Blogging has been such a slow process for me lately. I feel like I have a lot on my plate, except…I put all that stuff there myself, so yeah I only have myself to blame. Oh well, what’s the rush anyway, right? This trip, by the way, took place 1.5 months ago by this point. You might even have seen parts of it on my vlog, which I uploaded a couple weeks ago. But, if you prefer the text version in retelling the story of our trip, this blog is for you. Initially, I was going to write two separate posts to encompass only one day per post. However, I feel like I have a lot of other content I’d like to share with you guys soon, so I decided to just lump them together. A word of warning: this will be one doozy of a post, brace yourselves!
A little intro before we dive into the details: at the start of August, my boyfriend Mapa and I went on our first trip out of town together to (surprise, surprise) Bandung! Originally, we planned to visit Pesta Komik, but due to Mapa’s friend’s wedding on that same weekend, we decided to push the trip earlier. With this change of plan, our main objective was to have Mapa meet my sister, who lives in Bandung (as you surely know). I love how we planned the trip together—building the itinerary, calculating the budget, etc. It was such a wholesome and chaotic trip, let’s go!
Blogging has been such a slow process for me lately. I feel like I have a lot on my plate, except…I put all that stuff there myself, so yeah I only have myself to blame. Oh well, what’s the rush anyway, right? This trip, by the way, took place 1.5 months ago by this point. You might even have seen parts of it on my vlog, which I uploaded a couple weeks ago. But, if you prefer the text version in retelling the story of our trip, this blog is for you. Initially, I was going to write two separate posts to encompass only one day per post. However, I feel like I have a lot of other content I’d like to share with you guys soon, so I decided to just lump them together. A word of warning: this will be one doozy of a post, brace yourselves!
A little intro before we dive into the details: at the start of August, my boyfriend Mapa and I went on our first trip out of town together to (surprise, surprise) Bandung! Originally, we planned to visit Pesta Komik, but due to Mapa’s friend’s wedding on that same weekend, we decided to push the trip earlier. With this change of plan, our main objective was to have Mapa meet my sister, who lives in Bandung (as you surely know). I love how we planned the trip together—building the itinerary, calculating the budget, etc. It was such a wholesome and chaotic trip, let’s go!
📷 DJI Pocket Osmo 3 + iPhone Mini 12 (app: Mood Camera)
Day 1: All the Food
A Taste of Malang in Citarum
As soon as we arrived in Bandung, our first priority was lunch since it was due time. We stopped by this quaint noodle place in Citarum that I found through Fleeting Still‘s Instagram account. I loved the whole ambience of the place, with their rustic thingamajigs, vintage vernacular posters, and compact interior. Apparently, the place was smaller than I imagined that our GrabCar driver completely missed it, so we had to walk back a little.
It wasn’t until we arrived at the place did I realise that they actually served Malang-style noodles. I’m not too sure on how much that differs from the local Bandung-style—my guess is the way the Yamin variety is served—but I couldn’t care less. We were starving! Mapa ordered the Yamin Asin Malang, while I opted for their signature Mie Kuah Sedjenak with extra hard-boiled egg. I was surprised to find that, for me, the soup and noodle have been pre-mixed—a pretty unusual practice, I must say. We both enjoyed the noodle very much, and their tea wasn’t half bad either.
As soon as we arrived in Bandung, our first priority was lunch since it was due time. We stopped by this quaint noodle place in Citarum that I found through Fleeting Still‘s Instagram account. I loved the whole ambience of the place, with their rustic thingamajigs, vintage vernacular posters, and compact interior. Apparently, the place was smaller than I imagined that our GrabCar driver completely missed it, so we had to walk back a little.
