Before arriving in Indonesia I was under the impression that we would be living in the city of Bandung, but we have found ourselves in a “suburb” of sorts in Kota Baru. The town is sweet and has been easy to maneuver thus far, but the city was calling us girls today and we found ourselves on a bus headed into the city. I figured that since we essentially had a little day trip, that it would be nice to share the adventure from the day with you all in a small photo album!
We arrived in Bandung after roughly forty-five minutes on the bus (and in that time Amber, a vision when it comes to vlogging, gave me a cute little braided ‘do’ to strut for the day) and walked a short distance to the First Baptist Church. We were truly going into the city to attend a service, but figured that since it took a good deal of time to get there we would stay and explore a bit. Plus it was going to cost us 8,000 rupiah to get there and another 8,000 to get back (compared to the 2,000 it would cost to ride the bus within Kota Baru) so why not get the most of our money?!
From the building to its people, the church was simply darling! The terracotta shingles juxtapose the white walls and swirling iron so well, that I could have sworn I walked into a painting. Aside from the physical features, the people were so full of kindness and true excitement to be there that I felt welcomed and appreciated.
They were having a fundraiser (one they hold every week) for various needs by selling cakes, dumplings, and all sorts of delicious goodies. My team and the lovely BAIS teachers, Kimberly and Amy, picked up a few snacks to enjoy while the Indonesian service wrapped up. Above you saw the sponge cakes, mochi, Chinese meatballs, and (free, yes I said free!) tea we snapped up. I had already eaten oatmeal and a banana with some coffee this morning, but I couldn’t resist the call coming from the mid morning snacks in front of me…plus I did do yoga this morning so I technically earned it!
The tea was simply delicious as well, and I believe it was ginseng with a bit of honey. Mmm mmm, more tea for me please!
After the service we headed to the mall nearby to grab some lunch and do a little window shopping. Don’t worry though, I didn’t buy anything…my pack is already too heavy. Come to think of it, the day was really filled with lots of eating. Caley (check out her blogs if you haven’t yet!) and I shared a spicy noodle soup with egg and chicken, as well as a sweet chicken and rice meal (that one was a little more odd, but still tasty!) in the food court. Then we shopped around a bit and met back up with the whole team. Alyssa (also read her blogs people, she’s my team leader!) held a new pink ukulele in her hands and beamed with excitement. We found AJ (another amazing women who’s blogs deserve to be read!) down on the lower level at J Coffee buying us doughnuts. She was already doing a stellar job because she slipped a green tea one in the box for little ole me! I snagged myself a thai tea and the barista gave us girls each a free glazed doughnut, talk about being sweet!
My attempts to get Alyssa to love green tea lattes as much as I do were futile and she was not the biggest fan of the sweet, yet earthy taste the ice-y beverage offered and handed the drink off to Shelby (musical genius and baboon warrior with equally amazing blogs!) after I declined, seeing as I was already filled to the brim with the goods from the whole day. We scurried along the crowded sidewalk, between street vendors and food carts to the bus headed to Kota Baru. The ride back was a wee bit longer and I was wishing I had used the restroom before getting on the bus about halfway through the trip back into Kota Baru; lesson learned I guess!
Alyssa and I went for a little walk to get me some medicine for my wisdom tooth that has swelled up leaving my face looking a bit “godfather” like and ran into Sam the sassy sweet slug along the way, before gawking at the beautiful lookout when walking over the bridge.
The day was grand, I feel well rested and prepared for the busy week of ministry ahead of us, and I loved getting a bit more acquainted with the country I’m calling home for the next month. Thank you for being a place of beauty and adventure Bandung, I will be back again.
With love and admiration,
Candace Cox
Personal Blog: cactiscandace.com
Instagram: @cactiscandy
