The Orderly Dalem Kaum Street

This is what Dalem Kaum Street looks like now: green and more orderly.

Not long ago, this street in the center of the city was notorious for its crowded and chaotic look. Unruly street vendors known locally as 'pedagang kaki lima'(PKL) occupied both sides of the streets and the sidewalks making the already dense and narrow street congested, dirty, and unsightly.

The revitalisation of the street was part of our new mayor's program to regulate more stringently the city's street vendors and make the city cleaner and more orderly.

This banner at the end of the street reminds everyone that it is against the city's regulation to buy from street vendors in this area. This banner reads:

"It is forbidden to buy from street vendors in the red zone." The fine for violators is 1 million rupiah (about US $80).

Bubble Seller at Alun-Alun Cimahi Park

A bubble seller selling his ware at Alun-Alun Cimahi Park in the west of Bandung.

Jajan

These children are buying a cake from a snack seller/vendor traveling in their kampong near Situ Ciburuy (the Ciburuy lake) in West Bandung.

"Jajan", the title of this post, is an Indonesian word for snack (as a noun), eating snack, or buying snack.

Vegetable Seller and Buyer

A traveling/mobile vegetable seller and a buyer in the neighbourhood where I live in West Bandung.

A traveling vegetable seller like this usually walks door to door and touts his merchandise. A buyer who thinks she/he needs the merchandise touted would come out of their house, stop him, and bargain before the transaction is made. Many kinds of merchandise and services are sold in this way in my neighbourhood.

Roadside Poster Saler

Posters and calendars sold at the pavement (sidewalk) at the town of Cimahi in the west of Bandung.

Looking For Tires

A motorist stopped by the roadside to inspect some tires offered at a mobile tire shop (vendor) at Jalan Cibeureum in the west of Bandung. Yes, it's the same shop/vendor whose photo I posted last Friday, (June 7, 2013).

Seorang pengendara sepeda motor melihat-lihat ban yang ditawarkan oleh seorang tukang tambal ban yang juga menjual ban dengan mobil boksnya di tepi jalan Cibeureum di sebelah barat kota Bandung.

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.

Cotton Candy Man

A customer is eagerly waiting for her cotton candy to be made by the seller at Alun-alun Bandung (Bandung City Square).

Socks

Being a busy market street, Jalan Dalem Kaum offers a lot of things to see. And for a photo enthusiast like myself, this is a perfect place to do street photography. But if you have keen photographer's eyes you can get more than what you can imagine. Like this one: how a street vendor displays the socks that he sells.

So, this place may feel like a chaotic place for some; but isn't there always an orderly beauty in chaos? All you need to do is to have a pair of keen, observing eyes and the right attitude.

Road-side Spectacles

Customers inspecting and choosing glasses (spectacles) offered by a street vendor on the pavement of Dalem Kaum Street in the center of the city.

Dalem Kaum is probably one of the densest and most crowded streets in Bandung. It's a shopping area where different kinds of street vendors offer different kinds of things on the pavement and in front of the shops and supermarkets that line the street.

Stickers, Automotive Window and Anti-scratch Film

A lone street vendor selling and offering his service to install motorcycle stickers and anti-scratch and automotive window film at Jalan Dr. Setiabudi street in the north of Bandung. It looks like a quiet day for him he could read a newspaper while waiting for a customer.

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.

'Bubur Sumsum'

A street vendor selling 'bubur sumsum' serving a customer at Jalan Geger Kalong Girang in the north of Bandung.

Bubur sumsum literally means bone marrow porridge. However, this local sweet delicacy has nothing to do at all with bone marrow. It is a porridge, yes. But it is entirely made of rice flour and other ingredients derived from plants, like coconut milk, palm sugar, etc. It has no animal ingredients whatsoever. The name was probably given because of its look: white and smooth like marrow.

Bubur sumsum is usually eaten for breakfast or afternoon snack. Because of its savory and sweet taste, however, this light meal is often served as a dessert to fit in the Western style of dining and translated as rice pudding.

If you want to know how it tastes, you may try to make it yourself. Here is the recipe written in English that I found on the web.

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.

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.

Shoelaces for Sale

Shoelaces for sale at the alun-alun in front of Mesjid Raya Bandung (Bandung Grand Mosque).

Different types, shapes, and colors of shoelaces are offered by this street vendor. All you need to do is pick and choose the ones you need.

"Nangka" Vendor

A 'nangka' (Artocarpus heterophyllus or A. heterophylla) vendor at the road side of Jalan Dr. Otten.

Nangka or jackfruit is said to be native to southern part of India, but is widely spread and cultivated in southeast Asia. It is the largest tree-born fruit known today. The fruit can weigh up to 36 kg (80 pounds) each and can be as long as 90 cm (36 inches) in length and 50 cm (20 inches) in diameter. You can see the whole fruits with their green peel on your left hand side of the picture. This vendor peels and slices the fruit and sell its bright yellow flesh by the kilogram.

Gift and Souvenir Hawkers at Cihampelas Street

Gift and souvenir hawkers/street vendors at Cihampelas Street.

Road Side Shoes

A vendor selling shoes on the road side of Jalan Gunung Batu in the western part of the city. Different models of shoes are offered here. According to the seller, he and his friends came all the way from Sidoardjo, an industrial city near Surabaya in East Java. They claimed they had brought the shoes directly from the factory and therefore they could sell them for a lot less than any shops or supermarkets.

I once bought a pair of walking shoes for a little more than six US dollars. They looked good, but did not feel as comfortable as those that are more expensive. They did not last long either.

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.