Story and photos by Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling Gourmet TM

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Copyright All food photos are of REAL food with NO photoshop

The suave and sophisticated Travelling Gourmet TM jets to the…

MYSTERIOUS island of Java in INdonesia. A land of volcanoes, strawberries and fabulous food…mostly spicy but not always…awaits the eager traveller. My base was Bandung in West Java. Known in days of yore to the Dutch colonialists as the “Paris van Jawa” aka the Paris of the East…

My stay in the 5 Star Bandung Hilton was most delightful. Centrally located in the heart of Bandung, it has a lovely spa and gymnasium and large pool! The Hilton is also the host to the Bandung Symphony Orchaestra when they have a concert. I was privileged and honoured to attend their “Emperor Concert”. The Emperor or the 5th by Beethoven is a true classic . The music sways and uplifts the listener who marvels at the musical genius of Beethoven, who composed while fighting deafness creeping up mercilessly on him in his life…The Conductor, Robert Nordling is truly one of the nicest and humblest Conductors I have met. Believe me, believe me, I know a good “maestro de orchestre” when I meet one. Some conductors, shall we be politically incorrect and say it??? Pour quoi pas, mais oui, some are politically correct cowards and wimpos who are also hypocrites , but Robert Nordling impressed me with his frankness and intelligence. One distinctive feature of his performances is that he takes a few minutes to explain the raison d’etre behind the piece and even particular stanzas which give much needed understanding of the music. This is especially so for those not so well up in classical genre of music. The audience, myself included, LOVED it. Although the Bandung Orchaestra is cosmopolitan and young, one immediately feels the LOVE and Passion in their exuberant performances. All I can say is: Bravo! And Bravi! You gotta love it!!! 🙂

I was also privileged to chat with the Canadian GM of the Hilton Bandung, Kevin Girard, another bright and modest gentleman like Robert. Despite his many years as a top hotelier, Kevin is a very approchable and a very good communicator. A gentleman after my own heart with a really good aura. We share the same interests in being environment friendly, and Kevin is trying very hard to eliminate all manner of unnecessary plastic material in the Bandung Hilton rooms. Alas, some things like the packets of sugar and artificial sweetener are still works in progress. Not many know that inside each packet of sugar and the like, there is a very thin layer of plastic material…Plastic containers for shampoo and conditioner are also another issue…C’est complique, n’est pas! Neverthelese, always be inspired by the motto of a most indomitable Regiment of the British Army: Who Dares Wins. Where there is an iron will, there is always a way to succeed!

IN history, Bandung is famous for the Asian-African Conference or Bandung Conference held in Bandung from 8 to 14 April 1955. Twenty-nine governments of Asian and African nations gathered to discuss peace and the role of the Third World in the Cold War, economic development, and decolonization.
The Bandung Conference and its final resolution laid the foundation for the nonaligned movement during the Cold War.  It was most fascinating to visit the site of the conference which is now the Museum of the Asian-African Conference – Gedung Merdeka. The exhibits are very informative and eye opening and I learned a lot about the era.

To be continued…