It wasn’t until we arrived at the place did I realise that they actually served Malang-style noodles. I’m not too sure on how much that differs from the local Bandung-style—my guess is the way the Yamin variety is served—but I couldn’t care less. We were starving! Mapa ordered the Yamin Asin Malang, while I opted for their signature Mie Kuah Sedjenak with extra hard-boiled egg. I was surprised to find that, for me, the soup and noodle have been pre-mixed—a pretty unusual practice, I must say. We both enjoyed the noodle very much, and their tea wasn’t half bad either.
Aside from the menu itself, I think both Mapa and I enjoyed the decor very much. When we arrived there, the place was pretty devoid of people, although there were other people besides us. The ambience felt pretty quaint with the greeneries surrounding the area and low buzzing of conversations all around us. Some of the windows were also left open to allow us to feel the air of Bandung while we eat—although it does mean insects can come in as they please as well, not much of a bother though. Definitely felt like a Moms-and-Pops store of sorts, which can often be pretty hard to find in Bandung if you’re not local. So glad I found this one, although it’s technically Malang-styled. That was a pretty intimate and peaceful first meal in Bandung together.
Aside from the menu itself, I think both Mapa and I enjoyed the decor very much. When we arrived there, the place was pretty devoid of people, although there were other people besides us. The ambience felt pretty quaint with the greeneries surrounding the area and low buzzing of conversations all around us. Some of the windows were also left open to allow us to feel the air of Bandung while we eat—although it does mean insects can come in as they please as well, not much of a bother though. Definitely felt like a Moms-and-Pops store of sorts, which can often be pretty hard to find in Bandung if you’re not local. So glad I found this one, although it’s technically Malang-styled. That was a pretty intimate and peaceful first meal in Bandung together.
Some shot from lunch through Mapa's eyes
Cute Shopping in the Dark
After lunch, we still had plenty of time to kill before we had to see my sister. Our first mission was to find my sister some cute knick knacks to celebrate National Girlfriend Day—which has more to do with celebrating female friendships than significant others, mind you. Since my sister is honestly my best girlfriend, I was determined to at least acknowledge this internet-dubbed holiday.
Mapa was as excited about this mission as I am—as you can see from the vlog. We decided to make a beeline first to Grammars, since it was located near by the noodle parlour and we could easily reach it on foot anyway. Unfortunately, as I have sadly predicted, the place was filled with a lot of people (who I assumed were college students from their demeanour). We didn’t really do anything there, other than have some photos taken at the photo booth, and skedaddled straight away.
We then moved to OH.IRV, a cute merch shop I found through Threads and had never been to before.
After lunch, we still had plenty of time to kill before we had to see my sister. Our first mission was to find my sister some cute knick knacks to celebrate National Girlfriend Day—which has more to do with celebrating female friendships than significant others, mind you. Since my sister is honestly my best girlfriend, I was determined to at least acknowledge this internet-dubbed holiday.
Mapa was as excited about this mission as I am—as you can see from the vlog. We decided to make a beeline first to Grammars, since it was located near by the noodle parlour and we could easily reach it on foot anyway. Unfortunately, as I have sadly predicted, the place was filled with a lot of people (who I assumed were college students from their demeanour). We didn’t really do anything there, other than have some photos taken at the photo booth, and skedaddled straight away.
We then moved to OH.IRV, a cute merch shop I found through Threads and had never been to before.
OH.IRV SNAP & SHOP
OH.IRV is a little cute crafty brand created by Irva Lestari with its flagship store located in Cihapit—which technically wasn’t too far away from where we were, but would be such a great feat to scale on foot. They sell all sorts of cute knick knacks, from stickers and stationery, to pouches and apparel. Honestly, her designs are so cute! The store itself also has a little photo booth inside, which I believe is a pretty popular perk here in Bandung. The store itself was smaller than I had anticipated, but it made our shopping experience a whole lot more intimate…especially due to what I’m about to tell you next.
