A Glimpse of Jalan Dago

Running north to south, Jalan Dago (now renamed Jalan Ir. H. Djuanda) is one of the longest and most historic streets in Bandung and one that's most celebrated.

Lined up with tall Damar Trees (Agathis Damara), a species of tree that is originated from the islands of Maluku and the Philippines and is considered in vulnerable status, Jalan Dago used to be an idylic street that connected the tea, coffee, and quinine warehouses on Jalan Merdeka in what is now the City Hall in the south and the plantations in the north. Only wealthy Dutch Preanger Planters used to have their villas and houses built along this street. That's how the street gained its prestige.

Over the years, especially during the period of rapid development of the city in the late 1980's through the late 1990's, the street gradually turned into a commercial area. Many of the historic and beautiful residences were - sadly - torn down or made over and replaced by newer buildings that are more suitable for business purposes. A lot of star hotels, restaurants, distros, and factory outlets (FO) have since sprung up along the street. Now it is no longer an idylic street where people could have a leisurely afternoon stoll, but an often-congested busy thoroughfare with a lot of business activities. Thanks to its greenery and prestigious reputation, however, the street remains a favorite place for many to hangout and wander, though no longer for leasure but for the shopping and dining pleasures it offers.

Bandung's Irony 01

The writing on the blue billboard says: "Selling on the sidewalk and the street is prohibited. Bandung City Ordinance Number 6 of 1995." But look what happens. Corruptive practices (where it is said that some officers deliberately let these vendors sell on the prohibited areas in return for some illicit fees) and the lack of consistent law enforcement have turned many parts of the city into market slums that are - to say the least - unfriendly to pedestrians. They are often forced to walk on the body of the streets amidst the rushing traffic. "Pasar tumpah" (literally: spilling market, the name we give to this phenomenon) also seriously chokes the already congested traffic, especially during the rush hours and on holidays when visitors flock into the city in great numbers.

I am posting this in the hope that the city's government will soon be doing something serious and consistent about it. They need to negotiate terms with these vendors (like what has been done successfully by some other cities in Indonesia), provide them with proper spaces to conduct their businesses, and clean the sidewalks and streets so that they will be once again safe for pedestrians and motorists.

Street Documentary: Flood

This is Jalan Stasiun Timur street after the rain a couple of weeks ago. The drainage in this area looked bad. Water came out of the sewer and gutter and innundated part of the street. Probably they were chocked with garbage. It's time the city's goverment did something about it.

Today's post is Bandung Daily Photo's participation in the Monochrome Weekly meme. Please follow the link to check other wonderful monochrome photos from the participating photo blogs from around the world.

Wide Angle View of The City: Merdeka Street, North

This is the view of Jalan Merdeka (Merdeka Street) facing north. I took the picture at about 5 PM from the same pedestrian crossing bridge where I took yesterday's photo. The City Hall is the white building that is partly visible on your left hand side of the picture.

Bandung's traffic is not always as light and smooth as this. In some places and at certain times, it can get very crowded. Terrible traffic congestions usually take place during weekends, and the holiday seasons (when many visitors flock the city) and at commercial areas, such as Cihampelas, Purnawarman, Sukajadi, Dago (Ir H. Djuanda), and Junjunan (Terusan Pasteur) and Riau (L.R.E. Martadinata) streets and the areas around the alun-alun (city square). Traffic congestions during the daily rush hours are also generally quite bad.

Wide Angle View of The City: Merdeka Street, South

This is the wide angle view of Jalan Merdeka (literally: Freedom or Independence Street) south of the City Hall, which in this picture is on your right hand side (invisible). The tower and the high rise building on the top left corner are, respectively, Bandung Cathedral (the Saint Peter Church) and Panghegar Hotel.

Young Street, Bandung

Several questions thus raised when I saw this:

- What would be the opposite of this street? And is there such a street?
- Why is youth (young people, the condition of being young) often associated with shopping, fun, and hip?
- Etc., etc.

This street, by the way, is located at Ciwalk (Cihampelas Walk), Bandung.

My World: Spiderman on Cihampelas

Jalan Cihampelas (Cihampelas Street), Bandung, is very well known for its apparel and fashion shops, but above all, jeans! That's how it got its nick name: Jeans Street. What's unique about the shops on this street is that they are decorated in such a way that they become an attraction of their own. It's probably the only street outside Hollywood where Rambo in action is positioned next to Aladdin and his flying carpet and other fictional heroes like Superman and, as I framed in this photo, Spiderman.

The fictional character spiderman (also spelled spider-man), by the way, was first introduced to the public in August 1962 in a Marvel Comics published comics book "Amazing Fantasy". His real name in the story is Peter Benjamin Parker. The superhero was created by Stan Lee (the scripter and editor) and Steve Ditko (the plotter artist).

This post is Bandung Daily Photo's participation in My World Tuesday meme. Too see other posts of the participating blogs of My World meme, please follow the link.

Street Photography # 6: Topeng Monyet - A Close Encounter with A Distant Brother

"Topeng monyet" (literally: monkey mask) is an Indonesian traditional folk street performance whose sole actor/actress is a monkey. The monkey - who has been tamed and especially trained by a "pawang" (animal master) - performs different kinds of tricks immitating human actions, such as dressing up, riding a bicycle, going shopping, etc.

A "topeng monyet" group typically consists of one or two monkeys, an animal master and trainer, and a couple of musicians.

Bandung's Green Shaded Street: Jalan Dr. Otten (Street)

Green shaded streets like the one in the above photo are a very common sight in the old parts of Bandung. This one is on Jalan Dr. Otten (Dr. Otten Street), a street that runs almost perpendicular to Jalan Pasteur where Dr. Hasan Sadikin Provincial Hospital is located. (To see exactly where it is, please check Bandung here.)

Trees have also been planted in the newer parts of the city, but they have not grown as big as these ones.