New Year's Trumpets

Colorful trumpets of different shapes and sizes are the staple of New Year's celebration here. Made from paper with - I must say - remarkable craftsmanship, they have already been offered for sale on the streets since a few days ago.

As anywhere else in the world, tonight revelers will get together on the streets and in many other public places here to celebrate the coming of the new year. Trumpets like these are what many of them would bring to help them in the noise-making hullabaloo typical in new year's celebration.

Being a person who doesn't like crowds and noise, I would just be celebrating it at home, having a barbecue with family and friends and then some reflective moments on my own about the year that has passed and the resolutions for the year ahead.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Jumping, Walking Stilts

This young man was striding towards my direction just like that, briskly and fast, when I was taking pictures at Dago Car-Free Day last week. Frankly speaking, I was quite surprised by the gear he was walking on: stilts!

These stilts were not quite like any I'd seen before though. A friend of mine told me later that they were jumping-walking stilts, which he said was becoming a trendy curiosity among some young people here.

Book Wrapper

A book wrapper at work at Palasari Book Market. This man and a couple of others in the area would help you wrap (put paper and/or plastic jackets) on your books for a small fee.

Does Dog Like Coke?

Apparently it does.

Like humans, dogs like sweet drink like coke. Unfortunately, coke is bad for dogs. It can cause tooth and other serious health problems for them.

Photo taken at Alun-Alun Bandung (Bandung City Square).

An Eager Customer

A street vendor offering colorful balloons, a mom and a child. What's going to happen next?
Photo taken at Dago street on the Car-Free Day last Sunday (18/12/2011).

Stage Act From Bandung Youth Band Festival 2011

The stage act of an independent-band singer taking part in Bandung Youth Band Festival 2011 held at Cihampelas Walk (Ciwalk) yesterday (Sunday, December 18, 2011).

Bandung Ice Skating Ring

Back in 2008, I posted a story about ice skating in Bandung. The ice-skating ring that was located in Istana Plaza featured in the story was unfortunately closed in 2009 and so for a while Bandung did not have an ice-skating ring.

However, that did not last long. In September 2010, a new and bigger ice-skating ring was opened. Located at the roof top of Paris van Java or PVJ on Jalan Sukajadi, this new ice-skating ring occupies a floor space of 40 x 20 meters. This facility is bigger than the previous one. It is also better equipped. Called "Garden Ice", the premise is home of Bandung Skating Academy - a training facility for those who are interested in doing ice sports. Two kinds of ice sport are are taught here: Figure skating and ice hockey.

Bicycle Market

Looking at this photo, you might think that this place is a bicycle parking area. No, it isn't. It's a road-side bicycle market. Located at Jalan ABC (ABC Street) at Banceuy in the center of the city, the open air market sells all sorts of bicycles: new, used, and reconditioned. If you know how to ask, you can even find old vintage bicycles. As in any traditional markets here, prices are negotiable and are usually less expensive that those at regular bicycle shops.

Mobile Recycler

A private trash collector? A mobile recycler? A scavenger?

I suppose you call him all that. This man collects garbage - well, the useful part of it - and sell it to a collector for recycling or reprocessing. Photo taken at Andir market area.

Kopi Aroma - Bandung's Coffee Heritage

For a city whose past glory was intimately linked with tea and coffee plantations, Bandung is well known for its cafes and tea and coffee processing plants. One such places that has survived the time and is considered to be a heritage coffee institution is Paberik Kopi Aroma (lit. Aroma Coffee Plant).



Located on 51 Banceuy Street, Paberik Kopi Aroma was established in 1930 by Tan Houw Sian who ran it until 1971 when it was passed to his son Pak Widya Pratama, a friendly guy who would gladly give you a tour of his coffee processing plant, warehouse, and shop and explain the entire process of coffee bean processing.



The whole process begins with the select coffee beans that his shop acquired from local farmers as well as those from many other parts of Indonesia. (He says that he bought his Arabica beans from Aceh, Medan, Tana Toraja, East Nusatenggara, and Java; and Robusta from Central Java and Lampung.)



