With the best friend, AO, in February 2024.
Of Gaia Bandung, Sendja, Kineruku and finally meeting friends.
There are many ways to travel and for this trip, AO and I decided way ahead that we wanted to take our own sweet time and rest as much as needed so that we would not feel like we needed another holiday after coming back from a holiday. While we had numerous locations pinned and activities planned, whenever we saw that checking off those would lead to us being stretched of either time or energy, we let them go, no questions asked.
And so the morning of the third day in Bandung was spent looking out from our balcony into the forested area facing Gaia Hotel Bandung, breathing in the cool mountain air and listening to the echoes of zikrullah and selawat from the thousand and one little mosques in the vicinity. As the world stirred awake waiting for fajr, we spent the morning in prayer and just enjoying the silence.
Hearing the grumble in our tummies as we didn’t have a proper dinner the night before, we made our way down to the hotel’s breakfast buffet. AO and I could still appreciate the stunning architecture of the hotel and sunny disposition of the hotel staff even though rain clouds loomed above us.
There is nothing better than drinking hot tea while feeling the cool breeze caress your skin. Unless you have a plate of eggs benedict and nasi goreng oncom on the side, of course. One unique thing the hotel did that I have not encountered elsewhere was that when you ask for tea or coffee, they serve it to you in your own personal mini thermos, so that your hot drink doesn’t quickly become cold while you have your food. A small gesture, but for someone who loves a piping hot drink first thing in the morning, it made my day. Alhamdulillah.
After breakfast, AO and I took a short walk around the restaurant. As we wanted to rest, wash up and get ready for a scheduled appointment, we made a mental note to explore the hotel grounds the next morning (whilst praying for more sunshine as well).
Said appointment we had was with Sendja, a local spa place that AO found on Instagram. The place was pretty, the massage was good, and I startled myself awake with my own snore haha. The spa catered towards both men and women – with separate designated areas for each – and while there were some shared spaces, the staff were kind enough to note that AO and I were uncomfortable with men being in those areas, and so they helped guard the door etc while we moved from space to space.
Next in the itinerary was Kineruku, a bungalow which is now repurposed into a bookstore, library and cafe all at once. It was a vibe, y’all. And while I love Wardah Books with its fancy new interior design, there is something about rustic and less organised bookstores that brings about a certain kind of curiosity – the kind that makes you want to touch all the books, devour all the cover art (the Indonesian publishing industry’s cover art is just… chef’s kiss), fondle the knickknacks, and purchase random books and zines even though the chances of you reading them are zero. (I am literally looking at a stack of books I got from various Indonesian bookstores that I’ve yet to touch lol).
The remainder of the afternoon was spent having lunch in the courtyard of Kineruku, as we sat alongside locals with their books, laptops, and friends. I found myself wishing Wardah Books had a bigger square foot that we could actually become a third space where people could read and chill, but Alhamdulillah ‘ala kulli haal.
After getting a long awaited phone call, AO and I returned to the hotel. The Gojek driver who picked us up turned out to be a local who knew the way to Gaia via kampungs and back roads, so it was a very interesting ride home mashaAllah. Anything that is not main roads and macets is alhamdulillah haha.
As for the rest of the evening and night, unfortunately I cannot share any pictures I took, but we were finally joined by our beloved Ustazah Z and her entourage. We brought them up to her room, had a tearful catch up after more than a year of not seeing each other, then later went for dinner at Semeja, swapping stories and asking for advise till the restaurant closed for the night.
On to the last day…