Jakarta - Bogor - Kota (15th February 2014)

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Saturday, 15th February 2014

My Perfect Saturday in Jakarta

Happily, I hopped onto a commuter train from Gondangdia Train Station to the city of Bogor about 60km south of Jakarta. This was a sort of adventure for me given that train announcements were made only in Bahasa Indonesia and I was probably the only foreigner throughout the 90 minutes commute.

But as a train lover, I always cherished those times on the trains during my overseas travels. It was fun even though the crowd was a bit overwhelming at times. In fact, on my journey back to Jakarta Kota Station, I had to stand throughout the whole journey.

My legs were tired but this was probably the only chance for me to experience train travel within Greater Jakarta region. The train cars that plied their routes belonged to the second generation after serving their intended purposes back in Japan.

The Bogor Station that greeted me later in the morning was majestic. Dated back from the colonial times in 1881, I took a couple of shots of the white-washed building before heading to the Botanical Gardens (Kebun Raya). I didn't have a chance to step into the grounds proper but a peep through the deer garden was a sight to behold with the animals resting within the wide horizon of greenery.

My afternoon was spent within the old town square (Fatahillah Square) of Jakarta where the iconic Café Batavia was located. This was Jakarta at its oldest and yet, most atmospheric. Housed within a 200-year old building, the Café was an attraction of itself with its furnishings dating back from the colonial era.

I ordered a delicious serving of Gado Gado and Har Gao (Chinese Shrimp Dumplings). Over looking the historic town square, this old grand dame made an ideal spot to people watch on a warm, lazy weekend afternoon.

In the evening, after all my walks, I was back again at the Bersih Sehat for another round of soothing massage to rub all my cares away.

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