Bogor - Java

                                                                   Bogor - Java

One of the things Bogor is famous for is its Botanical Gardens. They are supposed to be one of the oldest in the world. I should also mention that most of the expats I have met are called Susan. No, seriously. The three LION AIR wives that are here are all called Susan. So, on Sunday morning bright and early, the three Susans and 2 husbands (one was in training) set off for Jakarta Kota train station.

 

We bought our tickets for the first class train - 90 cents U.S.

and boarded the economy train by mistake (tickets here cost 20 cents). I thought it would have been rude to take pictures so we sat for an hour and a half while vendors tried to persuade us to buy various appliances. One implement was a stick that lit up with a scraper on one end (for ear cleaning). Another chap had multi-coloured q-tips (also for ears). I began to wonder if we hadn't received the memo - "All ears to be clean on this train." By far the most industrious was the young man selling potato peelers, making his way from carriage to carriage demonstrating his machine and leaving a trail of peelings the length of the train.

So, here's the view

and finally a volcano - my first here (and there are a few)

We disembark and find a taxi to get us to the gardens.

And disembark:

Some very creative vending greets us

and Ben, Susan, Susan and Susan enter the gardens

Raymond and the wrong Susan in the orchid house:

Here I am:

The President's weekend home:

Some water for the trip back

and goodbye Bogor

Sumatran Elephants

So 24 hrs after arriving in Sumatra we leave Bukit Lawang and the Bhorok River. Once again we drive through hours of gravel road through palm oil estates.

Every once in a while a dusty village sluggishly slips past the widows. In this one a new bakery was being welcomed with traditional good luck signs - flowers stuck onto board:

Of course the motorbikes continued to come and go, some with only people (up to 6 or 7 passengers) and others offering things for sale - here you can buy bread. 

Three hours later we stop in a village for lunch. We suspect that the curried chicken had been cooked after the last cock fight. Raymond struggled through the spicy dishes that were a treat for me. Some very enthusiastic flies kept us busy.

 And we arrive at Tangkahan. I am about to test my nervous system.

We cross the Batang River and are greeted by a troupe of children who seem surprised at our survival

After putting our stuff down in our accommodation (generous name given for where we slept) we go off to meet our elephant

Theo and the mahut take us on a tour of the river Buluh where it joins the Batang river and we pass a river raft from which some village youth sing "Jungle Bells."

River, forest and back again

and again

and again

Then washing the elephants ....

and a not too tearful goodbye to our room.....

A last meal in Medan (to Raymond's relief - his last overdose of chillis)

 and home again 

Orangutan Trip

So this is a little new to me but... here goes.

As previously mentioned Jakarta has a population of over 10 million so we escaped from the motorbikes and  concrete to go on a three day trip to SUMATRA (6th largest island on the planet) to see orang-utan and elephant. Lion Air landed at 9 on Friday morning  and were met by Iwan our guide and a driver.

Three hours of driving through palm oil plantations bore fruit and we stopped at the edge of the rain forest. A fifteen minute walk along the side of a substantial river, down a tiny path (shared with many motorbikes) took us to a little collection of guest houses.

And our room did not disappoint:

 The bathroom came with a warning - close the door to the room at night - the long-tailed macaques may choose your room to trash while you sleep!

  Time to meet the guide and cross the river to the orang utan rehab centre (no longer active as it is now illegal  to own one and therefore assumes that no one does!)

 Past the centre and up a long climb to the feeding table - here we are hoping to see a couple of semi-wild apes as these have been released. As you can see, I have a fan club.

                                                                      More fans

And even more - mother and child

Recuperating after with Iwan and a glass of powdered juice

And goodbye to the macaques, Bukit Lawang and the Bohorok River

Next post: 4 hour drive to Tangkahan and the elephants