Sidewalk Sales

whoo, me?

One of the first things newcomers to Bandung cannot help but notice is that there is no shortage of stuff for sale!! Whether it is food or merchandise, it cannot be missed as it seems that just about everyone in this city has something to sell!

Yesterday we went to Hyper Mart. Outside the mall, vendors lined both sides of the street with their wares. I snapped a few photos of some sample offerings. It is not uncommon for people to solicit, beg or sell goods along any street and especially in areas where traffic typically backs up. 

You never know what you might find for sale. Everything is cash and prices are always negotiable. They may be higher if you're "bule" (light skinned) but your bargaining power will be much greater if you're fluent in Bahasa Indonesia.

friendly couple selling rugs or place mats outside McDonalds

Ronnie walking along street in front of Hyper Mart

phone covers are EVERYWHERE

handmade bracelets

most people like having their pictures taken

for sale - whatizit??

how about a reptile?

view from back seat with Dadang driving

I’ll also include some miscellaneous photos taken from the back seat of the car on the way over and back. Cars, trucks, pedi-cabs, scooters and pedestrians have to literally negotiate their way, inch by inch, through extremely crowded intersections. Study the photo below.

SERIOUSLY?!!

It's amazing the things that people try to sell in the middle of traffic jams. In the US, we're used to people selling newspapers or perhaps panhandling. Here people weave in and out of stopped traffic trying to sell homemade snacks, fresh strawberries, cigarettes, drinks and trinkets of all sorts. On one particular corner there is a man in woman's dress who comes up to your car window and tries to solicit something (?) Sometimes it is good not to know the language!

how about a little mid-afternoon snack?

mother and child - have any change?

how's this for mobile sales?