The Safest Street in the World?

Imagine a street that's home to many of the world's superheroes. It must be the safest place in the world!

This is the thought that often plays in my mind whenever I pass Jalan Cihampelas (Cihampelas Street). I'm not seriously thinking about this, of course. I mean, these superheroes only exist in fictions, and on this street particularly, they are just part of the decorations of the fashion stores lining it. Still, the thought amuses me, not to mention how extraordinary it is to think that so many superheroes "live" in a relatively small place like this.

All that said, this post is the second installment of my coverage of one of Bandung's most famous and fascinating streets. Please check my post yesterday for the first installment of the Cihampelas story.

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.

Jeans Doctor

One of the disadvantages of buying ready made clothes or trousers is that sometimes they don't really fit your body size. But that's usually not a problem as many shops now offer to fix them to fit your body size. In Bandung, this service is not only offered by big department stores, but also by street jeans doctors like this one. You can find them in places where there are clothing shops like on Cihampelas Street (Bandung's Jeans and Fashion street), Pasar Baru, etc.

A Bit of History of Jeans and Blue Jeans

Made from tough fabric called denim, Jeans trousers, as many of you may already know, was originally designed for work. It was initially worn by man and woman workers of the Second World War before it became popular as a casual dress among teenagers in the 1950's.

Jeans, especially blue jeans, are often associated with cowboys and the American Old West. What many of us may not know, however, is that the name "jeans" is not of American origin. The term blue jeans - the original fabric and color of today's jeans - was derived from blu di Genoa or Bleu Genes (the blue of Genoa) because it is believed that it was the Genoese sailors who were the first to wear this kind of clothing in the 1860s. The denim fabric itself, according to Wikipedia, was first manufactured in the town of Chieri in Turin, Italy, during the Renaissance and became popular in the 1500s.