The already dry beans will be sun-dried for at least one day. They will then be stored in the warehouse for five to eight years depending on the type of the bean. (Robusta coffee beans need longer storage time to get rid of their acidity.)




The 'mature' bean will then be roasted traditional way. Here, Paberik Kopi Aroma only uses red warm fire produced by old rubber tree woods. Pak Widya says that red warm fire is essential in the production process because if the temperature is too high, the beans will get burned and it will destroy the aroma of the coffee.



When the processing is complete, the beans are ready for sale. You can buy them in the form of coffee beans or powder. The store will gladly grind the beans in front of you with its old coffee grinding machines (some of them dated back from the 1900),



And here is a tip about coffee storage that you'll find on Kopi Aroma the packaging:

Wilt U heerlijke Koffei drinken?
aroma en smaak blijven goed, indien U de Koffei van de zak direct in een gesloten stopfles of blik overplaatst.

Niet it de zak laten staan!


Maoe minoem Koffie selamanja enak?
Aromanja dan rasanja tinggal tetep, kaloe ini Koffei soeda di boeka dari kantongnja harep di pindahkeun di stopfles atawa di blik jang tertoetoep rapet.

Djangan tinggal di kantong!

(The top paragraph is in Dutch, the bottom is in old or colonial style Indonesian.)

Translation:
You want to keep/preserve the taste of your coffee?
To preserve the aroma of your coffee, put the coffee in a tightly sealed container once you open the package.

Do not leave it in the package!

Pictures by Myke Jeanneta, a Bandung Daily Photo regular contributor.

Under-The-Tree-Shade Barber

You might wonder what these makeshift tents under the trees by the road side are. But if you look closer, you'll find this:



Yes, they are barber kiosks. We call them DPR (di bawah pohon rindang or under the tree shade) barber.



They are pretty good, and inexpensive. The barbers are very friendly too.



Photos by Aries Rachmandy, a free-lance photographer, journalist, and Bandung Daily Photo contributor. You can see more of his works here.

Brass Music

A number of young people playing brass musical instruments on the road side in front of SMA Negeri 1 (State Senior Hight School No 1) during the Car-Free Day.

As I said before, Car-Free Day is held every Sunday morning along Dago street. During the event, the street is freed from any motor vehicles so that citizens could walk, exercise, and/or simply enjoy the various attractions offered by their fellow citizens.

Photo by Alda Agustine, a Bandung Daily Photo contributor.

Flags, Banners, and Bunting

A couple of street vendors selling flags, banners, and buntings on Sukarasa Street in the north of Bandung.

Flags, banners, and buntings sellers like this are thriving in the weeks prior to the celebration of Indonesian Proclamation of Independence Day on August 17th.

Palasari Book Market

Palasari is the name of a book market located on the street which becomes its name. This market is very popular among students and book lovers. They love it not only because they can find almost any books here (textbooks, new and used books, local and imported books, and even vintage old books) but also because the books sold here are offered at prices that are much lower than those offered by large chain book stores.



I like this book market because the atmosphere is very relaxed and friendly. The owners of the kiosks are always ready to help you and seem to be very knowledgeable about books. You can always ask them for a title or an author, and they will produce it in no time. If they don't have it, they would always know where to find it and direct you to a kiosk that may have it.



If you are a book lover, it's a place you would not want to miss when you visit Bandung.

Mechanical Toy-Bird

A father is trying to help his son set a mechanical toy-bird to fly at the Alun-Alun, Bandung's city square.

Indonesia Channel 2011

These are a couple of photos that I took at Indonesia Channel 2011 held at Eldorado Family Club in the north of Bandung on July 29, 2011.



Indonesia Channel is the name of Indonesian art and cultural event which has been held every year since 2003. The event is organized as part of the Indonesian Arts and Culture Scholarship, a program sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs to demonstrate Indonesia’s commitment in advancing social cultural cooperation among countries in the world through direct contact and sharing of cultures amongst youths involved in the program.



