On Board Argo Parahiyangan

I'm on my way to Jakarta this morning. And this is the train I'm taking: the executive class of The Argo Parahiyangan.

There used to be two train services that connected Bandung and Jakarta: Parahiyangan and the Argo Gede. Early this year, however, the Parahiyangan service was discontinued and was attached to The Argo Gede. Hence the name 'Argo Parahiyangan'.

The Indonesian railway company (PT KAI) decided to merge the services because of the steep competition it was facing from shuttle bus services that could offer better fares and faster travel time between Bandung and Jakarta since the opening of Cipularang toll highway.

This is a mobile upload. My apology if the picture quality is not that good. I took the photo with my mobile phone's 2MP camera and uploaded it right after I took it.

Glowing Leaves

It was an unusually sunny November day today. And this morning, on the parking lot of my office at Indonesia University of Education (UPI Bandung), I saw the sun light streaming through the super-sized leaves of the Katapang tree (terminalia catappa), making them glow in beautiful hues of green.

Katapang is a native tree of the southeast asian regions (except in the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan/Borneo where curiously the natural occurence is reportedly very rare).

The hot, tropical coastal areas are the natural habitat of the tree. However, it can also grow well in areas up to about 400 meters above sea level with rainfall of about 1,000–3,500 mm per year with 6 months dry season. Ketapang sheds its leaves twice a year.

Sate Maranggi

Here's another culinary specialty that you may want to try if you visit Bandung and its vicinities: Sate Maranggi.

Sate Maranggi is a kind of satay that is originally from the area of Purwakarta, a regency about 80 kilometers north-north west of Bandung. It is typically made from goat meat or beef.

What's special about this sate is its "chunky" and tender meat and the sauce with which it is served. This sauce is made of kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), sugar cane vinegar, and green chili pepper and hence tastes refreshingly sweet, sour, and hot. In addition to the sauce, it is also served with slices of pineapple, shallots, and crushed fresh tomatoes.

I took these photos at Cibungur sate maranggi restaurant near the Sadang exit of Cipularang Toll Road at Purwakarta.