About an hour East of Jakarta lies the little city of Bogor.  It was a quick and easy train ride to get there and then just a few minutes on an angkot brought us to the Botanical Garden entrance.

Before going in, we decided to take advantage of the delicious food stalls that were lined up outside.  Bowls of Soto Betawi were devoured…amazing flavor!  It’s basically a chicken curry soup with coconut milk and then I added rice.  I didn’t want to stop eating.

With happy bellies, we entered the sprawling gardens and began what would become a few hours of exploration.  For less than $1.50 we had access to everything.  There were museums, lakes, and endless acres of beautiful trees and foliage to wander around.  There were benches scattered around the park if and when a respite was needed.  Some were also strategically placed in optimal locations to enjoy specific scenes of fountains, bridges or highly manicured areas of lawn.

The museum I went into had a blue whale skeleton hanging over the entrance to greet the visitors.  Once inside, I was inundated with real examples of every bug and fly imaginable.  It was very interesting to see how huge (and I mean as big as my fist) some of these bugs were.  Educational aspects aside, seeing them under glass is the only way I want to encounter these creatures!

The other rooms of the museum had psychloramas containing examples of typical local animals in their natural, wild habitats, which were also interesting.  Some of the animals are pretty cute.  Every thing from bats and rats to the coffee-eating civets to birds and bears were on display.

Even though the rainy season is technically over, we endured a drizzle throughout the afternoon which kept the stifling heat at bay.  But then we got caught in a short downpour as we were exiting the gardens.  But the temperature was perfect and the entire area wasn’t very crowded which made the afternoon very peaceful.  An excellent day trip to stretch the legs and breathe some fresh air.