A Peddler's Cart in An Alleyway

A street peddler selling snacks in an alleyway in the crowded Geger Kalong Girang area in the north of Bandung. Geger Kalong Girang is the name of a small street that is located adjacent to Indonesia University of Education (UPI Bandung) campus. Many students coming from outside the city lodge in this area in small boarding rooms that is locally known as kos. Because of this this area is also good for small businesses that cater to the students' daily needs.

Motorcyclist Masks, Gloves, and Rain Jackets

A street vendor selling masks, gloves, and rain jackets for motorcyclists on the road side of Jalan Supratman Street.

You can find this scene in many parts of the city. Street vendors (or the Kaki Lima as we call them) are an important part of the city's economy. They provide livelihood for those who would otherwise be left unemployed because they could not find a job in the formal sector. As such, they become a significant social and economic safety valve against potential social unrest. However, their existence can also be a threat to the pedestrians' safety because they occupy the sidewalks and prevent pedestrians from using them. Pedestrians are often forced to use the body of the street to get around because of their existence.

Regulations and law enforcement dealing with the kaki lima are generally week weak in the city. I really wish that the government could be more responsive about this issue. They should find a way to balance the need of providing employment and livelihood to those who can not make it to the formal sector and the convenience and safety interests of pedestrians.

Enjoying Young Coconuts

People enjoying young coconuts on the road side at Babakan Ciamis, near Jalan Aceh, Bandung.

Young coconut is a favorite drink, especially on a hot day. Coconut contains water inside that tastes mildly sweet and fresh. The soft flesh also tastes very good.

Bust Mannequin

Three bust (head only) mannequins wearing hijab used by a street vendor selling Muslim woman's head cover at Alun-Alun Bandung.

Located in front of Bandung Grand Mosque (Mesjid Agung Provinsi Jawa Barat di Bandung), Alun-alun Bandung is a busy market place where one can find almost anything from foods and drinks to clothes and accessories to toys and games.

Super Scooter

This punk-style, self-modified scooter looks astonishing, doesn't it?

Modified old scooter punk-style like this one is quite a popular statement among the members of punk communities here. Some of the modified scooters look somewhat aesthetically nice and curious like this one. But many, in many my opinion, look just like a moving trash bin. I think most of them are not safe and road-worthy either.

Bubble Man

A bubble seller (bubble man) demonstrating how his merchandise (bubble-making liquid and equipment) works on Dago Street one Sunday morning.

As I reported in some previous posts labeled Dago Car-Free Day, the street is closed for motorized vehicles every Sunday from 6 to 10 a.m. to allow citizens to use the street for some leisurely walk, exercise, socializing, and different kinds of creative and/or entertaining activities. It's always a fun experience to walk this street during this time of the week.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

Gift and Souvenir Hawkers at Cihampelas Street

Gift and souvenir hawkers/street vendors at Cihampelas Street.

A Leisurely Game of Chess

A Malaysian visitor observing how often he found people playing chess on the streets of Bandung once commented in his blog post that the people of Bandung seem to like playing chess a lot. I don't know if it is true, but his observation is quite accurate.

These two men are leisurely playing a game of chess after the busy morning is over in front of their shops at Ciroyom.

Ciroyom Railway Station

Passengers waiting for the train at Ciroyom Railway Station.

Ciroyom is one of the smaller railway stations in the city of Bandung. Located about three kilometers to west of Stasion Hall - Bandung's main railway station - Ciroyom mainly serves economy class and commuter trains that connect Bandung with its suburban areas and neighboring towns.

Ciroyom is also the name of one of Bandung's largest central wet markets, which is located just behind the station. Many farmers from the neighboring towns and villages often use the train to carry their produce into the market.

Flier-man

A man distributing fliers to motorists on Jalan Cihampelas, a street in Bandung that was once known as Indonesia's denim capital and now a street packed with stores and vendors selling different kinds of apparels and fashion accessories.

Leather Jacket Repair

Your leather jacket is torn or worn out and need repainting or rewaxing?

No need to worry. In Bandung, you can have it repaired and reconditioned in a road-side kiosk like this one at Ciroyom area. For a relatively small fee, you can have your leather jacket stitched, repainted, or rewaxed.

Andir Night Market

Pasar Andir (Andir Market) is one of Bandung's central wet or traditional markets. It's located on Andir street in the city center. Its busiest operating time is at night from about 9 p.m to about 4 a.m.

Various kinds of fresh meat, fish, vegetables and fruits are brought here from the farms in the countrysides and towns adjacent to Bandung. Traders and resellers from the smaller markets and hotel and restaurant caterers come here to pick their supplies.



Over the years the Andir market has grown beyond its original boundaries and for some years now it has spilled onto the adjacent streets. As you can see in these pictures, the farmers even use the body of streets to offer their produce. Fortunately, the market's peak hours only take place at night and are usually over before 5 in the morning so they do not add more snarl to the already congested traffic in the city center.

Today's photos are contributed by Agus Wahyudi - a photographer friend of mine, an employee of PT. Pos Indonesia (Indonesian Postal Company) and a freelance photographer. Pak Agus (that's how I call him) has agreed from now on to become one of Bandung Daily Photo's regular contributors. Thanks, Pak Agus.

A Cell Phone Cult

A cult is a pejorative term that is usually ascribed to a group of people who are believed to have a strange set of beliefs or practices. This derogatory sense of the word emerged only in the late 20th century and is considered subjectively judgmental. The term was invented - sort of - by an anti-authoritarian movement who considered exploitative authoritarianism as a potentially dangerous thing. The term "cult" is usually applied to a minority group in a society.

With this definition in mind, can a group of people who believe or do strange things with (or because of) their cell phones be considered a cult? And if so, are we not a member of it? (Just a naughty thought and question here ... ^_^)