However, with the help of Sue and Robert, we made the day into a mini-adventure. The plan was to hire a driver for the day to take us out of Jakarta so that we can experie
nce a bit of greenery, take a walk outside (as opposed to in the airconditioned malls in Jakarta where most people get their "exercise") and perhaps breathe some fresh air for a change. For the evening, we planned to meet at the Shangri La hotel for some festive cocktails and dinner.The first leg of our day trip was Bogor, a city about an hour's drive from Jakarta, where there is one of the largest botanical research 
gardens in the world. The garden was huge, with an unbeliebable array of trees and flowers. We tried to enter the various 'houses' (such as the orchid house, etc.), but as it was a major holiday weekend, they were closed. We walke
d around for a couple of hours, drank some Panamanian coffee from Robert's thermos, and basically enjoyed the morning while plotting our next move. It was starting to get unbelievably hot and humid, and therefore a trek up into the highlands seemed like a good idea.
gardens in the world. The garden was huge, with an unbeliebable array of trees and flowers. We tried to enter the various 'houses' (such as the orchid house, etc.), but as it was a major holiday weekend, they were closed. We walke
d around for a couple of hours, drank some Panamanian coffee from Robert's thermos, and basically enjoyed the morning while plotting our next move. It was starting to get unbelievably hot and humid, and therefore a trek up into the highlands seemed like a good idea.
We attempted to head to the Bogor Botanical Garden's highland branch in Cibodas, but ended up turning back because the traffic was unbelievably horrible. It seemed like no matter where you wanted to go on Saturday, everyone on the Island of Java was going to the same place! At one point, it took us 45 mintues to go 1 kilometer!
On our way back to Bogor we drove through local villages on our way to the waterfalls in the area. After sitting in traffic jam after traffic jam for more than two hours, we set off on an amazing jungle trek. We did find a waterfall, but lighting was not conducive for decent photography! (or at least I am not very good at taking p
ictures in these conditions ... something I need to remedy.) The trail was straight up the side of the mountain, and that bit of blood, sweat and tears was well wort
h it! There was plenty to see, and with the murky weather that was coming our way, the view was incredible.
We passed some interesting roadside shops along the mountainside on our way back to Jakarta. There were many overheated cars and blown out tires on the way. Given the steepness of the road, it is not surprising.
On our way back to Bogor we drove through local villages on our way to the waterfalls in the area. After sitting in traffic jam after traffic jam for more than two hours, we set off on an amazing jungle trek. We did find a waterfall, but lighting was not conducive for decent photography! (or at least I am not very good at taking p
ictures in these conditions ... something I need to remedy.) The trail was straight up the side of the mountain, and that bit of blood, sweat and tears was well wort
h it! There was plenty to see, and with the murky weather that was coming our way, the view was incredible.We passed some interesting roadside shops along the mountainside on our way back to Jakarta. There were many overheated cars and blown out tires on the way. Given the steepness of the road, it is not surprising.
I wish you all were here!
Last week I was on 