As soon as we arrived at the store, both Mapa and I thought the place looked pretty dark, like it was closed. My heart sank. Mapa asked the parking guy. It turned out…the store was just going through a blackout! Was it still open? Yes, we could still take a look around and shop. That took me out, I was laughing so much as we walked in. The shopkeeper greeted us, asking if we would like to shop or use the photo booth—since, obviously, the latter wasn’t working at the moment. With the help of Mapa’s phone flashlight, we browsed through the store’s merchandise, mulling over items that my sister would appreciate (or even love). We ended up gifting her a sticker sheet, a bookmark, and a cardholder. Of course, they were all cat-themed.
That was an interesting shopping experience, but I’d love to come back for the photo booth next time.
OH.IRV SNAP & SHOP
OH.IRV is a little cute crafty brand created by Irva Lestari with its flagship store located in Cihapit—which technically wasn’t too far away from where we were, but would be such a great feat to scale on foot. They sell all sorts of cute knick knacks, from stickers and stationery, to pouches and apparel. Honestly, her designs are so cute! The store itself also has a little photo booth inside, which I believe is a pretty popular perk here in Bandung. The store itself was smaller than I had anticipated, but it made our shopping experience a whole lot more intimate…especially due to what I’m about to tell you next.
As soon as we arrived at the store, both Mapa and I thought the place looked pretty dark, like it was closed. My heart sank. Mapa asked the parking guy. It turned out…the store was just going through a blackout! Was it still open? Yes, we could still take a look around and shop. That took me out, I was laughing so much as we walked in. The shopkeeper greeted us, asking if we would like to shop or use the photo booth—since, obviously, the latter wasn’t working at the moment. With the help of Mapa’s phone flashlight, we browsed through the store’s merchandise, mulling over items that my sister would appreciate (or even love). We ended up gifting her a sticker sheet, a bookmark, and a cardholder. Of course, they were all cat-themed.
That was an interesting shopping experience, but I’d love to come back for the photo booth next time.
Dinner & Dessert for Three
Our plan was to grab dinner together all three of us, but my sister had to give her little boys (the cats) their second dinner. Mapa and I went ahead to our dinner destination and waited for my sister there. It was a little diner that serves burgers and milkshake. I looked for this place on purpose, since Mapa loves milkshake so much—and since he can’t drink coffee, this will substitute the coffee shop haunts I usually make in this town. The place is located in Ciumbuleuit, which isn’t too far away from my sister’s place. It turns out, my sister often has their burgers delivered to her place for lunch or dinner, so she knows they have good burgers. Well, perfect!
Afterwards, we hastily went to my sister’s place. Here was the moment of truth, the moment Mapa was about to meet my sister for the first time—and also her cats (lol). I’m pretty giddy about it, and so was Mapa—and so was my sister (lol). Anyway, we hung out at her place for around 30 minutes or so, playing with her two cats and she caught us up on their wellbeing. Mapa played with one of them a lot and took tons of photos of him. He and my sister also got to know each other.
Afterwards, we hastily went to my sister’s place. Here was the moment of truth, the moment Mapa was about to meet my sister for the first time—and also her cats (lol). I’m pretty giddy about it, and so was Mapa—and so was my sister (lol). Anyway, we hung out at her place for around 30 minutes or so, playing with her two cats and she caught us up on their wellbeing. Mapa played with one of them a lot and took tons of photos of him. He and my sister also got to know each other.
Our plan was to grab dinner together all three of us, but my sister had to give her little boys (the cats) their second dinner. Mapa and I went ahead to our dinner destination and waited for my sister there. It was a little diner that serves burgers and milkshake. I looked for this place on purpose, since Mapa loves milkshake so much—and since he can’t drink coffee, this will substitute the coffee shop haunts I usually make in this town. The place is located in Ciumbuleuit, which isn’t too far away from my sister’s place. It turns out, my sister often has their burgers delivered to her place for lunch or dinner, so she knows they have good burgers. Well, perfect!
