The Celebration, The Speed And The Hangout

My friend Jimmy sets the standard called at least twice. While we always make fun of it in our group, there is a certain truth in it. Now, about a decade ago, I went to Bandung for Chinese New Year celebration. I came from a culture that has a rich Chinese New Year tradition, so I was taken aback that in Bandung, what we did on the first day of Chinese New Year was to take a family photo.

Still one doesn't get to conclude based on the one time experience. According to Jimmy, you have to go through it at least twice. So off we went again to Bandung last week. After an early flight and a car ride, we reached our destination. That night was rather special. A reunion dinner plus birthday celebration of my daughter and brother-in-law. Food was delicious and it was fun to hang out with the in-laws again. They are good people. 

Audrey's birthday celebration.

Came the first day, things started late in a city that barely had the Chinese New Year atmosphere. After a failed visit (the host wasn't at home), they accommodated my only wish to have my lunch at Batagor Kingsley. The food was good, but the place was bloody stuffy. I think the restaurant wants a fast guest turnover, therefore the aircon wasn't turned on.

After that, we tried visiting the brother of my father-in-law again. He was there this time. His house was being renovated so both the host and visitors were standing throughout the time we were there. No cakes or tea were served, so I think it's safe to conclude now that Chinese New Year isn't a big deal in Bandung. Call me biased, but I like the celebration in Pontianak better, haha. 

Stink bean salted fish fried rice.

The next day, things were back to normal. To think that it was only day two of CNY! We lazed around until noon time, then went out for late lunch at Pandan Wangi. The food was as good as it could be for Sundanese cuisine. I personally like the stink bean salted fish fried rice. Called jambal roti in local language, the texture of the salted fish was rather unique. It was firm, giving the crunchy vibe, and the saltiness tasted just nice. Perfect for the fried rice.

We eventually said goodbye after lunch. It was our family time and we moved from Dago to Dago Pakar area for one night at Intercontinental. My wife recommended the hotel and her choice was supported by my daughter. It was a good hotel. Nice view, big room, definitely worth the money. A bit secluded, but that's the expectation when one chooses to stay in Dago Pakar. 

Audrey at Intercon.

We returned to Jakarta on the following day. We tried Whoosh out, the newly built high-speed rail service and the first one in Southeast Asia. The Tegalluar Station was quite far, more than an hour ride from Intercontinental. I also learnt that the locals would actually opt for Padalarang Station instead as it was closer to the city. 

Anyway, since the tickets were already booked, we headed to Tegalluar. The station was like at the end of the line. One road led to the station that was surrounded by paddy fields. The station was new and instead of restaurants, it had a lot of small kiosks selling food. Much to my surprise, they only accepted cashless transaction. The ticket machine worked, the train platform somehow reminded me of Suzhou and... Bern. The bullet train itself felt like those in China.

Right before we boarded the train.

46 minutes were all it took to reach Halim Station, outskirt of Jakarta. From there, the Blue Bird cab brought us to Mercure in PIK. The area was new to us, so we stayed there for sightseeing purpose. My daughter had KFC and xiaolongbao from Din Tai Fung while I preferred the good ol' Pontianak cuisine cooked by my friend Gulit: the non-halal fried kway teow. Since there was Aming Coffee nearby, it became a logical choice for us to hang out. 

The night could have ended there, but HRR appeared and we all went out again after I dropped my family at the hotel. We went to Hermosa this time, singing and drinking. The last song, only God knows why, was memorable. Chosen by HRR, it was Vulnerable by Roxette.

At Hermosa with Gulit, HRR, AW and Yardi.

Apart from Pantjoran that sells the Chinatown atmosphere, PIK is also known for its European look. My wife was keen to see, so we went there in the morning. Apparently it was meant to be visited in the night, so there wasn't much to see when we were there, haha. We walked to nearest McDonald's and had a breakfast there. After that we did the late check-out and made our way back to Singapore...

Perayaan, Kecepatan dan Nongkrong

Teman saya Jimmy menelurkan standar minimal dua kali. Meski kita di grup suka menjadikan standar ini sebagai lelucon, tidak bisa dipungkiri bahwa ada kebenaran yang tersirat di dalamnya. Nah, sekitar 10 tahun silam, saya ke Bandung untuk merayakan Tahun Baru Cina. Karena saya berasal dari tempat dengan budaya yang kaya dengan tradisi Tahun Baru Cina, bayangkan betapa kagetnya saya bahwa kita justru ke studio untuk foto bersama di hari pertama Tahun Baru Cina. 

Namun tentunya kita tidak bisa menarik kesimpulan dengan hanya berdasarkan pengalaman satu kali saja. Standar kita adalah minimal dua kali. Jadi saya pun ke Bandung lagi minggu lalu. Setelah penerbangan di pagi hari yang berlanjut dengan perjalanan dengan mobil, tibalah kita di Bandung. Malam itu tergolong istimewa. Ada makan malam bersama untuk merayakan malam tahun baru sekaligus pesta ulang tahun putri dan adik ipar saya. Makanannya enak dan senang bisa berkumpul dengan keluarga istri saya lagi. Mereka orang-orang yang baik dan ramah. 

