Would You Travel With Someone You Just Met?

Would You Travel With Someone You Just Met?  Do you or can you ever trust a person you only meet once? Most of you would probably say “NO”. As most people say, you simply can’t trust someone so quickly. You just can’t.

Well…

Here’s to that one time I went on spontaneous travel getaway with someone I just met – one week before the trip happened. Her name is Venny. I met her once only so imagine my face when I read her message inviting me to join her in an OPEN TRIP. This was new to me back then. I wasn’t too keen on the idea of traveling in large groups so I was  hesitant. However, after convincing my self that Venny’s invite was genuine, I started googling the place and I instantly fell in love with it so I decided to go.

I had travel anxiety on the day of the trip, You heard of travel horror stories?  Not gonna lie, I had butterflies in my stomach. I didn’t know Venny personally plus I was the only ‘foreigner’ in the group. I didn’t know how to interact with the group and I couldn’t converse with them fluently with my limited Bahasa Indonesia vocabulary. It was very challenging on my part. The tour guide also couldn’t speak Englsih well so Venny had to translate everything to me.

The group stayed in one house (or homestay) for two nights. Venny and I stayed in a room with two other female travelers who can converse in English well. They were also very kind and friendly so I felt happy and relieved.

Overall, the trip was memorable and fun. Our itinerary include hiking mountain trails and sunrise watching on top of the mountain. We also visited volcanic craters and lakes and explored different temples. 

Travelling with a person you just met is crazy idea. However, sometimes, you just have to take a leap of faith and let your instincts guide you. It will lead you to one of your most memorable trips and in my case, it was the start of a beautiful friendship. It was crazy how we get along well when it was only our second meeting. This trip was one for books so I made sure I thanked Venny for bringing me in this beautiful place. 

With Venny

PS. I will write another blog post of our itinerary.

Short Bali Trip – A Weekend Escape

This is a long overdue post as we went to Bali six months from now but at last, I got time to write again and share my 2-day Bali adventure with you.

In my line of work, you rarely (or never) get an opportunity to file for a vacation leave and go anywhere you want. Thus, what I usually do is check the school calendar for long weekends and holidays and plan ahead. If you have read my previous posts, most of my out of town trips fell on long weekends, or even just over a regular two-day weekend.

One of my resolutions this year was to travel more, explore new places, and learn more about the world and try new things. Life is short so you have to live life to the fullest.  So that was what I did. One Friday afternoon, right after work, I boarded on a plane with three of my friends to Bali.

Since we only had the weekend to enjoy Bali, I did a lot of research on how to visit as many places as we could to make the trip worthwhile.  After a well-thought Bali itinerary, I booked a ticket, contacted a homestay and a rental car + driver for two days. Rental cars are very helpful when visiting Bali because public transportations don’t have any access to most of Bali’s attractions and tourist destinations. Moreover, it saves you time and energy. And by the way, if you’re not happy with the price, you can always haggle. 🙂

We arrived in Denpasar around midnight since our flight was delayed. As soon as we reached our accommodation, we checked in by ourselves, settled in and dozed off to sleep. Just in case you’re curious, Miss Anita, the owner of the guesthouse we stayed at was in another town and she told us to just check in by ourselves.

Day One

Our Day 1 itinerary is the Countryside/Bedugul Tour.

We visited Taman Ayun Temple, Ulun Danu Beratan Temple, Jatiluwih Rice Terraces, Wanagiri, and the famous Handara Golf Gate. Tanah Lot was on the itinerary, however, it rained heavily in the afternoon, so we just decided to go home.

Taman Ayun Temple

Ulun Danu Beratan Temple

A part of Jatiluwih Rice Terraces

Wanagiri Hidden Hills

The iconic Handara Golf and Resort Gate

Day Two (Last Day)

We woke up as early as 4:30 am to catch the sunrise in Sanur Beach. Although the sun didn’t show up early, we were still thankful to be one of the earliest to arrive there as we have found a perfect spot to sit and wait for the sun to rise. From Sanur Beach, we went directly to Seminyak Beach for breakfast and a morning swim.

After enjoying the beach, we went back to the guesthouse and packed our things. We then checked out and went to one of the most famous restaurants in Bali- the La Laguna – for lunch. The restaurant is only a 5- minute ride from the guesthouse. We booked a reservation ahead just to make sure we have a comfy place to eat and relax because based on the reviews, it will be jampacked in the afternoon.

When we get to the restaurant, the place wasn’t crowded yet. Good thing we decided to have an early lunch because an hour after, more and more guests were coming. After enjoying the breeze and the good food, we wander around enjoying the vintage, chic vibe of the place. There were a lot of Instagram-worthy spots in almost every corner of this place (even in the toilet!) and we couldn’t help ourselves but take a lot of pictures!

It was hard to leave this pretty place but work is calling. So, we decided to leave the Mexican vibe in La Laguna, went to the souvenir store and then headed back to the airport. If only we could stay a few more days…

Our Bali trip was short but amazing. It was the perfect weekend escape – just what I needed to be rejuvenated for the week ahead.