The Indonesia Channel is the finale of the program in which the grantees collaboratively plan and stage a grand performance and exhibition of Indonesian art and culture which they have learned for the three-month duration of the program.

This year, the scholarship was given to 50 grantees from 31 countries. They were spread in four different cities with four different cultural heritage, namely Denpasar in Bali, Surabaya in East Java, Surakarta in Central Java, and Bandung in West Java. In each of the cities that hosted them they learned the Indonesian language (Bahasa Indonesia), different aspects of the Indonesian culture, including the local traditions and performance arts, and visited the country's significant historical places. In addition to these, they were also given the opportunity to introduce and promote their respective countries at local schools and colleges.

Surveillance Video Camera

More and more surveillance video cameras (or CCTV as it is more commonly known here) are installed outside important public premises here for security purposes. This one outside a family club house in the north of Bandung attracted my attention because it is housed in a unique, bird-house like housing.

This post is Bandung Daily Photos's participation in Skywatch Friday. Please check what other participating blogs have posted.

A Fun Attraction

At Bandung Car-Free Day, you can find a lot of different fun attractions offered by individuals, groups, and members of the city's numerous creative communities. Here's one of them that Sudarmanto Edris, a Bandung Daily Photo contributor, captured last Sunday: A number of young people (students?) put on cardboard boxes to cover their heads and hand in hand they walked together along the street.

Can you read the letters written on the boxes?

August 2011 Theme Day: Kawah Putih Revisited

Back in August 2008, I posted two stories about Kawah Putih (White Crater): here and here. The pictures shown in those posts were taken during the peak of the dry season and the crater lake looked shallow. I visited the crater again early this year during the wet season when the water was higher and took some more photos. This is one of them. I am sharing it with you today to show you a different view of the lake.

This photo and post is Bandung Daily Photo's participation in this month's CDPB Theme Day: Postcard-worthy. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Marhaban Ramadan Kareem! (Welcome the Holy Month of Ramadan)

As the sun sets today, Moslems in this part of the world is entering the holy month of Ramadan. Beginning tomorrow morning, we are going to observe daily fasting from dawn to dusk for the whole month. So, let me wish my fellow Moslems around the world, happy Ramadan. May the God's blessing be upon us all.

Photographers' Outdoor Gallery

A number of young and talented photographers displaying their works at Dago Street on Bandung Car-Free Day. They said that they displayed their works there so that people would take notice of their works.

Car-Free Day is held every Sunday morning from 6 to 10 a.m. along the upper part of Dago Street from Cikapayang junction in the south to Simpang Dago in the north. During this time, this part of the street is freed from cars and motor vehicles so that the citizens can use it to exercise or simply stroll and relax while enjoying a lot of different attractions offered by their fellow citizens.

Photo by Myke Jeanneta, a Bandung Daily Photo contributor.

Sunset at Gunung Masigit

Two weeks ago, I went on a short hiking and climbing trip to Gunung Masigit (lit. Mt. Mosque, 2078 meters above sea level), a limestone mountain near Padalarang in West Bandung Regency. The trip was part of a one-day tracking tour of pre-historic Bandung organized by our friends at Mahanagari (I'm going to write a complete story about it later).

It was near sunset when we got to the top, and rainy, which was quite a disappointment because we had wanted to enjoy the beauty of the sunset from there. So, while waiting for the rain to stop, we took shelter in a makeshift hut prepared by some previous climbers. Some twenty minutes later, the rain subsided and the sun began to appear again on the horizon. This is one of the photos I could manage to take from the hut before the rain completely stopped.

This post is Bandung Daily Photo's participation in this week's Skywatch Friday. Please follow the link to check other participating blogs' posts.

Saguling Lake

The tranquil water of Saguling amid the backdrop of the blue ridges of Bandung's southern mountain range seen from Cikadu, Sindangkerta, West Bandung Regency.

