A quiet town of 950 000
The city is located directly south of Jakarta, and offers a great distraction from the city. While it may be significantly smaller, one cannot quite escape the traffic and chaos of city life.
This overview represents two visits to Bogor- one with my mother as a day trip, and the second with my fellow #AusVols for a two night stay.
There are two ways to travel here, the first being by train. The journey is 1.5 trip by the commuter line which quickly fills up, leaving everyone else standing for the duration of the trip.
Or one can drive there, which can take anywhere from 1.5 hours to 3 or 4, or even more. The traffic is unpredictable, making the $3.50 train ride a much better option, even while standing (something we fully appreciated on our way back in the car). The commuter rail was established as it relieves the traffic from workers travelling between Bogor and Jakarta each day for work.
While it didn’t necessarily live up to our hope of a relaxing getaway, due to the traffic, the beautiful surrounds are worth re-visiting, especially with better planning to get out into the countryside away from the constant congestion of city life in Indonesia.
Presidential Residents
Botanical Gardens
Pasar Baru
Markets- I am quickly learning to expect anything in Indonesian markets- dyed chickens are just the beginning (only a few weeks ago at Car-Free Sunday along the main street of Jakarta I saw someone taking their pet otter for a walk…it had a leash and everything). It can be very hard to see sometimes…as a visitor it is difficult to know when earning a living or an animal life take precedence.
Overnight
Our traditional-style farm-stay quickly brought to light the dangers of AirBnB- while located on picturesque rice fields and hosted by amazing people, the proximity to the mosque (not pictured) made the house shake at 4:00 am and the busy road (not pictured) was populated by motorbikes racing down the mountain at night.
Despite the drawbacks it was a beautiful property, and greenery and life were very welcome (as were the fried bananas- pisang goreng- and nasi goreng for breakfast)!
Gunung Gede
Gede Mountain- home to coffee plantations and extraordinary views of smog.
The rare and elusive wild sepeda motor..singularly skilled to make the treacherous mountain tracks of South East Asia, they lie in wait for the unwary walker.
Gunung Salak
Hindu Temple and views from Mount Salak. If you look closely you can see Jakarta in the distance!
roads go ever on 