Bogor

The main attraction in Bogor are the huge botanical gardens (Kebun Raya), which are truly the lungs of this busy city. After walking through the congested, dirty streets, hearing the constant honks, dodging the beggars and witnessing the poverty, it felt surreal to step inside the gates of the gardens. Fresh, cool air filled your lungs, the sounds of the city started to disappear, and the immensity of 87 hectares of nature hit you. The price had gone up quite a bit from what was quoted in the Lonely Planet (10,000 to 26,000 rupiahs), but the half-day walk left us feeling refreshed and positive.

Meter wide water lilies

 

Giant tree

At first glance, you think they are crows but look carefully: bats!

One thing that we notice so far in Indonesia is that all menus are written in Javanese. In Thailand, because no tourist can read the Thai alphabet, businesses are almost required to translate into English. Indonesian uses the Greek alphabet, so we can read and pronounce words, but have no idea of their meaning yet. It is quite a challenge to order food as the waiters don't speak English. We will definitely need to start learning a few words and local menu items!