An improvement on the sleep before, that’s for sure!

We wake up and have some Australia nature show on with a coffee before we get up and check out

While waiting for a Gojek, we have a proper coffee as well as a cromboloni, a mix of croissant and bomboloni (an Italian filled doughnut)

Our ride arrives and we’re scooted to Gambir Station

It seems you can see the remnants of Indonesia’s authoritarian rule, that was removed back in the 90s: the tickets we’ve bought need to be collected from a check in counter and it’s connected to your passport in addition to many cameras picking people up on CCTV – we think it’s useful but we’re glad they moved on to democracy ????

We explore the station and pop into a variety of the shops here for snacks for our train ride

Fun note: the Subway we get our lunch from was actually opened here by Subway’s CEO, John Chidsey, back in 2022

We go through departures – they have a one way airport-style going on here which is another useful touch – and find our train and our carriage, which is classified as premium

It’s certainly better than what we experienced in Vietnam: the carriage is air-conditioned, clean and the seats are all in working condition (glad we get to try all the different country’s trains though!)

Within the first 30 minutes of setting off, it begins to pour down – a reminder of the tropical cyclone that’s looming around Indonesia

The overall ride is pretty pleasant too so we’re able to get on with some work while travelling, even with the train shuddering and bouncing every now and then; the sights from the train are beautiful

We arrive into Bandung after 4pm and get a Gojek taxi speedily to drop us off at our hotel for the next couple of nights: the ibis Styles Bandung Grand Central

Popping in to check in, briefly drop our bags and freshen up, we get back out and order a Gojek to Sudirman Street Day and Night Market

The place is lined with food vendors so we walk up and down; it’s a little quiet so we decide to move on to another location

Along the way, we walk by the Asia Africa Monument and bridge that shares a quote from Pidie Baiq, a famous Indonesian writer: “And Bandung for me is not just a matter of geography, more than that it involves feelings, which are with me when it’s quiet” – how wholesome!

The trees beside the bridge here also have Bats flying around which is a bonus for us

We carry on until we reach the notable street of Jl. Braga – it’s known in the area for being picturesque with it’s Dutch colonial-period style hosting coffee shops, boutiques and galleries

With so many dinner options available, we wander up and down before settling on Justus Steak House Braga

Two locally sourced sirloin steaks, an apple juice and an orange juice – not a typical steak but good to try

After that, we go back out to the street and it’s not too lively so we walk to the end of the road and get a short Grab taxi back to Sudirman Street Day and Night Market

It’s a bit busier than earlier so we pop to grab a couple of local beers as well as four pork satay, or sate locally, skewers

As we enjoy, we work out some admin for the next several days, as it turns out there’s another bank holiday coming up so need to book a hotel etc before they’re all booked up!

We finish off and get a Grab back to the hotel and get some rest