Bandung, Indonesia (Day 1)

We arrived in Jakarta at 1am, checked-in at a hotel, had a brief nap and prayed Fajr before we had to leave again just as the sun peeked over the city skyline.

It was surprising to find the Gambir station to be as packed as it was – we reached there minutes after Fajr – but perhaps the world renowned jams of Jakarta spills onto its railways as well.

A high-speed train connecting Jakarta and Bandung exists, but AO and I wanted to try the new Panoramic Train. It was basically the first cabin of a normal train, but fitted with numerous windows on its ceiling and walls and with a more luxury feel. I was holding my breath, anticipating the heat due to the large windows, but it was actually comfortably cooling throughout the four hours journey. We were served mineral water, cartoned juice, a choice of hot drinks, and a box of sweet pastries by the stewards.

The train ride was interesting and beautiful; we crossed many different terrains from tall cityscapes to modern villages, from vast rice fields to tall mountains. It reminded me a little of the feeling I had crossing Vietnam in a sleeper bus a decade ago.

This time round, AO and I opted to travel around using Gojek instead of hiring a private driver. We did not have any regrets as they were much cheaper and rather easy to get, as the places on our list were all near the cities.

First order of the day was food as we were thoroughly famished after such a long journey from Singapore the night before. Armed with the recommendation of the guard at Hotel Santika Pasir Kaliki, we crossed over to the other side of the hotel (which again, reminded me of Vietnam’s busy streets but this time with cars instead of motorbikes) and found Rijsttafel Resto, a restaurant specialising in Dutch-Indonesian cuisine.

I don’t know what it is about Indonesian food, but their various piping hot nasi, ayam and sambal combinations are never a disappointment. We had our very first Nasi Oncom and Nasi Timble here.

Stomachs filled, the next agenda was to head thirty minutes out from the city to a place called Kampung Mahmud, nestled between the Citarum River and rice fields, surrounded by even more mountains and blue skies. AO and I make it a point to visit at least one maqam (ie. the burial site of a saint and/or scholar) of the destination we travel to, as a mark of respect, to express gratitude, and to take the barakah of those near to Allah ﷾.

From what we were able to Google beforehand, Kampung Mahmud is a village founded by a wali named Eyang Haji Abdul Manaf, a descendent of one of the nine Wali Songos, Sunan Gunung Jati.

It was narrated that Eyang Abdul Manaf lived for a long duration in Mekah, and when he wanted to return to Indonesia, it was revealed to him that Indonesia was soon to be colonised by the Dutch. He made intensive du’as while in a place called Mahmud in the vicinity of Mekah, before it was then revealed to him of a location that would be protected from the clutches of the Dutch – a swamp or marsh near a river.

Having returned home, he finally found the place revealed to him at the foot of the Citarum River, and work on the land soon began. True to what was revealed to the saint, Kampung Mahmud became a safe haven for many warriors who fought against the colonizers throughout the Dutch Occupation, and it was also from Kampung Mahmud that Islam became widespread in the region.

Having zero knowledge of the kampung prior to arriving besides the little facts we googled, AO and I were pleasantly surprised to find a bustling village and not at all empty like we assumed. The maqam of Eyang Haji Abdul Manaf itself was located in the center of a labyrinth of alleyways lined with both homes and makeshift stalls; the vibe transported me back to the vicinities of Sunan Ampel in Surabaya. Lost in the alleys, it was nice just to blend into the crowd as busses gave birth to wave upon wave of visitors from adults to children alike.

When we finally reached the heart of the village, it was alive with groups of visitors reciting the Qur’an, tahlil, and selawat. After walking around, AO and I finally found space to sit as a group made its way out. We spent some time making our own prayers and soaking in the atmosphere – something we both said we really missed – before making our way back into the labyrinth.

It was on the way out that I had the sudden urge to have a conversation with one of the stall owners, a smiley lady who preferred not to have her photo taken. Gesturing to the home behind her, she shared that it – as well as the homes surrounding it – belonged to her family for generations since the founding of the kampung. (On hindsight, I probably should have asked if she was the descendent of Haji Abdul Manaf and if we could visit his home.) AO and I made a remark about the distinct architecture of the village homes, and the lady explained that when Haji Abdul Manaf founded the village, he too made some ground rules on the structure of the houses that the villagers had to adhere to for the safety of the village, both literally and metaphorically.

After heading back to the hotel to pray and rest, AO and I wanted to check out the viral new mall in Bandung, Summarecon Mall Bandung (only because it had the biggest Timezone in Bandung heh). But when we boarded the Gojek, the polite driver showed us his map and explained that while the ride on a normal day would take thirty minutes, the jam due to i) peak-hour ii) public holiday iii) last day of Indonesia’s elections campaigning, meant that it would take upwards of an hour, and we would probably find little drivers willing to send us home after. “Saya ok aja sih,” he said, “cuman takut nanti susah mau pulang.”

After some deliberating in the back seat, AO and I decided to head to Braga walk instead, a touristy area filled with hipster cafes and youths. It was… well.. hipster cafes and youths.

Perhaps if this was a decade ago, all the sights and sounds and glittery things would have fascinated me. But the more we walked, the more I just wanted to quickly get dinner (the fancy places all had long queues which AO and I couldn’t be bothered with) away from the bustle, and go home.

And so after purchasing some street food (S$1.50 for whole packet of mie ayam!), back to the hotel we went.

Definitely getting old…