Shanty Dwellings

A plot of shanty dwellings in Geger Kalong Girang area in the north of Bandung. The residents here are mostly migrants who have come to the city to work or find a living in the formal informal sectors of the economy. This kind of scene is not something that visitors or tourism-oriented websites would want you to see.

A Graceful Legong Dancer

A statue of depicting the graceful gestures of a Balinese Legong dancer in front of a fountain at Rumah Mode, a famous factory outlet located on Jalan Setiabudi in the north or Bandung.

To give you an idea of how a real Legong dance looks like, you can visit Bandung Daily Photo's sister blog Bandung Daily Video.

A Horror Welcome

It is very common here to decorate the gate or entrance to an alleyway, especially during special occasions like the celebration of our Independence Day or before Ied Ul-Fitr - a major Moslem Holiday, and one of the most important holidays in the country. The decorations usually contain elements that mark the occasion. The decorations on this gate to an alleyway on Jalan Kebon Sirih at Babakan Ciamis area that I saw a few days ago, however, contains an unexpected element that I don't think is relevant to any occasions. To me, it looks horrific: a baby doll is hanged just below the sign that says "Selamat Datang" (Welcome).

I don't know if it was a prank. It may have been. The message it sends might be ironically funny to some people. But personally, I don't think it is. It's horrific.