Mobile Skateboarding Boutique

A mobile skateboarding boutique parked near Bandung Skateboard Park. A place where a community meets is also a marketplace for their needs -- a proof that the existence of themed parks is good for the city's economy. :)

Bandung Skateboard Park at Balubur

Photo caption: Bandung's skateboard park at Balubur last Saturday night.

Bandung Skateboard Park is one of the newest parks in Bandung. The park, which is located under the Pasupati flyover adjacent to 'Taman Jomblo' (single's park), was dedicated on 4 January 2014. This park is said to be the first instalment of a more extended facility promised to Bandung's skateboarders' community. A more elaborate facility that meets international standard is to be dedicated later this year, according to the current mayor.

Bandung has quite a significant number of skateboarder communities. Prior to the construction of the park, many skateboarders used to practice their skills at the road sides, which of course was unsafe.

From Spaces to Places

Photo 1 caption: Pidi Baiq, a prominent multitalented artist from Bandung, performing at the launching of "Bandung From Spaces to Places", a photo book by a photographer friend of mine Galih Sedayu, last night.

Last night I was invited to "Bandung From Spaces to Places" photo book launching by Galih Sedayu, the author of the book, a photographer friend of mine and one of Bandung's leading creative community activists. The launching took place at a community park under the Pasupati overpass at Balubur area.

Galih Sedayu's book can possibly be called a pioneering work of his generation of photographers working on the topic of Bandung.

Satpol PP Patrol Motorbikes

Patrol motorbikes used by Bandung's Satpol PP (Municipal Police) to enforce municipal regulations and public order. These motorbikes are parked near Dalum Kaum street that I told you about yesterday.

Braga Culinary Night

This is what Bandung's most renowned street "Jalan Braga" looks like now every Saturday night. Since 11 January 2014, a weekly event called Braga Culinary Night has been and will be staged here. The event is part of a wide range of new initiatives taken by our new mayor Mr Ridwan Kamil to revive and improve the charm of the city that was once proudly called the Paris of Java (Parijs van Java).

The colorful umbrellas are not a permanent fixture. They are part of the monthly thematic decorations that will be changed on the monthly basis. The umbrellas have probably been chosen because January falls within the rainy season in Bandung.

Bandung Culinary Night (BCN) is held every Saturday evening from 6 PM until 1 AM Sunday. Different food stalls representing a wide range of Bandung's rich culinary traditions are erected here. Visitors can choose whatever foods they like from the variety offered from "jajanan rakyat" (folk snacks/food) to the more classy hotel and restaurant class ones.

Today's photo was contributed by my friend Irvan Ariandi, a photographer and a member of Bandung's creative community forum.

Bandung Senior Citizens Park (Taman Lansia)

Under the direction of our newly-elected mayor, Mr. Ridwan Kamil, Bandung is currently undertaking some bold revitalization projects to revive and improve the city's deteriorating public infrastructure. One such programs is the revitalization and thematisation of the existing public parks and the creation of new parks in desolate and squalid areas.

Under this program, public parks are revitalized and given themes, and their management given to community groups relevant to the themes.

Pictured above is the LANSIA Park. Lansia stands for lanjut usia (senior citizens). Located near the West Java gubernatorial office mansions Gedung Sate, the Lansia Park is an existing park that has just undergone a makeover. As the name indicates, the park is dedicated to the city's senior citizens. However, as a public park it's open for everyone, young and old alike.

Today's photo is contributed by Agus Wahyudi, a photographer friend of mine and frequent contributor of Bandung Daily Photo.

Bandung Pandu Dutch Cemetery

These neat rows of white tombstones on a green field are part of the Dutch Field of Honor (locally known as Dutch Cemetery) at Pandu area in the city center. Interred here are the Dutch casualties killed in the battle they fought to defend Ciater and Subang areas in the north of Bandung against the incoming Japanese army in the World War II. Some Dutch civilians from the Bangka-Belitung islands near Sumatera were also later interred (or re-interred) here. The cemetery is now maintained by the Commonwealth War Grave Commission (CWGC).

How far is Bandung from Jakarta and Surabaya?

