transportation bus) and its erratic behavior (click the angkot label below if you want to know more) and of funny Englishes that you can find in this city. What happens if both are combined?

Voila! At the back of this pink Angkot is written - please excuse me for writing it here - "Don't kiss my ass". What!?

I couldn't help but laughed when I saw and took this photograph.

Such is the street life in this city. There's always something going on if we really look. ^_^

Accidental Installation Art?

While I was walking down the Asia Afrika street the other day, I spotted this interesting piece of - shall I say - art?

A painter was apparently trying to sell his painting on the pedestrian walk and hanged it on the steel bars of a closed shop. He also hanged his helmet next to it, therefore accidentally creating some sort of installation art (?). The vertical steel bars, the abstract painting, and the black helmet somewhat made an eye-catching composition that transformed the otherwise dull look of rusty steel bars on the sidewalk into something that's worth stopping and looking.

I don't know if the artist did it on purpose (he was not there when I took the photo, perhaps away for lunch). Being an artist, perhaps he did. If he did not, he certainly had accidentally and out of aesthetic instinct created an installation art display.

Installation art, as I understand it, is a three dimensional work of art that is designed to change/transform the perception of a space. It is usually made indoors. Those outdoors are usually called land art.

Family Fishing Trip

It looks like people don't need to go to the rivers, lakes, or the sea anymore now to go fishing. This family seem to have a lot of fun fishing at Bandung City Square (the 'alun-alun'). Look what they are fishing though: magnetized plastic fish?

Making Batik

These students of the Faculty of Language and Arts Education of the Indonesia University of Education (UPI) are learning to make batik. The tool they are holding in their hands is called canting.

Canting is an Indonesian batik-making traditional tool that is used to apply wax in fine dots and lines on a cloth. It has a brass wax container head with needle spout and a bamboo or wooden handle (see picture).

If you are interested in learning how to make batik, here is an excellent illustrated step by step article that you may want to read.

Indonesian batik was designated by the UNESCO as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on October 2, 2009.

Basreng (Baso Goreng)

An Australian student of mine once commented that Bandung's foods seemed to be eclectic. "They are made from this ingredient and that and various mixes and matches from ingredients of the existing recipes."

I didn't realize it then. But I think he's right. And basreng (baso goreng) can be an example. Baso (meat balls) is usually served steamed with noodle soup. Someone must have thought that there must be a new way to serve it. Hence he or she had this idea to fry it and serve it with spicy peanut sauce. And voila, it's basreng, fried meat ball served in or with spicy peanut souce.

Basreng is quite a popular street food. It's usually sold by a street vendor like in these photos.

Pre-wedding Photography Session

What are the most favorite locations for pre-wedding photography sessions in Bandung?

Quite a few, I'd say. It depends on what kind of backgrounds and atmosphere you'd like to have in your photos: nature (pine forests, water falls, volcano craters, lakes, paddy fields) or urban environenments (parks, art deco buildingss, etc.). All of them are available here and can be reached within a couple of hours drive. Just discuss it with your photographer and she/he'll take you there.

Within the city, Asia Africa and Braga Streets are probably among the most popular for their oldies look because of the number of art deco buildings that line up these streets. Look at the photo above, which I snapped on Braga Street recently on one of my photographic walks. The paintings at the background - offered by art street vendors - make the location even more attractive to many.

The Ninjas of Bandung

These authentic-looking Ninjas (Shinobis) in action are not real humans. These figures are only dolls made of pieces of cloth and bamboo sticks. They are made-in-Bandung souvenirs. They can be easily found on Cihampelas Street and other places of interest. They are inexpensive too. So next time you visit Bandung, you may want to get them for your friends and relatives at home.

A Super Train

There are a number of trains that connect Bandung and its eastern and western suburban rural areas. These are what I'd fondly call "super trains" because they can and do carry anything and everything: people, farm produce, and sometimes even aminals.

The green bundles you see stacked at the doorways are banana leaves ready to be transported to the markets in the city center.

Electrical Generator Repair Station

Having a car is expensive. Insurance, maintenance, and repair costs are especially of concern to many car owners. In Bandung, however, this doesn't have to be the case. Those who do not have an all-risk insurance coverage, can't afford to go an authorized repair station, or those whose cars are simply too old to be qualified for an insurance coverage can always get help from road-side repair stations like this should their cars ever need to be repaired. One should always exercise caution with this kind of repair stations of course. But many of them are very good and reliable, and charge only a fraction of the cost that you'd normally pay at an authorized service station.

In this photo is an electrical generator (dynamo) mobile repair station at Banceuy Street.

Banceuy Autopart Mall

An all in one stop autopart mall is currently under construction at Banceuy. A clean, airconditioned, multistory building is soon going to replace and compete with store owners and street vendors who have traditionally been in business on this street for at least the past 50 years. As with the previous post, the photo here is also originally posted at my Bandung Street Photography Project blog.

A Street Portrait Painter

This photograph is the latest addition to my Bandung Streets [Photography] project for the 200th anniversary of Bandung. To see the photo in larger size and other black and white photographs from the streets of Bandung, please visit the link. Thank you.

Ubi Cilembu

Ubi Cilembu is a cultivar of sweet potato that is originated from the Cilembu village of the Tanjung Sari subdistrict, Sumedang, West Java. This cultivar of sweet potato is very special and highly in demand because of its special characteristics.



Ubi Cilembu has granular/crumbly and fluffier flesh texture and tastes typically sweet - some say it tastes like honey, therefore it is also called "ubi si madu" (honey sweet potato). Because of these characteristics, ubi Cilembu is best served roasted.

Ubi Cilembu is very popular among locals and visitors alike here and as such is highly in demand. Unfortunately, this cultivar has not been successfully cultivated anywhere else but in its native area. The yields of those cultivated elsewhere do not taste as good as those grown in their area of origin. Some say it has to do with the soil condition and characteristics. Ubi Cilembu is best grown on dry land. Therefore, it is available in abundance typically only during the dry season, between June and September.

If you happen to visit Bandung, you may want to taste it. It is usually sold in small roadside vendors like that on the above photo.



This is what the flesh of ubi Cilembu looks like when roasted.

Finding Opportunities

I did not post yesterday because I had to go to Depok to attend a one-day workshop on the teaching of translation at the University of Indonesia.

The University of Indonesia campus at Depok is a lush, green, and forested campus with a man-made lake at the center. It also has many well-landscaped tropical gardens dotted with interesting sculptures like this one that I found in front of the building where we had the workshop.

The plaque at the base of this sculpture says that the title of this mixed-media sculpture is "Mencari Peluang ..." (Finding Opportunities). It was crafted by Iriantine Karnaya, one of Indonesia's top sculpturer, in 2007.

Creative Clay Lamp Cases/Lanterns

I don't know what to call them, lamp case or lanterns? But hanged up there against the clear blue sky, they certainly look cute.

This is a Skywatch Friday post. Please check what other participating blogs have here.

CDPB July 2010 Theme Day: Watery Reflection

In a reflection, everything is upside down and left side right, but everything is true to original.

This is CDPB July 2010 Theme Day post. Please "Click here to view thumbnails for all participants".