The date was December 24th – Christmas Eve. I woke up early, and rushed to catch a bus to Bandung that was scheduled to leave at 6 AM. I managed to get to the station on time and jumped into the bus. Not long after the bus departed, I fell asleep but only to woke up again not long after due to the uncomfortable seat. Repeat for about 10 times until I finally made it to Bandung.
The reason I went to Bandung was to meet an old friend. He was a friend from my university days in Bournemouth and was visiting Indonesia as part of his South East Asian trip. He decided to skip Jakarta and went to Bandung, so I decided to pay him a visit. However, as it was Christmas Eve, I could not stay overnight so I only had the afternoon to spend. It was worth it though!
I arrived at his hotel at about 10 AM. We then took a taxi to Jl.Braga area, walked around, and stopped at an old-school bakery called Sumber Hidangan. To be honest, having been to Bandung for countless times, I’ve never actually spent some time in Braga area and never heard about the bakery until my friend told us to go there! So much for local insight.. hahaha.
Being in the bakery felt like going back in history. Everything from the walls, chairs, until the taste of the bread felt vintage. It was an interesting experience and I’d certainly be back for a bread or two when I’m the area.
After our brunch session, we continued to walk around the area. We wanted to visit Asia Afrika Museum but it was closed, so we ended up in Alun – Alun Bandung. We took some time to do some sightseeing and left to our next destination… lunch!
My friend specifically wanted to eat Padang food which at first got me confused because I did not know the area that well. Thanks to Google I found out that there’s a Sederhana restaurant in Jl.Riau, so we went there for lunch. Nothing special about the lunch for me as Padang food is always good, but I guessed it was extraordinary for my friend. And when my friend is happy, I’m happy too.
Finally it was time for me to go back to Jakarta as I had to catch a train at about 4 PM. I decided to take the train to avoid traffic as I knew I had to be at my aunt’s house at 10 PM for my annual Christmas Eve family gathering. It was my first time taking a train from Bandung to Jakarta and my first train ride in a long – long time. I did not have lots of expectation at first, but I ended up surprised.
First of all, Bandung train station was clean, modern and rather organised even though it was holiday season. Plus, there were a handy number of helpful officers available. And as I booked my ticket online, I could easily went to the self-check in counter to print my ticket. All I did was scan my booking confirmation from my phone and the ticket printed out itself. Cool!
Then I was even more surprised when I saw the platforms. In front of my train, there was another helpful officer that was on standby and greeted us as we were about to board the train.
The train was also decent, with way more comfortable seat than my morning bus ride so I could sleep along the way. Last but not least, I got to see this kind of view as a bonus…
For about IDR 100,000 one way, I’d say train is definitely a worth-to-consider option if you are going on a short trip to Bandung from Jakarta. It is way more convenient than the bus, for sure! The train drops off at Gambir station in Central Jakarta so it’s easy to get around Jakarta too.
And that’s how I spent an afternoon in Bandung. Charming atmosphere as always, and this time with an old friend which made it more special :).
Christa Bercerita 
I always want to take a train ride to Bandung, but always ended by choosing bus or travel car because it is more practical and closer from my house ☺☺
Gimana kalo coba berangkatnya naik travel, pulang naik kreta Inong.. aku kemarin begitu, karena sebenernya jauh sih ke gambir. Tapi kalau pulang kan jadwalnya lebih fleksibel daripada berangkat hehehe
Thank you idenya, Christa 🙂 Dulu pernah sih nyobain kayak gitu…Tapi karena beli tiket keretanya on the spot, jadi kehabisan 😦 Mungkin lain kali tiket keretanya harus dibooking dulu nih 🙂
It’s always fun to meet an old friend!! 😀
Indonesian train seems to have gone quite a long way since the last time I travelled with them (in 2009 I think)!
Indeed Ko, my last time taking inter-city train before this was back in 2008 to Jogja and I have to say a lot has improved! 😀
seru juga naik kereta ke bandung ya
Seruuu, dan gak macet pastinya Win, hehe
So happy to see the improvements of KAI! I haven’t had a train ride in ages too, but my parents told me how great it is now. Maybe I should pay Bandung a visit soon too 😉
Yes you should, or perhaps I should visit Jogja by train soon! 😉
Aku nggak pernah naik kereta di Indonesia soalnya dulu waktu kecil takutnya ada banyak copet. Tapi sekarang aku liat stasiun2nya udah mulai modern ya! Kaget loh liat ada self check-in counternya!
Aku juga kaget Steph, terakhir naik kreta antar kota tuh tahun 2008, itu sih masih lumayan parah.. sekarang udah jauh lebih nyaman 🙂
been long time banget gak pernah naik kereta di Indo aku..terakhir naik kereta ke bandung kayanya waktu masih kecil banget trus pesen menu fav nasgor..halahhh..
duh bandung ini selallu menyenangkan yaa..ada aja tempat makanan enak2 trus suasana juga asik..I miss bandung!
Waktu kecil aku juga pernah gitu Nis, tapi kemaren di kantin nya udah ngga ada nasgor adanya makanan instan gituu kayak popmie/chiki.. hiksss.
Kalau pulang ke Indo mampir Bandung nis jangan lupaa.. pasti seneng deh 🙂
Wow, it’s a nice recount, and what such a great moment to pay old friend a visit and have time together.
For me, travelling by train is so fun and cheap, I once did it when I had to go from Jakarta to Bogor two years ago.
I think you must try to take the train again, I’m sure a lot has improved since two years ago!
😂 Maunya sich gtu, mbak. But now I am in Borneo. Waktu itu pas lagi ke Jakarta and I had an agenda in Bogor. It was my first time to take a train. Wish not the last
Wish so too 🙂
saya salut sama pelayanan di stasiun Bandung, tapi kalo naik kereta harus ke gambir dulu jauh euy emg gada ya selain gambir?
Ada dong.. banyak kan stasiun kereta di Jakarta..
Sekarang sistem kereta udah bagus, bahkan untuk kelas ekonomi penumpangnya satu orang satu tempat duduk. Gak ada lagi yang berdiri, penumpang yang masuk ke stasiun cuma boleh masuk 1 jam sebelum keberangkatan. Jadi gak ada penumpukan penumpang di stasiun. Bahkan kereta kelas ekonomi juga ada AC nya ya, kalau tidak salah.