According to this sign at Bandung railway station, Jakarta is 166 kilometers or about 103 miles away. Surabaya, the capital city of East Java province, is 696 kilometers or about 433 miles away.

Picnic in The Mall

This is quite a funny sighting: a mother, her daughter, and what looks like a friend were enjoying their lunch on the floor at Bandung Electronic Center (BEC).

I snapped the photo with my cell phone a few days ago.

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.

Arches and Curvatures

Photo caption: The arches and curvatures of the Pusdai Mosque interior, on Jalan Diponegoro, Bandung.

Husein Sastranegara International Airport

This is the front facade of Husein Sastranegara International Airport, Bandung (BDO).

Husein Sastranegara is a very small international airport, one of the smallest in Indonesia. However, it is also a very busy airport, one of the busiest in the country for airports located in the provincial capital. The airport currently handles about 1.3 million passengers per year carried by 13 commercial airlines connecting Bandung directly with some major cities in Indonesia and two cities in southeast Asia, i.e. Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. It is also an important airport because it is the nearest airport from Jakarta, the nation's capital.

Husein Sastranegara currently only has one terminal that is used both for domestic and international passengers. With the number of passengers it is handling, it is very crowded most of the time.

Husein Sastranegara has a 52-centimeter PCN (Pavement Classification Number), 2,250-meter-long (7,380 ft) runway, which can accommodate mid-size, narrow-bodied aircrafts.

The airport was built by the Dutch in early 1920s to replace the previous airfield at Sukamiskin. The new airport was named Andir for the name of the area it was built. The current name -- Husein Sastranegara -- is taken from the name of a local aviation Independence War hero.

The Andir Airport in Bandung was one of the airports/airfields on which Amelia Earhart stopped by on her famous flight around the world. She landed here on June 25, 1937 and continued her journey eastward the next day.

Jagung Bakar Lembang

Photo caption: Jagung bakar Lembang.

Jagung bakar (grilled corn) together with ketan bakar is a popular 'street snack' among locals as well as visitors to the town of Lembang.

Lembang is a district about 12 kilometers to the north of the city of Bandung. It is popular among visitors because of its higher altitude and cooler air, its mountainous scenery, and its vegetable and flower farms. Many people like to go here on weekends just to hang out, enjoy its fresh cool air, shop for vegetables and fruits, and eat jagung bakar, ketan bakar, and various other foods on the road side stalls.

Grilled corn may be the same everywhere, but on a cool night mountain air outdoor and among friends, it can be quite an experience.

TSM Main Entrance

This is the main entrance to the Trans Studio Mall (TSM) on Jalan Gatot Subroto, Bandung. You could probably imagine the size of the mall just by looking at this entrance.

Aircraft Maintenance

Photo caption: A couple of TNI AU (Indonesian Air Force) personnel carrying out regular maintenance inspection of C-130 Hercules aircraft at Husein Sastranegara Airbase in Bandung.

According to this military blogger, Indonesia was the first country outside the United States that operates the C-130. It received 10 of it in 1958. Currently the Indonesian Air Force has 25 units of C-130 in operation.

Alteration Artisan

An alteration artisan at work on Jalan Cihampelas, Bandung.

Alteration artisans are quite easy to find in markets and places that sell ready-made or ready-to-wear apparels in this city. They work fast too. You can wait while your apparels are being altered or mended.

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.

Roadside Newspaper

A motorcyclist stopped by the road side to by a newspaper from a newsstand on Jalan Alun-alun Timur, Bandung.

Double Track Sunset

Sunset near Stasiun Gadobangkong (Gadobangkong railway station) in Cimareme area in the west of Bandung.

The double track you see in this picture connect Bandung and Jakarta. Only until recently, there used to be paddy fields here. Now they are gone and have been replaced by a housing complex called the Amani.

This post is Bandung Daily Photo's participation for Season 6, Episode 22 of Skywatch Friday meme.

Mini Cacti

Photo caption: Varieties of mini cacti for sale at a nursery in Lembang in the north of Bandung.

Cacti (cactus or cactuses), which are native to the Americas, are cultivated in Indonesia as decorative plants. In Bandung, cacti are cultivated and cross-bred mainly in nurseries in Lembang, a small agrarian town and tourist resort some 12 kilometers to the north of city.