The place itself has this cool retro quality, which probably resembles actual American diners than a more polished venue would have you believe. The lighting is pretty understated, though, but I feel like they get the vibe down pat. Of course, there was a photo booth here as well, it’s basically a Bandung staple. It was pretty crowded when we got there that we almost couldn’t get a seat indoor, but lo and behold, our luck quickly changed before our food arrived. Mapa ordered the Napoleon Dynamite and the Vanilla Milkshake—he originally wanted the Strawberry one, but they were out. I opted for the Dukes Mushroom Cheeseburger (cheese and mushroom in one dish? Yes, please!) and Iced Tea. Their milkshake has this seasalt kick that adds a little more flair to the flavour, and Mapa seemed to really enjoy it.
We waited for a good 45 minutes before my sister arrived. She’s an online regular, but had never been here before either, so it was a first experience for her as well. She ordered the same menu as I did. While she ate, the three of us talked. Mapa said he wanted to ask her something, which turned out to be about the book I wrote. When they realised they were the same age, there was more material to talk about and the conversation started to flow naturally. Mapa and my sister were cool enough to voluntarily make an Instagram reel with me—honestly, I love them so much! It was so much fun to make, if only you could see the crazy amount of bloopers (lol).
Braga Bakkerij
Then we were off to grab dessert together. Braga Bakkerij has truly become a must-visit location for me every time I’m in town. I always find a reason to go there somehow. This time, the reason is to introduce Mapa to their lovely tompouce—how to pronounce this, please? The three of us decided to just share a loaf of tompouce together. This part right here is the most wholesome moment of the entire trip (if not my whole life 😭) and I love it! Again, I am reminded of the fact that Mapa and my sister are the same age and that makes me the youngest…and they don’t let me forget it. Between the two of them, I felt like a baby. I don’t know how I feel about that. But it’s worth it seeing the two of them get along so well.
The place itself has this cool retro quality, which probably resembles actual American diners than a more polished venue would have you believe. The lighting is pretty understated, though, but I feel like they get the vibe down pat. Of course, there was a photo booth here as well, it’s basically a Bandung staple. It was pretty crowded when we got there that we almost couldn’t get a seat indoor, but lo and behold, our luck quickly changed before our food arrived. Mapa ordered the Napoleon Dynamite and the Vanilla Milkshake—he originally wanted the Strawberry one, but they were out. I opted for the Dukes Mushroom Cheeseburger (cheese and mushroom in one dish? Yes, please!) and Iced Tea. Their milkshake has this seasalt kick that adds a little more flair to the flavour, and Mapa seemed to really enjoy it.
We waited for a good 45 minutes before my sister arrived. She’s an online regular, but had never been here before either, so it was a first experience for her as well. She ordered the same menu as I did. While she ate, the three of us talked. Mapa said he wanted to ask her something, which turned out to be about the book I wrote. When they realised they were the same age, there was more material to talk about and the conversation started to flow naturally. Mapa and my sister were cool enough to voluntarily make an Instagram reel with me—honestly, I love them so much! It was so much fun to make, if only you could see the crazy amount of bloopers (lol).
Braga Bakkerij
Then we were off to grab dessert together. Braga Bakkerij has truly become a must-visit location for me every time I’m in town. I always find a reason to go there somehow. This time, the reason is to introduce Mapa to their lovely tompouce—how to pronounce this, please? The three of us decided to just share a loaf of tompouce together. This part right here is the most wholesome moment of the entire trip (if not my whole life 😭) and I love it! Again, I am reminded of the fact that Mapa and my sister are the same age and that makes me the youngest…and they don’t let me forget it. Between the two of them, I felt like a baby. I don’t know how I feel about that. But it’s worth it seeing the two of them get along so well.
