Pedestrian Hazard

Photo caption: A beverage seller parking his cart on the sidewalk on Jalan Wastukencana blocking the safe passage of pedestrians. This is just an example of the many hazards that pedestrians must face in Bandung.

Bandung is not a pedestrian-friendly city. It's very shameful. Unfortunately, the government has not done much to improve the situation.

Perilous Walk

A shopper walking on Cihampelas street, oblivious to the danger she was in.

Jalan Cihampelas (Cihampelas Street) is a popular and important tourist destination in Bandung for its shopping attractions. Ironically, however, this street has no pedestrian walk. Worse still, the city's government does not seem to care and has not done much to improve the situation. Pedestrians are left to their own defense when it comes to their safety. It's very embarrassing.

Braving The Street

With the sidewalk packed with street vendors, pedestrians on Jalan Purnawarman (Purnawarman Street) are forced to brave the street and the traffic to get their way. This scene is not uncommon in commercial streets in Bandung. In fact, the sidewalks and pedestrian safety do not seem to be the priority in the city's government development policy. Many sidewalks are either too small/narrow, in disrepair, or have become dysfunctional because they have been invaded by street vendors or used as illegal parking space.

I wish the city's government would soon do something about it and make pedestrian safety a priority. A walkable city would definitely be beneficial to the tourism industry that the city is trying to boost.

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.

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.

Parking in The Wrong Place

Oh oh, what's going on here?

A car is parked on the sidewalk in the corner of Purnawarman and Wastukencana streets blocking pedestrians from using it.

Parking is a big problem in many parts of this city especially those near commercial areas and during the weekend and on holidays. The car was parked there on a busy Sunday afternoon. The owner was probably going to Bandung Electronic Center (BEC), could not find a place to park his car in a nearby parking lot, and decided to park there so that he did not have to walk very far from the mall. It's very sad that he did not realize that what he did endangers pedestrians who had no option but to step onto the road and risk being hit by a motorist to pass this corner.

When I took this photograph, an illegal parking man was busy directing stray cars to corners and road sides that were not supposed to be used for parking and took parking fees from them.

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.

Road-side Motorcycle Repair Shop

A road-side motorcyle repair shop at Cimindi in the western part of the city. Small businesses like this are an important mover of the city's economy. However, they also raise concerns of pedestrian safety because they often occupy/use the pedestrian sidewalk for their activities. There are regulations about this, but the enforcement is very slack.

Despite its monochromatic tone, this is not an old photograph. I just like doing my 'street photography' in monochromatic tones.

Discount Time

Two shop attendants touting the discounted and on sale items from their store on the crowded Dalem Kaum Street at the city center.

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.

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.

Raincoats, Rain Jackets, and Rain Pants

Raincoats, rain jacket, and rain pants are very useful on a rainy day.

Street Photography: Fix it yourself

Warung Internasional

It may be just a small kiosk, but it's international.

Warung Internasional (Internasional Kiosk) is a small convenience store on Jalan Rangga Gading, near Flexi Park, at Dago area. It started as a small convenience cart kiosk. Over the years it has become very popular - especially among night owls - because it has nearly everything, opens 24 hours and 7 days a week (24/7), and is located at one of Bandung's most popular hangout places.

I had not passed the area for quite a long while and was surprised to see that it had now turned into a relatively big convenience kiosk. The owner has even put a couple of "sofas" in front of it for customers to sit, relax, have a cup of coffee, or just chat with other hangouters.

I think this kiosk has done remarkably well despite the competition it's facing from a giant international rival, a 24/7 American convenience store chain that opened an outlet near it a couple of years ago.

NOTE: I set my camera to 16:9 aspect ratio (also known as panoramic format). That's why the picture looks elongated. I did not crop it.

Bandung Beggars #1

"Beggary" (forgive my deliberately inccorect English diction for begging or panhandling) has many forms in this city (as does anywhere else). But all beggars essentially do the same thing: they ask for donation in one supplicating manner or another and do so in public places.

The man with the guitar in the photo is "officially" called "pengamen" (a street performer who performs for tips), but the music/performance is often so bad that it has now become meaningless and secondary to the tip. Practices like this has therefore become a form of beggary than street performance. (See also how he's doing it in the traffic light junction when cars are stopping. It's very unlikely that a good piece of music can be performed in this manner.)

Street baggery is one of the bad sides of Bandung. Unfortunately, the municipal government has not done enough to control it.

Street Painter

A street painter at Jalan Asia Afrika near Kantor Pos Besar Bandung (Bandung Main Post Office).

Forbidden Street Conversation

This snapshop snapshot showing some of our citizens' street behavior is part of my street documentation series.

I took the photo at Ledeng area in the north of Bandung a couple of days ago.