Bogor is famous for the thunders that are a daily presence during the transition between rainy season to dry season… and the same happens before the monsoon. The thunders bring rain… and the rain left behind a humidity that sticks to the skin… the humidity that with the warm temperature create the perfect conditions for the growth of a big range of tropical plants.
The botanical garden, created during the Dutch colonization, and is the central attraction of Bogor, as also the geographic center of the city… a quiet paradise of green surrounded by busy and noisy streets where the traffic is intense and frantic. The Bogor Botanical Garden is a perfect place to spend a few hours and to explore without rush. How peaceful can be the contact with nature?! It looks like it brings a balance, a reconnection with nature.
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See also: Bogor Botanical garden
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But Bogor is not just the gardens. The Pasar Anyar (close by to the train station), a big market that spreads for a huge two sort building where you can find almost everything… fruits and vegetables, meat and fish, clothes and house article, coffee to sweets… in a confuse endless secession of corridors.
But this market, as usual, extends to the nearby streets, with a crowd of stall and street vendor taking over of the streets, making a walk in this area a challenging experience! But is also a great opportunity to try the street food and the local snacks… there a lot of options, but the deep-fried stuff is very popular, particular the tofu (locally called “táu”), cassava, chicken and banana, for a sweet tooths!!! At Jalan Dewi Sartika, nearby the market you can find a lot of batik shops!
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The city is getting busy and busier witht he proximity with Jakarta that keeps on growing, but walking on the small alleys of Bogor, we can feel the laid-back vibe of the population, that can hide the curiosity when they see a foreigner, offering a friendly smile.
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Where to sleep in Bogor:
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There aren’t many options in Bogor for backpackers, but even if there were, Tom’s Homestay is the place to stay in town! The house located close to the Botanical Garden and has a lot of character, despite being in the need of a bit of remodeling…. the owner, Tom is a super nice host and will provide all the necessary information about places to visit in Bogor, as well on the surroundings… where to find cheap food, local products, etc. He can take you to short tours to temples, waterfall and other Bogor attractions for a very low price, using local transport, and it will cost you very little.
He was a very helpful source of information about how to move around, and how to go to Jakarta… and he has the gentleness to pick me and take me to the bus terminal…. and all the hassle to go with me to the immigration office!!! Thanks Tom for your good heart.
Strongly recommend Tom’s Homestay. //tomshomestay.com/home (you can contact him also by phone call or SMS)
The room is 100.000 Rp included breakfast; water, tea and coffee are available for free.
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Where to eat in Bogor:
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The Simpang Raya Bogor is a restaurant with padang food, where you can choose what to add to your rice plate and pay according to the item that you choose. There are many options that change everyday.
This place is a favorite of local people. The food is delicious and it worth to go there even if the prices are a bit higher than usual at this kind of places. I pay 30.000 Rp for a plate full of food, from aubergine, veg curry, egg, omelet and papaya leafs.
The Simpang Raya Bogor Restaurant is located on Jalan Raya Pajajaran, just next to the Holland Bakery.
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How to move around in Bogor:
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The angkot, mini-vans with green colour that are the most common public transport in Bogor. They have a number according to the destination. Ask the help of someone local people. There are a lot of angkot moving on the streets that make a ring around the Botanical Garden.
The angkot fee is 7.000 Rp (maximum) inside the city.
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How to go from Jakarta (Kampung Rambutan) to Bogor:
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By bus:
- Coming from Jakarta you must go to the Kampung Rambutan Bus terminal, on the south part of the city.
- From there you look for the departure stand number 28. At 6:00 a.m. departure the a/c bus to Bogor that uses the highway toll. Is faster than the normal bus. It takes 45 minutes (depending on the traffic) and ends the trip at Barangsiang Terminal, very close from Botanical Garden. The ticket cost 10.000 Rp.
- Outside the Barangsiang Terminal you’ll find the angkot (a green colour mini-van) to different parts of the city. The angkot fee is 7.000 Rp maximum inside the city.
By train:
- You can catch one of the trains leaving from Jakarta Kota Train Station (Stasiun Jakarta Kota) that go to Bogor…. there are many during all day.
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How to go from Bogor to Jakarta Airport:
There are DAMRI buses (Indonesian state-owned public transit bus company) from Bogor to Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, Jakarta international and domestic airport. The DAMRI terminal is close to the Botanical Square, at Jalan Jalan Raya Pajajaran.
They are comfortable and have air-con. The trip takes around two hours but watch out that the traffic can make this trip much longer….
See prices and schedule below (May 2017).
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