At first, we only bought the Mango Melati Tompouce to share for three. It was so good as I remembered it—my sister and I had this one before. But, as soon as we were finished with that one, sweet-tooth Mapa promptly got up and decided to order another one. This time we tried the new flavour: Strawberry Tompouce. Although it looked overly sweet, this one turned out to be pretty fresh since, I assume, they use real strawberry for the icing. We all enjoyed both flavours very much. But you know what I enjoy most? The jokes and laughter we shared while devouring these little desserts. By the time we were finished, the shop almost closed so I rushed to show Mapa all the little design details of the place, since I love their branding so much.
At first, we only bought the Mango Melati Tompouce to share for three. It was so good as I remembered it—my sister and I had this one before. But, as soon as we were finished with that one, sweet-tooth Mapa promptly got up and decided to order another one. This time we tried the new flavour: Strawberry Tompouce. Although it looked overly sweet, this one turned out to be pretty fresh since, I assume, they use real strawberry for the icing. We all enjoyed both flavours very much. But you know what I enjoy most? The jokes and laughter we shared while devouring these little desserts. By the time we were finished, the shop almost closed so I rushed to show Mapa all the little design details of the place, since I love their branding so much.
Day 2: All the Books
A Disappointing Breakfast, A Quaint Spot
The next day started pretty early, since Mapa and I planned to grab breakfast together. This turned out to be a disappointing ordeal, so I’m not going to tell you where we went—although, if you’re a local or go to Bandung a lot, you may be able to tell. I’ll just say that this is a rice congee place that I found through Threads—seriously, my favourite social media platform at the moment, please don’t ever change. According to what I read, this place serves a Japanese-style congee and that intrigued me—although I’m not sure what it meant. We crossed our fingers that they haven’t sold out by the time we got there, since we didn’t leave exceedingly early. When we got there, it wasn’t as crowded as we had feared. We felt pretty lucky…but were we?
The next day started pretty early, since Mapa and I planned to grab breakfast together. This turned out to be a disappointing ordeal, so I’m not going to tell you where we went—although, if you’re a local or go to Bandung a lot, you may be able to tell. I’ll just say that this is a rice congee place that I found through Threads—seriously, my favourite social media platform at the moment, please don’t ever change. According to what I read, this place serves a Japanese-style congee and that intrigued me—although I’m not sure what it meant. We crossed our fingers that they haven’t sold out by the time we got there, since we didn’t leave exceedingly early. When we got there, it wasn’t as crowded as we had feared. We felt pretty lucky…but were we?
Clearly, our faces before we learnt of the fiasco
We put in our order, paid right away, and took a seat as we waited for our order to be made. At first, we thought we just had to be patient, the place was pretty crowded and they seemed understaffed, so perhaps our order would take a while to be served. It wasn’t until 45 minutes later that we realised we were being skipped. Wait, what? Mapa got up and made sure right away. He got back to the table to let me know that they had lost our order! They didn’t keep the receipt at all! We ended up getting our order soon after, with one satay missing because they already ran out…despite the fact that we ordered 45 minutes ago. That really pissed me off!
We ate our breakfast with a burning heart—well, I did, Mapa was pretty mature about the whole ordeal. To top it off, the congee really wasn’t that great at all, it was fine and almost bland, if I’m being honest. None of that misorganisation drama was worth it. And, you know what, we weren’t the only ones being skipped. We saw a lot of the other customers came back to the counter to ask about their orders. What a complete mess! Needless to say, we were never coming back to this place again. And I honestly wouldn’t recommend anyone coming here either, unless you want to constantly make sure your order is remembered.
We put in our order, paid right away, and took a seat as we waited for our order to be made. At first, we thought we just had to be patient, the place was pretty crowded and they seemed understaffed, so perhaps our order would take a while to be served. It wasn’t until 45 minutes later that we realised we were being skipped. Wait, what? Mapa got up and made sure right away. He got back to the table to let me know that they had lost our order! They didn’t keep the receipt at all! We ended up getting our order soon after, with one satay missing because they already ran out…despite the fact that we ordered 45 minutes ago. That really pissed me off!
