The Argo Parahyangan train slides into Bandung station right on time, and the first thing I notice when the doors open is the air. It's not the thick, wet heat of Jakarta. It's cooler, drier, like someone turned the city's thermostat down a few notches. I step onto the platform and breathe in, and it feels like the highlands are welcoming me with a handshake instead of a hug.
Selamat datang, Bandung. I've heard about this city my whole life—the Paris of Java, they used to call it, for the Art Deco buildings and the cool mountain air. And now I'm here, not as a tourist, but as someone trying to figure out where to put down roots for a while. The journey from Jakarta took about three hours by train, and honestly, that's the easiest long-distance travel I've done in Indonesia so far. No traffic, no chaos, just rice fields and tea plantations scrolling past the window.
I've got a backpack and a small suitcase, and no fixed address yet. So the first order of business is finding a room. I've read that a modest one-bedroom flat in the city centre runs somewhere between three and a half and five million rupiah a month—about two hundred and seventy dollars. For now, though, I'm looking for something short-term, a guesthouse where I can crash for a few nights while I get my bearings. I've got my eye on a place called Zoe Guest House, not far from the historic district.
The guesthouse is tucked into a quiet lane off Jalan Braga, which is the kind of street that makes you slow down. Cobblestones, old Dutch colonial facades, a few art galleries and cafes. I drop my bags in the room—simple, clean, with a fan and a window that opens onto the lane—and I'm out the door within minutes. The air is warm in the sun but cool in the shade, and I can hear the distant hum of a city that feels smaller, more human than Jakarta.
My first stop is a warung near the guesthouse, the kind of place with plastic stools and a glass case full of fried things. I order batagor—Bandung's signature fried fish and tofu dumplings with peanut sauce. A portion costs about fifteen thousand rupiah, so around a dollar. The sauce is rich and slightly sweet, with a kick of chili that wakes up my whole mouth. I eat it standing at the counter, watching the street go by, and I think: this is what I came for.
The next day, I take a walk up to Dago, the cool, hilly district in the north. It's the creative heart of Bandung, the kind of place where streetwear designers have their workshops next to coffee roasters and leather ateliers. I stop at a café called Wheels Coffee Roasters, perched on Jalan Riau, and order a flat white. It costs about twenty-five thousand rupiah—again, around a dollar seventy. The barista is young, with a nose ring and a serious look, and the coffee is genuinely excellent. This city runs on caffeine and ideas.
I spend the morning wandering Dago's side streets. There's a factory outlet on every corner, selling denim and leather goods at prices that make my Jakarta shopping habits look reckless. I buy a simple leather belt for a hundred and fifty thousand rupiah, which feels like a bargain. Between the fashion and the coffee, I start to understand why Bandung is called Indonesia's creative capital. There's a rhythm here that's different from Jakarta—more laid-back, more collaborative, like everyone's in on the same secret.
In the afternoon, I ride the Metro Jabar Trans bus down to the historic centre. The fare is four thousand nine hundred rupiah, cashless only, so I tap my bank card—yes, the same one I opened in Jakarta. It works, and I feel a small surge of pride. The bus drops me near Gedung Sate, the 1920s colonial landmark with that distinctive satay-skewer spire. I walk around the grounds, listening to the fountain, and I think about how this building has watched over the city for a hundred years, through independence, revolution, and now the selfie era.
From Gedung Sate, it's a short walk to the Asia-Africa Conference Museum, housed in the Art Deco Gedung Merdeka. This is where, in 1955, leaders from across Asia and Africa gathered to launch the Non-Aligned Movement. The museum is quiet on a weekday afternoon. I walk through the rooms where Sukarno and Nehru once shook hands, and I try to imagine the weight of that moment. Bandung was at the centre of the post-colonial world then. It's a history that feels both distant and urgent, especially now, as the city gears up for Independence Day in nine days.
That evening, I meet up with a friend of a friend who's been living here for a year. Her name is Ratna, and she's a graphic designer, originally from Surabaya. We go to a spot called Hummingbird Eatery, a casual place with wooden tables and hanging plants. She orders sambal with everything, and I'm learning to keep up. We talk about the cost of living, and she laughs when I tell her my rent budget. 'You're paying too much,' she says. 'You can get a place in Buahbatu for half that, if you're okay with the commute.' She's right, probably. But for now, I like being near the action.
After dinner, Ratna takes me to a place called One Eighty Coffee and Music, a bar with a rooftop view of the city lights. The air is cool up there, and the sky is clear. I order a local craft beer and watch the lights of Bandung flicker below. Ratna tells me about the music scene—indie bands, basement gigs, the annual Flower City Fest, which is happening tomorrow at a field called Lapangan PPI Pusenif. I make a note to check the schedule. It feels like the kind of thing that would give me a sense of this city's pulse.
The next morning, I wake up to the sound of birds and, faintly, the call to prayer from a mosque nearby. I walk down to the street and buy a portion of siomay from a cart—steamed fish dumplings with peanut sauce, about twelve thousand rupiah. I eat it on a plastic bench, watching the city wake up. The flags are out for Independence Day, red and white strung across the streets, and I can already feel the excitement building. Next week, the whole country will be celebrating. I'm glad I'm here for it.
The rest of the day, I get practical. I need to update my address with the immigration office, so I take a scooter taxi to the kantor imigrasi on Jalan R.E. Martadinata. The process takes about an hour, and the officers are friendly, maybe because I brought photocopies of everything. I leave with a stamp in my passport and a small sense of accomplishment. I also check out a bank branch near Dago—Bank Mandiri, just to ask about opening a local account. They tell me I need a KITAS, which I'm still waiting on, but they give me a list of documents. I fold it into my pocket and decide to worry about it later.
That evening, I take the bus up to Lembang, the highland town north of the city. It's about an hour away, and the road winds through pine forests and vegetable farms. The air gets even cooler as we climb. I get off at the market and buy a grilled corn on the cob from a stall—eight thousand rupiah, so about fifty cents. It's smoky and sweet, and the heat of it warms my hands against the evening chill. I sit on a wall and watch the sun set over the hills, thinking about how different this is from Jakarta. The pace, the temperature, the way people move. It's a gentler kind of life.
I catch the last bus back to Bandung and stop at Alun-Alun Timur, the city square, where night stalls are grilling corn and frying tahu. I buy another cob—can't resist—and listen to the sounds of the crowd: laughter, scooters, the beep of a QRIS payment. There's a stage set up for Independence Day rehearsals, and I can hear a gamelan warming up somewhere behind the fence. I stand in the square, corn in hand, and I feel something I haven't felt in a long time: like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.
Bandung is going to be home for a while. I've got a room, a bus card, a list of cafes, and a new friend who knows the best sambal in town. Tomorrow, I'll explore the flower festival and maybe take a trip to Tangkuban Perahu, the volcano that looks like an upturned boat. But tonight, I'm just going to enjoy the cool air and this feeling of possibility. This is the second stop on my journey across Java, and I'm starting to understand what the highlands do to a city. They slow it down, open it up, give it room to breathe. And right now, that's exactly what I need.
So that's the plan for now: find a routine, keep the KITAS moving, and watch Bandung wake up for Independence Day. I'll be here for the celebrations, and I'll tell you all about it. Sampai jumpa, Bandung. Until then.