Ulang tahun Audrey.

Hari pertama Tahun Baru Cina terasa berjalan lambat di kota yang hampir tidak memiliki suasana tahun baru. Saat hari menjelang siang, barulah kita berkunjung ke rumah yang paling dituakan, namun orangnya tidak di tempat. Kita lantas makan di Batagor Kingsley, makanan favorit saya. Makanannya lezat, tapi tempatnya panas dan pengap. AC-nya tidak dinyalakan, mungkin karena pemilik restoran ingin tamunya cepat pergi setelah makan. 

Sesudah makan siang, kita balik lagi ke tempat abang dari bapak mertua saya. Beliau ada di rumah sekarang, namun kediamannya sedang direnovasi. Baik tuan rumah maupun tamu pun berdiri selama kunjungan. Tak ada teh dan kue. Jadi bisa disimpulkan sekarang bahwa Tahun Baru Cina memang bukan tradisi penting di Bandung. Anda boleh anggap saya bias, tapi saya lebih suka perayaan di Pontianak, hehe. 

Nasi goreng pete jambal roti.

Keesokan harinya, semua kembali normal di hari kedua Tahun Baru Cina. Kita bersantai sampai siang, lalu makan di Pandan Wangi. Saya bukan penggemar berat masakan Sunda, tapi saya rasa cukup lezat. Pesanan saya, nasi goreng pete jambal roti terasa istimewa. Ikan asinnya padat, pas asinnya dan enak dikunyah. 

Kita akhirnya pamit dengan keluarga besar sesudah santap siang. Dari Dago, kita pindah ke kawasan Dago Pakar untuk bermalam di Intercontinental. Istri saya yang merekomendasikan hotel ini dan putri saya juga mendukung idenya. Pilihan yang bijak, sebab hotelnya memang bagus, kamarnya luas dan sesuai harga. Agak terpencil, tapi memang seperti itulah kalau kita memilih untuk tinggal di Dago Pakar. 

Audrey di Intercon.

Setelah berada di Bandung dari sejak hari Jumat, kita kembali ke Jakarta di hari Senin dengan menaiki Whoosh, Kereta Cepat Indonesia Cina yang baru-baru ini diresmikan. Stasiun Tegalluar cukup jauh dari Intercontinental, lebih dari satu jam kalau menggunakan mobil. Setelah berbincang dengan beberapa orang selama di Bandung, saya baru tahu bahwa warga setempat lebih cenderung memilih untuk berangkat dari Stasiun Padalarang karena lebih dekat dengan pusat kota. 

Karena tiket sudah dibeli sebelumnya, maka kita tetap ke Tegalluar. Stasiun ini letaknya bagaikan di ujung dunia. Hanya ada satu jalan yang mengarah ke stasiun yang dikelilingi oleh sawah. Tak ada restoran di stasiun baru ini, hanya ada kios-kios kecil yang menjual makanan secara non-tunai. Ada mesin tiket yang berfungsi dengan baik, disain platform kereta yang membuat saya teringat dengan stasiun di Suzhou dan... Bern. Kereta cepatnya juga mirip dengan yang di Cina. 

Foto bersama sebelum naik Whoosh.

46 menit setelah keberangkatan, kita mencapai Stasiun Halim yang terletak di tepi Jakarta. Dari sana, kita naik Blue Bird ke Mercure di PIK. Kawasan ini baru bagi kita, jadi kita tinggal semalam di sana. Putri saya menyantap KFC dan xiaolongbao dari Din Tai Fung sementara saya lebih memilih kwetiau goreng Pontianak dari teman saya Alit. Ada Aming Coffee di dekat Pantjoran, jadi kita pun nongkrong di sana. 

Malam itu harusnya berakhir setelah Aming Coffee, namun HRR datang menyusul dan kita keluar lagi setelah mengantarkan keluarga saya ke hotel. Kali ini kita ke Hermosa, klub malam dan karaoke. Lagu terakhir yang dipilih HRR, Vulnerable dari Roxette, entah kenapa selalu terngiang di benak saya. 

Di Hermosa bersama Gulit, HRR, AW dan Yardi.

Selain Pantjoran yang menjual suasana Cina, PIK juga memiliki kawasan bersuasana Eropa. Istri saya ingin melihat tempat ini, jadi kita ke sana di pagi hari. Ternyata tempat ini hanya ramai di malam hari, jadi tidak ada yang bisa dilihat pas kita berada di sana. Kita lantas berjalan ke McDonald's terdekat untuk sarapan pagi. Setelah check-out, kita pun ke bandara dan kembali ke Singapura...