We ate our breakfast with a burning heart—well, I did, Mapa was pretty mature about the whole ordeal. To top it off, the congee really wasn’t that great at all, it was fine and almost bland, if I’m being honest. None of that misorganisation drama was worth it. And, you know what, we weren’t the only ones being skipped. We saw a lot of the other customers came back to the counter to ask about their orders. What a complete mess! Needless to say, we were never coming back to this place again. And I honestly wouldn’t recommend anyone coming here either, unless you want to constantly make sure your order is remembered.
After breakfast, our original plan was to grab some cakes from TJI LAKI 9. Honestly, I was pretty pessimistic of this plan, since I know just how crazy crowded the cake shop can be on a Sunday. However, I stuck by the plan because I wanted Mapa to taste the lovely banana cake. It went exactly as I predicted, however, so we decided to make a U-turn and stop by this little cake shop called Nona Manis that just opened not too far away from the tourist trap. The place apparently serves all kinds of cakes, cookies, and traditional sweets. As you walk in, you will see a wall of fame with photos and illustrations of the small business owners whose products are being sold at the store. It feels so wholesome and I’m glad we stopped by.
After breakfast, our original plan was to grab some cakes from TJI LAKI 9. Honestly, I was pretty pessimistic of this plan, since I know just how crazy crowded the cake shop can be on a Sunday. However, I stuck by the plan because I wanted Mapa to taste the lovely banana cake. It went exactly as I predicted, however, so we decided to make a U-turn and stop by this little cake shop called Nona Manis that just opened not too far away from the tourist trap. The place apparently serves all kinds of cakes, cookies, and traditional sweets. As you walk in, you will see a wall of fame with photos and illustrations of the small business owners whose products are being sold at the store. It feels so wholesome and I’m glad we stopped by.
Mapa and I decided to buy our souvenirs for the people at home here. He got the Marble Cake for his sister and Brownies for his office, if I’m not mistaken, and grabbed the Cheesy Banana Cake for my family. Honestly, I love their Cheesy Banana Cake—I ate most of the loaf at home (lol). It’s so gooey, not too sweet, and pretty dense, which is the perfect breakfast food. I would highly recommend it to anyone who lives in Bandung or plans on visiting the town.
They also have a variety of traditional cakes to choose from. Mapa and I also grabbed some, because I personally could never leave traditional cakes alone. We bought 3-4 kinds of cakes, as I remember it, although we managed to neglect them for the rest of the day and I didn’t end up eating them until the next day for breakfast (lol).
At least we know that their cakes hold up rather well and that they taste pretty good, I absolutely love their Kue Nona Manis, especially the purple yam variant.
Mapa and I decided to buy our souvenirs for the people at home here. He got the Marble Cake for his sister and Brownies for his office, if I’m not mistaken, and grabbed the Cheesy Banana Cake for my family. Honestly, I love their Cheesy Banana Cake—I ate most of the loaf at home (lol). It’s so gooey, not too sweet, and pretty dense, which is the perfect breakfast food. I would highly recommend it to anyone who lives in Bandung or plans on visiting the town.
They also have a variety of traditional cakes to choose from. Mapa and I also grabbed some, because I personally could never leave traditional cakes alone. We bought 3-4 kinds of cakes, as I remember it, although we managed to neglect them for the rest of the day and I didn’t end up eating them until the next day for breakfast (lol).
At least we know that their cakes hold up rather well and that they taste pretty good, I absolutely love their Kue Nona Manis, especially the purple yam variant.
Whimsical Shopping Break
House of Majik is located at Trunojoyo Street, which is a pretty popular street in Bandung (apparently, according to Mapa). This little store sells a lot of fashion items from local brands, from apparels and shoes, to fragrance and jewelry. The shoes they have seem to be exactly what Mapa was looking for, such as loafers, oxfords, and mary-janes, so we decided to have a little look around. Mapa’s size ran a little small for what they had in stock—also, I believe the store has pretty limited sizes in stock. Our top priority was to find the kind of model Mapa would like to have and probably try to find his size elsewhere.
