How was I still moving? Movement would be my medicine, I needed to keep going! I blinked, it was time to head back to Jakarta on a very early morning train, this was no holiday! I loved the pace secretly, my next stop was Bogor on the KRL Commuterline. Instagram had lured me over to Bogor with the promise of quirky cafes, botanical gardens and a rather chaotic terminus. Go!
I wanted to flip the script, an onward train to Yogyakarta was possible but something about the underrated nature of Bogor saw me heading back to Jakarta for one more day! I had done with that megacity, I branched out with the commuter trains taking me to the other side of the tracks. Was Bogor one of a kind? Gambir was playing games, that in-transition station missed out on the Bogor Line due to some absurd logistical issue, I was left no choice but to walk down the line to Gondangdia. Getting onto that Bogor train was a relief, I was able to awkwardly perch myself onto an available seat. My go-kart injuries were being held together by a squirt of iodine and an over-sized support bandage. I had been on the blower to Viator because several things about my Bandung tour screamed a lack of healthy and safety present, I was the Karen! As I awaited my response, I was staggered by the amount of stops this Bogor Line train stopped at! I wasn't in Jakarta anymore! My terminus station stop was approaching, I took a deep breath! Hey, Bogor!
Stepping off from that lower platform wasn't a good look, I had a flight to catch the following day, I needed to fix up! Bogor's station platform 3 was doing too much, I still wanted my photo for this blog post! Against all odds, I got that snap secured! I stepped out of the station exit into a heaving open square, the summer sun had brought the whole city out! I dodged anything that didn't appear kosher, keeping in mind this city hadn't been touched by tourism, the views were 'down to earth!' All sorts of things were being sold, it was a free-for-all but in an acceptable way, I wasn't intimidated. The weather was balmy, it was another scorching summer day in Indonesia. Bogor turned up the temperature as I made my way from the station to my chosen refreshment spot. Did breakfast happen that day? Did it just! I had a McDonalds at Gambir and got handed somebody else's order, it was hilarious! I was going to pass on the Indonesian option in that situation. My maps were helping me out, I wasn't up for getting lost!
I was gasping for a cold caffeinated drink and something sweet to eat, I had clocked 'Es Teh Jaya Abadi' on instagram beforehand. The walk from the station to that rustic coffee shop took about 6 minutes to reach from that buzzing square. The rustic exterior and vintage interior had been brought to my attention, I had watched several local Indonesian content creators show off what Bogor had to offer. Being a small city, the center boasted a grand 'Botanic Garden', but I needed a pre-garden sugar rush! Bogor served traffic galore, the roads were pandemonium and I was lucky to be on the right side of the road for the most part of that walk. The businesses were thriving, people were equally getting on with their lives. Bogor had a very different energy, Bandung's colonial corners and manicured pavements were a world away, diversity was served! For once, luck was on my side because that reel came into view, no diversions were needed! Viator? I was informed that my partial refund was now 100%! Oh, Bali would be a celebration!
Thai Tea? Doughnuts? I ordered both on the double! I needed that sugar rush! Keeping one foot in front of the other all day, that had been tiring, I needed a sweet pitstop! I lived for the decorations and trinkets, that vintage style coffee shop served retro pop culture vibes! My order was cut priced, I knew that Bogor would allow me to taste the sweet life! Collecting my thoughts, I must be so good under pressure because Bandung had put a lot on me, Bogor knew that I was going to flip the script! With every sip of my iced tea, I felt those aches and pains of the previous days injuries melt away! No, a sweet drink wasn't going to heal those wounds! Those doughnuts were golden, I had not enjoyed such creations since my laundry-filled morning in Bangkok, Thailand! That coffee shop had me feeling a lot better, the heat of the day was a lot and the early departure from Bandung was starting to be felt. I needed a serene setting with nature, my return to Jakarta was pending. I couldn't get over how gorgeous those doughnuts tasted! I want more!
Had I saved the best for last? 'Kebun Raya Bogor/Bogor Botanical Gardens' felt like the right place to end my day in that Indonesian city. Sir Stamford Raffles was here? He didn't exactly leave a 'gang tag' but that Brit paid commemoration to his late wife. Let me add some spicy context because during the 1640s these 'gardens' were man-made forest and were home to the former rulers of the 'Sunda Kingdom', those flowers were commissioned by Indonesian royalty! In bad taste as always, the 'Dutch East India Company' commandeered this former royal forest, transforming it into a European style garden with many different flora and fauna. Had 'Sir Stamford Raffles' had enough of Singapura or Malaya because during the 'British Invasion', he took the 'Buitenzorg Palace' as his own residence in 1811! His late wife, 'Olivia Marianme Raffles' has her own memorial pavilion within the 'gardens', she died in 1814 in 'Batavia/Jakarta' but Stamford chose to remember her in Bogor. The 'gardens' were heaving! B, I just wanted peace!
I loved the pavilion, captured above I wanted to admire that colonial feeling because Raffles wasn't playing games! I moved towards the riverside, those gardens were lush and felt like a million miles away from the noise of the city! Hey, I forgot to mention something! My taxi driver from the cafe to the gardens was lovely, he really wanted to speak more English and used the short journey over to the 'Botanical Gardens' as our own 'English Corner!' Quite, he did a great job as we agreed not many foreigners know about Bogor, it was a learning experience! Bogor had been the distraction from my injuries, adrenaline had gotten me through the day, I was not messing about with those moves made! I was able to find the same hotel I had left two days previous, or something? I checked-in, reunited with my bag and devoured a Subway sandwich! That sector of my Indonesia trip had been hectic, I wasn't about to apologise! Viator had done the grovelling, their definition of a safe tour had been blurred! A good nights sleep I needed, so!
Bogor, She Better Don't!
Desperately Seeking Adventure