Saguling is a man-made en-catchment lake made for a hydroelectric power plant dam of the same name. It was built in 1985 and is located on the upstream of the Citarum River about 40 kilometers to the southwest of the city of Bandung at the elevation of about 650 meters above sea level.

The Saguling Dam currently produces 700 megawatts of electricity. The capacity can, however, be increased to 1400 megawatts when required. The dam is part of a system of three dams along the Citarum. The other two, located further downstream, are the Cirata and the Jatiluhur.

This post is Bandung Daily Photo's participation in Watery Wednesday.

West Java World Music Festival 2011

An African musician with his ethnic acoustic musical instrument is performing in tandem with a local musician at West Java World Music Festival 2011 held at Monumen Perjuangan Rakyat Jawa Barat from July 16 to 17 last week.

West Java World Music Festival (WJWMF) is an annual event held by The West Java Tourism and Culture Office. Musicians from 11 countries and four continents took part in this year's festival. Among them were Patrick Shaw Iversen (Norway), Andy Hiroshi Suzuki (Japan), Zakaria Kone (Burkina Faso), Mahmud Fadh (Egypt), Savada (USA), Mohar and Ramli (Malaysia), and Maribeth and Band (The Philippines).

This post is Bandung Daily Photo's participation in MY WORLD TUESDAY. Please follow the link to see posts from other participating blogs from all over the world.

Photo by Alda Agustine, a Bandung Daily Photo contributor.

Driver's License Test

Like in any other countries, you need a driver's license (driving licence) to operate a motor vehicle in Indonesia.

Surat Izin Mengemudi (SIM) or driver's license is issued by the Police. To get it, you need to pass a written test and then a driving practice test.

The driving practice test is conducted both at the police station ground and on the streets. This picture shows how a motorbike rider takes the riding skills test at the police station ground.

Washing the Train

Trains too need be washed and kept clean. I just didn't know how until I saw it being done sometime ago when I got off the train at Stasion Hall, Bandung's main train station, from a trip to Jakarta. Some workers use long hoses to spray the cars, some apply soap/cleaning agent, and some scrub them using brushes with a long arm to reach the top parts of the cars.

Caramel Grilled Banana

This 'sumptuous' photo of caramel grilled banana served with roasted peanuts and fresh strawberry has been sitting in my hard drive for quite a while. I remember having it as a dessert in a restaurant in the north of Bandung.

'Candy Land'

A lot of varieties of candies from different parts of the world are sold at this kiosk under the escalator at King's Supermarket on Kepatihan Street in the center of the city.

Not being a candy lover, I never quite remember what the name of the kiosk is. 'Candy land' are the words that come to my mind every time I pass by it. Perhaps next time around, I should really check what the name is.

Shoelaces for Sale

Shoelaces for sale at the alun-alun in front of Mesjid Raya Bandung (Bandung Grand Mosque).

Different types, shapes, and colors of shoelaces are offered by this street vendor. All you need to do is pick and choose the ones you need.

PERSIB Lovers

A mother is trying to fit a Persib merchandise hat to her son in front of Jalak Harupat Stadium prior to a football match between Persib and Persija sometime ago.

Persib is Bandung, and Bandung is Persib. I think that much can be said about the relationship of Persib and Bandung.

Persib the acronym of 'Persatuan Sepakbola Bandung' or Bandung Football Union is the apple of the heart of Bandung's football lovers or the people of Bandung for that matter. It was established on 14 March 1933 as a result of a merger of three previously existing football clubs, namely Bandoeng Inlandsche Voetbal Bond (BIVB), Persatuan Sepak bola Indonesia Bandung (PSIB) and National Voetball Bond (NVB). These clubs were formed partly because the Dutch (the Indonesian colonial ruler at that time) would not allow the 'inlander' (the Indonesian indigenous people) to play football with them and because football played by the Indonesian indigenous people were considered as second class games. Considering its history, Persib is considered to be an important means of struggle for a national identity and independence.