Our afternoon agenda started with a little shopping spree. Remember that wedding I told you about at the start of this blog? Well, it was going to happen the weekend after this one and Mapa didn’t have formal shoes to wear. He was keen on getting himself a good pair of leather shoes, so I searched up a good place to look for such shoes around the place we were staying and found this cute little store.
Our afternoon agenda started with a little shopping spree. Remember that wedding I told you about at the start of this blog? Well, it was going to happen the weekend after this one and Mapa didn’t have formal shoes to wear. He was keen on getting himself a good pair of leather shoes, so I searched up a good place to look for such shoes around the place we were staying and found this cute little store.
House of Majik is located at Trunojoyo Street, which is a pretty popular street in Bandung (apparently, according to Mapa). This little store sells a lot of fashion items from local brands, from apparels and shoes, to fragrance and jewelry. The shoes they have seem to be exactly what Mapa was looking for, such as loafers, oxfords, and mary-janes, so we decided to have a little look around. Mapa’s size ran a little small for what they had in stock—also, I believe the store has pretty limited sizes in stock. Our top priority was to find the kind of model Mapa would like to have and probably try to find his size elsewhere.
There was no reason why I couldn’t have fun while we were there as well, so I browsed through their catalogue of clothes. The pieces and brands they carry here were truly whimsical and so unique—just right up my alley! Through my rummaging, I found out about this brand called Tales and Wonders that design clothes with the fairy tale theme in their collections. I love the Little Red Riding Hood line that they have, and was seriously mulling over whether I had the budget to buy one of their pieces. We didn’t end up buying anything, but I will remember that brand for future reference.
There was no reason why I couldn’t have fun while we were there as well, so I browsed through their catalogue of clothes. The pieces and brands they carry here were truly whimsical and so unique—just right up my alley! Through my rummaging, I found out about this brand called Tales and Wonders that design clothes with the fairy tale theme in their collections. I love the Little Red Riding Hood line that they have, and was seriously mulling over whether I had the budget to buy one of their pieces. We didn’t end up buying anything, but I will remember that brand for future reference.
Bookish Hopping
One thing you need to know about me and Mapa is that we’re both writers and we love books so, so much. Obviously, in the town crawling with libraries and book cafés, it would be remiss not to pay a visit to any of their bookish destinations. Well, say no more—we made a whole afternoon of it before we headed home.
The first place we wanted to visit together was a place we both had been before, which is Bandung’s most famous library/book café, Kineruku. You know I’ve been here once before with my sister, while Mapa had been here (several times?) before with past lovers—look at him, the Casanova!
That being said, we had a first experience here together: we grabbed lunch at Kineruku. Who would’ve thought this place serves some mean fried rice? Honestly, they were sooo good! I knew their coffee was good, but I would also recommend their lunch menu.
One thing you need to know about me and Mapa is that we’re both writers and we love books so, so much. Obviously, in the town crawling with libraries and book cafés, it would be remiss not to pay a visit to any of their bookish destinations. Well, say no more—we made a whole afternoon of it before we headed home.
The first place we wanted to visit together was a place we both had been before, which is Bandung’s most famous library/book café, Kineruku. You know I’ve been here once before with my sister, while Mapa had been here (several times?) before with past lovers—look at him, the Casanova!
That being said, we had a first experience here together: we grabbed lunch at Kineruku. Who would’ve thought this place serves some mean fried rice? Honestly, they were sooo good! I knew their coffee was good, but I would also recommend their lunch menu.
