Batavia to Bandung

Interestingly, just like my little museum cadre, our relatively small Intrepid group all got on an elevator, a necessity when the hotel lobby is on the 7th floor. We had a nice dinner, turned in early, and I discovered the breakfasts here rivaled the banquet spread at my first hotel. The giant mask is a lobby decoration.

Our first visit was to the Jakarta Cathedral. Note the sexier Maria in batik. Saw the organ, thought of Uncle Jimmy. Enjoyed some gothic loftiness. (BTW, since we were in colonial Holland, Batavia was the capital of the Dutch East Indies. Its area was equivalent to present-day Jakarta.)

Then, we walked across the street to the Istiqlal Mosque, largest in Southeast Asia with an enormous capacity. However, as it was a Friday during Ramadan, we were not allowed in and had a video presentation instead. Did not as much enjoy the brutalist parking structure style, but did a perimeter anywayz…

Next, we went to Chinatown. After checking out the interesting architecture of a modern skyscraper surrounding an old Chinese house, we walked to the marketplace. In addition to the exotic critters for sale were many exotic things to eat, from tropic fruits to frogs, etc. A phantasmagoria of sights, smells, and sensibilities.

From there (more here), we went to the port (harbor) of Jakarta. Perhaps a must in covering the historical aspects of Batavia (capital of the Dutch East Indies), but, not unlike the many canals around town, it’s kinda funky (not in a good way).

The last pic in this pile is of an old cannon in the old town, Si Jagur. You can read the legends, but if you don’t know what the hand gesture depicted here means, just know sometimes its appropriate to be inappropriate…!

Given some time before lunch, and on the recommendation of our guide Isa, I went to the Wayang Museum to check out the puppet show culture of Indonesia. Not only is it great art and theater, it shows a sensibility of humor and fun…

We had a great lunch at the classic Cafe Batavia in nice colonial building in old town Jakarta. Great room, great food, and as I’m understanding more, great people…

Still jet lagging, when we went back to the hotel, I let my nap extend through the night, skipping dinner and catching up on sleep. It paid off as I was quite refreshed in the morning, and ready for another great breakfast, afterwhich we went to the train station to catch a lovely ride to Bandung…

Bandung, while damp from rain, is more relaxed than Jakarta, but still a bustling metropolis. Met some nice kids and we lunched in another iconic restaurant, the Purnama Coffee Shop.

Next, we went to the prison where Indonesia’s first president Sukarno was held, perhaps the crucible of Indonesian independence. There, we experienced a significant thunderstorm and lots of rain, so returned to our hotel…

I, however, was still in exploration mode, braving the rain, and discovering a fun alleyway to my destination, another shrine to Sukarno. Note the guy fishing from his balcony!

The Gedung Indonesia Menggugat, a courthouse, now Indonesian heritage site, was between our hotel and my next destination, Jalen Braga, the rue des pietons of Bandung. I strolled its length, then made my way back to the hotel…

I’d already vetted the Braga Art Cafe and persuaded four of our group to go there for dinner (an Indoburger with green buns!). We taxied there, walked back, after strolling the avenue and popping into the Grey Art Gallery featuring an exhibit in black & white. Worth the 30K rupiah (<$2) …