It was a weekday and I was the only tourist availing of that tour. So I have the van, a travel guide and a driver all to myself. They pick me up at my hotel at promptly 9am. You can identify the guides by their very colorful uniforms and they will show you an ID and the payment slip.
Our first stop is Bogor Botanical Gardens located right in the heart of Bogor, 60 km south of Jakarta. It took us almost two hours to get there. I was told that this park is a still major research center in Indonesia. You can see a variety of orchids and centuries-old trees and shrubs. There is one particular "kapok" tree that was a few hundred years old and the roots alone dwarfed me. If you like plants and flowers, this is a nice place to go to. Some of the species of trees and orchids there can also be found here in the Philippines. Their national flower is called "bankay" or corpse. Because of the stench it makes when it flowers. Fortunately it only blooms a few days every three years and can only found in the most remote forests of Indonesia. Sorry, they don't have the flower on exhibit.
The park also houses the Presidential Summer Palace. I was told by my guide that our very own GMA stayed there during her state visit. The palace was quite impressive it's combination of Malacanan palace and the White House and was currently going major renovation when I visited. Tourists aren't allowed in its immediate premises for security reasons.
Our second stop was at Taman Safari Indonesia. My favorite place in all of Indonesia, located in the Cisarua area. It has an altidude of 1,400 meters and is very cool, the place is very similar to Tagaytay. I was told by my guide that rich people have houses and is considered a prime area for vacation homes. And guess what? The spiders that you will see on the electrical tension wires are all extremely poisonous. They have it all over the place. Amazing.
The Taman Safari is a drive-through game park for animals in an environment as close to their natural habitat as possible. Prior to entering its gates, vendors will try to sell you some carrots and vegetables. I suggest you buy some so that you can feed some of the herbivorous animals inside the park. A bunch of carrots costs 3,000rupiah (Roughly P20). Inside, you will see monkeys running about. Zebras will nuzzle your hair and try to get some of the carrots. Llamas, camels, deers, elephants and other animals are very friendly and are used to people giving them food (only the carrots and vegetables please). I even saw a mother and child white rhino roaming freely within its grounds. More dangerous animals are placed in contained environments (not cages) close to their natural habitats . I've seen cheetahs, honey bears (absolutely adorable, think winnie the pooh) and orangutans. Remember, you cannot leave the close confines of your vehicle. After all, these are wild animals no matter how friendly they seem.
Another part of the park is an area dedicated to big cats. Lions and tigers roam freely. I rolled my window down to take a picture of a lion resting and my guide warned me that lions love to eat human fingers and they can easily break the windows with their paws. Ok, thanks for telling me. I very quickly snap a picture anyway. The zoo is quite successful in breeding the big cats. Lions and tigers abound. There were even white tigers there. Very rare. First time I've seen one outside the television set. The animals look very healthy and well cared for. I was impressed. And I would definitely go back again.
Adjacent to the safari is the Baby Zoo which houses all the baby orangutans, lions and tigers born in the park. For 10,000 rupiah (P55) you can have your picture taken with one of the tiger cubs and the baby orangutans. They have a schedule though so you may not be able to get a one on one picture with all of them. There were no lion cubs born during that time. But I got some pretty nice photos with Tito, the cutest tiger cub in the bunch. (There were 3 of them) I almost didn't want to leave but I had a schedule to keep.Elephant rides are also available if you are adventurous enough. I opted to just have my picture taken and pet the elephants. The elephants are gentle giants and won't harm a fly (I think). There's also a small theme park within the safari. If you are traveling with children, they will have a nice time there with all the rides and the ponies and the baby zebras, which they can pet and ride for a minimum fee. Proceeds go to the upkeep of the park.
Late lunch was served in a restaurant in Puncak. Nasi goreng with grilled chicken. It was nice and not spicy and the serving was huge, good enough for 2 people. The weather was nippy. It sort of reminded me of Baguio and Tagaytay on a chilly afternoon.
Next stop was a drive through the tea plantations in Puncak, which means "summit". It's not very interesting. Just a bunch of tea trees lined perfectly in the mountains. The tea trees are actually "bonzaid" so that it will be easier to harvest. The only thing that you can do there is take pictures.
If you happen to be the only one having the tour like I was, I suggest to skip the tea plantation all together and just spend more time at the safari. It would be more interesting and fun. Don't forget to bring water and some snacks in case you get hungry during the long ride back.
2 comments:
With your stories, I now want to go to Jakarta! I didn't do those things when I was there. The safari alone should be worth the trip.
Your blog is really interesting read. Have you told Binky and the rest about it?
I haven't yet told anyone yet since I'm still in the process of writing more stories and gathering more materials. But I will email everyone this weekend to let them know of my new hobby :)
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