On the road to Bandung

In spite of several business trips in South East Asia over the last three years, my last trip was one I was especially looking forward to. Because it was different. Rarely does one get an opportunity to travel on road to smaller cities while travelling on work, and my meeting in Bandung promised exactly that.

Well, Bandung is not exactly a small city, with more than 2 million people. In Dutch times, it was the seat of the government. But today, especially from a commercial or business point of view, it is way behind Jakarta. Some of us also remember Bandung from the Nehru-inspired school books in India, where Bandung is mentioned as the city hosting the eponymous Bandung Conference for Asian and African countries in 1955.

The Jakarta-Bandung highway is a six-lane toll road, with some stetches of four lanes as well. Not of the same standard of finishing and beautification that one gets to see in Singapore or Hong Kong, or the western countries for that matter, but a nice stretch of no-nonsense tarmac. Our driver started at a comfortable 60 to 90 km / hour, depending on whether it was an unruly large truck or a small zippy car ahead of us. Though it is a toll road, one could see an odd urchin or a lazy villager whiling away time sitting on the divider. And the relatively large number of vehicles overtaking from the wrong side did throw a bit of nostalgia for India in the mix.

With its democratic political system, large young population and tolerant society which has had its shares of sectarian violence, some observers have hailed Indonesia as the "next India". A recent publication talks about how we should think of adding another "I" to BRICs, the term used to describe the large emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China. And I think there is an element of truth in both observations.

Indonesia is going through an eventful period politically. After the parliamentary elections in April, the presidential elections are due in July. Along the highway, one cannot miss the large blue flags proclaiming "SBY - Bodieono" . The centrist, clean image of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono makes the incumbent president the odds-on favourite to win. Even though his choice for Vice President - central bank Governor Bodieono - is a political lightweight. Some say SBY, as Yudhoyono is popularly known, made it a point to ensure his VP would be from a non-political background, after his uneasy relationship with incumbent Jusuf Kalla of Golkar Party. It is a healthy multi-party democracy, though, as I could see a shining black car ahead displaying a bumper-sticker with SBY's rival Megawati and her running mate waving at us.

But back to the highway. With traffic thinning as we long left the Jakarta suburbs behind, our driver had sped up to 120 km / hour. And it cetainly helped that the trucks for once were sticking to the left lane. However, the highway to Bandung passes through a landscape of low hills, and with quite a few gentle curves in the road, Pak Tono decided to settle on 100 as the ideal speed.

Outside Jakarta, rice paddy seemed to be the most popular crop. The bright green of the fields, interspersed with the red and white houses, were not very different from what you would see in many parts of India. As we drove through the rolling hills, this gave way to small patches of tea gardens. The banana and coconut trees, however, were omnipresent throughout the route, due to some quirk of botany that cannot be explained by my untrained mind.

Close to two hours after we started, billboards advertising hotels show up as the first signs that we were approaching Bandung. From The Majesty to The Novotel, all of them were predictably promising a comfortable stay. Apparently, the low to mid-20s temperature of the city makes it a weekend retreat of choice for those sapped by the heat and humidity of the capital. The other favourite message of the billboards seemed to be advertisements for apparel factory outlets, a tourists' favourite given that the Bandung area is the centre of Indonesia's textile industry. Very soon, narrower roads and slower traffic signalled that we had entered city limits. The client's office was not far away.

We returned soon after the meeting, so I did not get a chance to explore the city. All I can say is that the Dunkin Donuts outlet nearby serves a decent cup of coffee. For more of Bandung, I have to return some day.