Jalan Cibauyut in the South of Bandung is to shoes what Cihampelas is to jeans. The statue of two bronze shoes at the beginning of the street conveys it all: shoes of all sorts and sizes make up the bulk of what this street sells. Unfortunately, as in so many other cases, the shopping experience is greatly hampered by the constant traffic passing by with its fumes that will even camouflage the smelliest sneaker. Also the lack of proper sidewalks make it mandatory to watch your step or you'll end up with a strained ankle before you even entered a shop. Nevertheless, if you are keen on shoes and like a bargain, Jalan Cibaduyut will both satisfy your feet as your wallet. To get there, either take a taxi or hop on one of the angkots that states Cibaduyut, and get off past the shoe statue.
Most of the branded shoes might not be the real thing even though, many still are of good quality and it is hard to tell if it concerns the real thing or not. Other than that most shoes are Indonesian brands, again of good enough quality and economically priced.
At No. 27 a shop called Land Cruiser (0817-2373293) sells safety shoes of sturdy leather with strong grip. Useful if you plan on hiking a lot or consider a career in construction working.
Rofina (022-5403046) on No. 43b offers a collection of soccer shoes that look quite professional and fashionable as far as that is applicable with soccer shoes.
No. 33 houses the pusat perdagagang sepatu (shoe sales center) that is the first large scale shoe center in Cibaduyut, opened in the 90's.
Another well stocked store can be found on No. 85, named Kalimas (0813-20708551).
Opposite of that Nikita (022-5405679) is mostly a wholesale place, with a shoemenu in the front window, only useful when you want to buy over 10 pairs.
Nextdoors' Grutty (022-5425888) has probably the largest collection of pumps and other ladies shoes.
To avoid mutual confusion and miscommunication here follow some guidelines that might keep your feet the focal point instead of having to talk with your hands.
Sizes:
37: tiga puluh tujuh
38: tiga puluh delapan
39: tiga puluh sembilan
40: ampat puluh
41: ampat puluh satu
42: ampat puluh dua
43: ampat puluh tiga
To ask for a certain pair in a certain size: Punya sepatu ini yang ukuran..
Too small is terlalu kecil , wheras too big is terlalu besar, colour is warna and another colour is warna lain. Finally, as in most places, it's a good idea to bargain for a bargain, so express your concern by uttering mahal (expensive) and ask bisa kurang (can it be less?)
So, all set? Put on your dancing shoes and follow your feet to Cibaduyut.