Bogor Botanical Garden Kebun Raya

I enjoy my little trips to the botanical gardens in Bogor as it feels so different and is quiet and green and full of trees and a million miles away from anything Jakarta has to offer, which in itself is a huge shame, as the city is crying out for a park where people can just visit, wander about and sit in.

The gardens in Bogor are next to the Presidents Palace and are fairly big and every time I visit I notice something different or something has changed and hopefully for the better. 

Taking a Becak from the railway station was a lot easier than walking up the hill to the entrance and this time we went in through the entrance by the post office, which I have never seen open before.

10,000 rupiah later we are in the gardens and its kind of a nice feeling especially as you need to push your way through the vendors selling food, drinks, toys, black plastic bags and then you are in a world full of trees.

However the first sign you see is one that tells you all things you can't do, I wonder if there is a place in the world that tells you what you can do.
Odd you can't play football, but you can buy blow up balls in the park, cant drive bus in but they have little mini vans running about carrying the lazy people, Can't have fires yet the workers are setting fire to trees and rubbish which all seems a little contradictory, But then this is Indonesia.

The roads are well maintained and lined with well cared for trees, you can wander around the park and over the grass and down the small paths.










The palace is lovely and is the official home of the president. It is stunning to look at and it is a shame you cant get any closer. The gardens are fenced in and there are deer that eat the grass inside as well as many figurines and statues.

This one has to be a favourite and I have no idea what it is supposed to represent

The deer looked pretty chilled out and they are fairly tame and can be fed by hand if you want

From one of the bridges you can see the locals and their washing, the river is fast flowing and the rocks must have come from further upstream. It must be pretty impressive to see the river running when there has been lots of rain.

Just some of the flowers that were out at the time, the gardens has a orchid garden, herb garden, somewhere in there are giant rafflasias and also a nursery for plants

The restaurant is a welcome stop to eat and watch the clouds go by. The large grass slope often fills up with people and the ponds at the bottom are full of flowers.

The cactus garden and palm tree collections are great and there are some very old and very tall trees in there

There is also a museum full of skeletons and stuffed animals and bug collections. There is also a dutch cemetary and memorials to Thomas Raffles, the great Englishman who created the park, built the palace, rediscovered Borburdur, founded Singapore and wrote some of the best books to detail Indonesia.
Still once you leave the gardens, the peace, the secret corners for the young lovers, the giant ants and humid tree lined avenues, you are immediately immersed back into the randomness all of all again where money talks louder than sense and roundabouts that could have ornate statues have huge telecommunication icons instead...