This was our first book date together (out of many that have followed since) and it was ✨divine✨ We finished our lunch first then escaped to our respective pages quietly—I couldn’t help but to sneak a peek at his reading face once in a while, though. The book I read was the one I read the last time here as well and I was determined to pick up where I left off—obviously, I knew I wasn’t going to finish it this time either 🥲 Mapa, on the other hand, picked a book by a Chilean novelist—a compilation of his short stories from different publications. He definitely thoroughly enjoyed his reading that he took so many photos of quotes that resonated with him. This is Mapa’s way of annotating books he doesn’t own—he’s obsessed with annotating, unlike myself who likes to keep my books pristine. Needless to say, it was such a memorable experience for us both.
This was our first book date together (out of many that have followed since) and it was ✨divine✨ We finished our lunch first then escaped to our respective pages quietly—I couldn’t help but to sneak a peek at his reading face once in a while, though. The book I read was the one I read the last time here as well and I was determined to pick up where I left off—obviously, I knew I wasn’t going to finish it this time either 🥲 Mapa, on the other hand, picked a book by a Chilean novelist—a compilation of his short stories from different publications. He definitely thoroughly enjoyed his reading that he took so many photos of quotes that resonated with him. This is Mapa’s way of annotating books he doesn’t own—he’s obsessed with annotating, unlike myself who likes to keep my books pristine. Needless to say, it was such a memorable experience for us both.
Our bookish tour continued with another place I’d been to before, but Mapa hadn’t been. I was so giddy about showing him a new place. If you remember, the last time I visited this place was almost exactly a year ago with my dear friend Iva. The place has since undergone a lot of revamping, making it look more organised and easier for visitors to navigate. Please go here to find out what kind of bookstore Pelagia is, as I’ve talked about it before. It was so satisfying to see the sparkle in Mapa’s eyes as he combed through the bookshelves, finding titles he would like to bring home or recommend to me. I’m so glad I brought Mapa to this bookstore. He ended up buying Sepakbola Tak Akan Pulang by Mahfud Ikhwan, one of his favourite authors.
Hand-me-down shirt + jacket | Bobo Tokyo skirt (defect sale) | PACU TUKU tote bag | ASICS GEL-NYC™ sneakers |
photos of me by Mapa
Our bookish tour continued with another place I’d been to before, but Mapa hadn’t been. I was so giddy about showing him a new place. If you remember, the last time I visited this place was almost exactly a year ago with my dear friend Iva. The place has since undergone a lot of revamping, making it look more organised and easier for visitors to navigate. Please go here to find out what kind of bookstore Pelagia is, as I’ve talked about it before. It was so satisfying to see the sparkle in Mapa’s eyes as he combed through the bookshelves, finding titles he would like to bring home or recommend to me. I’m so glad I brought Mapa to this bookstore. He ended up buying Sepakbola Tak Akan Pulang by Mahfud Ikhwan, one of his favourite authors.
Hand-me-down shirt + jacket | Bobo Tokyo skirt (defect sale) | PACU TUKU tote bag | ASICS GEL-NYC™ sneakers |
photos of me by Mapa
All in all, I absolutely enjoyed this weekend spent with Mapa and my sister. It’s always such a pleasant experience to spend time with people who also love to spend time with you, especially when they have crazy similar interests as you do. Book dates? Hunting cute merch date? Photo booth date? I never thought I would ever have a chance to do that with someone who wants to do it with me too. I’m so happy to see Mapa and my sister get along, so happy to see Mapa enjoying his time, so happy to share all this joy with someone who cares. Here’s to more trips together (and, actually, pretty soon)!
Where else should we go to in Bandung?
All in all, I absolutely enjoyed this weekend spent with Mapa and my sister. It’s always such a pleasant experience to spend time with people who also love to spend time with you, especially when they have crazy similar interests as you do. Book dates? Hunting cute merch date? Photo booth date? I never thought I would ever have a chance to do that with someone who wants to do it with me too. I’m so happy to see Mapa and my sister get along, so happy to see Mapa enjoying his time, so happy to share all this joy with someone who cares. Here’s to more trips together (and, actually, pretty soon)!
Where else should we go to in Bandung?