Was reading the news this evening about the accident in Bandung where some tourists were killed and injured. Nice cool Bandung with good shopping at factory outlets and sightseeing of active volcano and rural farming scenes - all very nice. But it's good that over-protected unwary Singaporeans be more careful smart when planning to travel there.
Was also reading several wonderful reviews about the place from TripAdvisors (below review by a Malaysian tourist). AirAsia has made it very easy and affordable for Singaporeans to dash over there for short visits and shopping. It appears that Indon doesn't have a good reputation and trust. It's doesn't hurt to be extremely careful and kiasu to make the trip more pleasant and satisfying.
Bus crash kills 3 Dutch in Indonesia[/B]Posted: 08 October 2011 1559 hrs
JAKARTA: A tour bus crashed into a cliff on Indonesia's Java island, killing three Dutch and one Indonesian national, and injuring a dozen others, police said Saturday.
"The brakes on the bus failed when it was going down a steep road and it ran right into a cliff near a farm," Aiptu Nasib, head of the local police post, told AFP.
"Most of the 12 injured victims are also Dutch. The bus was full of mostly Dutch tourists and one Belgian."
The crashed bus had a capacity of 10 but was carrying 17 people Friday as it travelled north from West Java's provincial capital Bandung to Ciater, a recreational mountainous area with hot springs.....Rest of news from Channel NewsAsia
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1158041/1/.html
“Pesky Peddlers at Tangkuban Perahu”
My sis and I visited Tangkuban Perahu, Bandung recently and we did not enjoy the scenic view or the trail due to the irritating peddlers there. We were told to pay 150000 rupiah for a guide at the information centre and were informed that we had to pay an additional 150000 if we exceded the time limit. As we descended down the trail to Kawah Domas, 4 peddlers followed suit. I asked why were there four guys following, to which I was told that the guide didn't speak well, therefore the 4 were acting as guides. Then why in the first place was he appointed as our guide. Ok never mind I thought. As we descended down, two of the peddlers walked with my sis and two with me with the guide infront. As we went along, the peddlers were acting all nice and sweet, giving us a hand if we needed help on the slopes, or helping us take pictures if we wanted to, stuff like that. However, througout the 1.2m trail to the crater, the guide hardly spooke less than 10 words. Once we reached Domas Crater and soaked in the sulpuric m&d and cleaned ourselves with the hot boiling water from the crater, the so called 'sweet' peddlers switched on their alter egos. They whipped out the trinkets and other tourist items insisting we bought them at extremely expensive prices. They refused to leave us alone even after I bought a jade for 150000( i know i have been ripped off but i just needed to get him off my back).This is despite the fact that we spoke the language! Not too happy that my sister didn't buy anything, the peddler followed her all the way to the exit. My sister was calm and polite all the way until the guide told us we had to pay an additional 150000 for an additional extra hour for his so called 'guide services'. We didn't realized that they dragged our trail so that we had to pay more later. At this juncture, my sis lost it and shouted at him and just paid him 100000 rupiah and walked off. The moral of the story, these guys will annoy you till the cows come home so much so you will not enjoy the beauty of the whole trip. For those still interested to get there, there are two ways to get to Domas Crater, one from the top but you would have to pay the guide 150,000 rupiah and have irritating peddlers annoy you later or you can go from below (at the exit if you come from top) and make your way to the crater and then make your way up to the top, PEACEFULLY! Please research properly before you go!
Review from Tripadisor (2009)
http://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/ShowU...-Bandung_West_Java_Province_Java.html#REVIEWS
Was also reading several wonderful reviews about the place from TripAdvisors (below review by a Malaysian tourist). AirAsia has made it very easy and affordable for Singaporeans to dash over there for short visits and shopping. It appears that Indon doesn't have a good reputation and trust. It's doesn't hurt to be extremely careful and kiasu to make the trip more pleasant and satisfying.
Bus crash kills 3 Dutch in Indonesia[/B]Posted: 08 October 2011 1559 hrs
JAKARTA: A tour bus crashed into a cliff on Indonesia's Java island, killing three Dutch and one Indonesian national, and injuring a dozen others, police said Saturday.
"The brakes on the bus failed when it was going down a steep road and it ran right into a cliff near a farm," Aiptu Nasib, head of the local police post, told AFP.
"Most of the 12 injured victims are also Dutch. The bus was full of mostly Dutch tourists and one Belgian."
The crashed bus had a capacity of 10 but was carrying 17 people Friday as it travelled north from West Java's provincial capital Bandung to Ciater, a recreational mountainous area with hot springs.....Rest of news from Channel NewsAsia
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1158041/1/.html
“Pesky Peddlers at Tangkuban Perahu”
My sis and I visited Tangkuban Perahu, Bandung recently and we did not enjoy the scenic view or the trail due to the irritating peddlers there. We were told to pay 150000 rupiah for a guide at the information centre and were informed that we had to pay an additional 150000 if we exceded the time limit. As we descended down the trail to Kawah Domas, 4 peddlers followed suit. I asked why were there four guys following, to which I was told that the guide didn't speak well, therefore the 4 were acting as guides. Then why in the first place was he appointed as our guide. Ok never mind I thought. As we descended down, two of the peddlers walked with my sis and two with me with the guide infront. As we went along, the peddlers were acting all nice and sweet, giving us a hand if we needed help on the slopes, or helping us take pictures if we wanted to, stuff like that. However, througout the 1.2m trail to the crater, the guide hardly spooke less than 10 words. Once we reached Domas Crater and soaked in the sulpuric m&d and cleaned ourselves with the hot boiling water from the crater, the so called 'sweet' peddlers switched on their alter egos. They whipped out the trinkets and other tourist items insisting we bought them at extremely expensive prices. They refused to leave us alone even after I bought a jade for 150000( i know i have been ripped off but i just needed to get him off my back).This is despite the fact that we spoke the language! Not too happy that my sister didn't buy anything, the peddler followed her all the way to the exit. My sister was calm and polite all the way until the guide told us we had to pay an additional 150000 for an additional extra hour for his so called 'guide services'. We didn't realized that they dragged our trail so that we had to pay more later. At this juncture, my sis lost it and shouted at him and just paid him 100000 rupiah and walked off. The moral of the story, these guys will annoy you till the cows come home so much so you will not enjoy the beauty of the whole trip. For those still interested to get there, there are two ways to get to Domas Crater, one from the top but you would have to pay the guide 150,000 rupiah and have irritating peddlers annoy you later or you can go from below (at the exit if you come from top) and make your way to the crater and then make your way up to the top, PEACEFULLY! Please research properly before you go!
Review from Tripadisor (2009)
http://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/ShowU...-Bandung_West_Java_Province_Java.html#REVIEWS