Top 5 Things to See and Do When You Visit Bogor Botanical Gardens

Bogor Botanical Gardens is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Bogor, Indonesia. It spread about 87 hectares containing over 15,000 species of plants and trees all over the archipelago.  It also has around 50 species of birds and bats.

The Bogor Botanical Gardens is said to have been initiated by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the Governor General of the East Indies during the British reign in between 1811-1816 but were officially established by the Dutch in 1817. Caspar Georg Carl Reinwardt, a botanist, who was then the appointed Director of Agricultural business, transform the gardens into a botanical garden. In the present, the Bogor Botanical Gardens functions as a center for plant research and conservation.

I visited Bogor Botanical Gardens with a local friend Hana. It was just a spontaneous trip, nothing planned. We just wanted to escape from the hustle and bustle of Jakarta and to catch up as we’ve never seen each other for a while. The night before, we decided to visit the Bogor Botanical Gardens – both of us are first timers- and we were not disappointed. If not for the lack of time, we would have loved to stay a little longer.

You don’t have to be a botanist or a plant lover to enjoy the place. There are tons of things to see and do in the place that one day is never enough.

Here is a list of my top 5 things to see and do when you visit Bogor Botanical Gardens

1. The Bogor Presidential Palace

Originally built almost 300 years ago, the impressive out of town Presidential palace is no doubt my most favorite because it is undeniably beautiful. The palace is beautifully landscaped and is surrounded by lush scenery.

 

Sit on the benches or on the grass and just admire the beauty of the palace yard. The fountains, the pond full of pink lotus flowers, and the lush scenery can take all your worries away, even just for a while. There are also a few statues in the area, including the Hand of God statue in the palace’s backyard which is accordingly a gift by Sweden to Indonesia almost 50 years ago.

Note: You will only be allowed to enter and see the palace with a special permission from the office of Indonesian Secretariat.

2. Astrid Park

Astrid was created to welcome the wife of King Leopold III of Belgium, Queen Astrid, in her visit to Indonesia in 1929.

 This beautiful park inside Bogor Botanical Gardens is another thing you can’t miss. The surrounding lush trees, colorful flowers, and lots of green space make it a favorite place for tourists to behold and enjoy.  You will definitely enjoy the tranquil scene and peaceful atmosphere here.

Another thing to enjoy at Astrid Park is the beautiful fountain in the middle and the breath-taking giant lotus pond which is even more beautiful when the lotuses are in full bloom.

3. The Enormous trees and Giant Roots

The garden boasts of a wide arrange of plant and tree species everywhere in this garden.  The beautiful selections of these massive, enormous, gnarled, old trees (some a century old) are a few of the reasons why this is a must-see. The sad news though is that in October 2015, the oldest tree, The Lychee tree which is estimated to be 194 years old fell down after a heavy rain in the area.

Walking under the canopy of the enormous trees and their foliage is always a great feeling but standing in the middle these huge roots is another story.  I felt like I am in an enchanted forest – like these roots are doorways to another kingdom, you know, they suddenly open and WHOOSH!!!! I am already in another world!!! Just like in the movies. Hahaha.  But no, I am in the real world – the world of gigantic, gnarled trees.

4. The Orchid House

Who doesn’t love orchids?

Inaugurated in 2002, the Orchid House which is around 800 square meters, is one of the many beautiful places you can check out when you visit Bogor Botanical Gardens.  This is an in situ conservation in an ex situ conservation area.

The place boasts of an impressive collection of around 500 different species of orchids native to Indonesia.  From white to yellow to pink to purple – different colored orchids can be found here. They also have collections of colorful hybrids of orchids in another wing of the Orchid House.

 

5. The Broken Heart Bridge

So what’s special about this bridge?

The color? The sound of the rushing river or the view surrounding it?  Nah, nothing is really special about this bridge, except maybe for the myth behind it.

Legend has it that whenever a couple crosses the bridge together, their relationship will be over. But hey, that’s just a myth. Just cross the bridge when you get there or if you happen to believe in myths, just don’t cross together. Let your partner wait for you on the other side of the bridge an hour later. Hahaha.

The river has a lot of garbage though. I hope that the admin will do something about it.

There are a lot of other beautiful places to visit in Bogor Botanical Gardens. However, we don’t have enough time to wander around and check out all of them.  I would definitely go back.

Entrance

Get Around

The gardens are open daily to visitors. The entrance fee is 14 000 IDR for local tourists and 25 000 IDR for foreigners.

Getting around the gardens is easy with paved walkways, signs, and beautifully landscaped lawns.

How I Got There:

From Jakarta, my friend and I decided to use train to Bogor, although we initially thought of going there by car which was a good decision since it was a weekend and we wouldn’t want to be stuck in the traffic and the Bogor Botanical Gardens is just short walk away from the Bogor train station so it wasn’t too difficult for us to get to the place.

Take note that Bogor is only a few hours from Jakarta so it is packed in the weekends (and on public holidays) with visitors from Jakarta and nearby provinces and even tourists from all over the world.

Transportation Options:

From Jakarta, you can also reach Bogor by car, bus, taxi or you can rent Grab Car or Uber which is way cheaper than a taxi.  There are also numerous buses going to Bogor departing from different parts of Jakarta, even from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. So yes, from the airport, you can directly travel to Bogor.