Photo by Aries Rachmandy, a Bandung Daily Photo contributor, a journalism student and freelance photographer. More of his photo stream can be found here.

A Post Note:
As soon as I published this post, I was alerted by some friends that today was the 18th anniversary of Viking Persip Fans Club. What a coincidence.

Persib's fan club is called Viking. I don't know why they call themselves by that name. Perhaps the name can explain to you why the merchandise hat that the mother is trying to fit on her son's head has some sort of horns and spikes like the head gear worn by the Scandinavian Viking.

HAPPY 18th ANNIVERSARY, VIKING!

Waiting for Mid-day Prayer at Bandung Grand Mosque

Moslems are waiting for the zhuhur (mid-day prayer) to start at Masjid Agung Bandung (Bandung Grand Mosque).

After the latest renovation, which was completed on January 13, 2006, this is what the interior of the main hall of the mosque looks like. It is more spacious and looks brighter with sunlight coming from the windows around the base of the dome. The mihrab has also been remodeled. Now it has an arch that is typical of a mosque with golden Koranic verses inscriptions on it. Previously the mihrab did not have an Arabic-influenced arch like this one.

Vila Isola Obelisk Against the Sky

This is one of the two obelisk-shaped structures at the southern garden of Vila Isola. They are placed on either side of the building, one on the west and one on the east of it. I don't know what they were originally for. But today they are used as lighting post.

This post is Bandung Daily Photo's participation in this week's Skywatch Friday meme. Please check other participating blogs' posts from around the world here.

Plastic Wares at Cihideung Sunday Market

Plastic wares for sale at Cihideung Sunday market held on the vicinity of Graha Puspa housing complex.

Sunday market is a popular phenomenon in Indonesian cities, including Bandung. It is usually held on Sunday morning in a public area, usually a park, a field or a sport track to coincide with people going there to do Sunday morning exercise. The most popular these days are those held at Lapangan Gasibu (Gasibu Square) and the car-free day on Dago street. The one in the picture is held at Graha Puspa, a suburban upscale housing complex in the northern hills of Bandung.

Photo by Agus Wahyudi, a Bandung Daily Photo contributor.

Car Breakdown

Having an engine breakdown in the mid of a heavy traffic - like what these men were experiencing - is certainly not fun. But what can you say. It's an old car and the heavy traffic must have been too much for its ailing engine.

Road Side Tire Patch-er

A road-side tire patcher at work on Dr. Setiabudi Street in the north of Bandung.

There are many tire patchers like this on the road side of Bandung. They are a convenience for motorists who have a flat tire and need their tire repaired or those who just need to add air pressure to their tires.

There is no word 'patcher' in English dictionaries that I know of. That's probably because there is no trade of this kind in their world. I made up the word from the verb 'patch' to name a person whose job is to patch tires. The Indonesian word for it is 'tukang tambal ban'.

This post is Bandung Daily Photo's participation in MY WORLD TUESDAY meme. Please check other participanting blog posts from around the world here.

Bandung Go Skateboarding Day 2011

This belated report of "Bandung Go Skateboarding Day 2011" is made possible by the generous contribution of Aries Rachmandy, a freelance photographer and a journalism student at STIKOM Bandung.

"Bandung Go Skateboarding Day 2011" was held on June 21, 2011 at Gelora Saparua (Saparua Sports Arena). The event was attended by hundreds of skateboarders from all over the city and showcased different skateboarding attractions as you can see in these photos. It was also used by the skateboarders to demand that the municipal government provide them with more decent skateboarding facilities (see the banner they displayed in the last photo).

Skateboarding is increasingly becoming a very popular sport among the city's youths. But the lack of decent facilities for skateboarding have forced some of them to practice and do their actions in unlikely places like the sidewalks, which of course are not a safe place to do it. Quite a few times, I've seen them practice and do their actions along the Asia Afrika street and the sidewalk of Perintis Kemerdekaan Street, some of the city's more popular locations among the city's skateboarders because they are wide enough.