Bogor Botanic Garden
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Baobab tree from Africa in Bogor Botanical Garden. The information placard says that the tree is also known as the Dead Mouse tree
Grey skies and drizzles welcomed this Sunday morning in Depok Baru Train Station, the departure point to Bogor Train Station. From so many visits to Bogor I've made so far, on this occasion, I started to write about Bogor Botanic Garden. This would be my third visit to Kebun Raya Bogor (Bogor Botanic Garden), West Java. |
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| Ex-Exit-and-Entrance gate at Bogor Train Station |
Arrived at Bogor Train Station after twenty minutes trip, the busy crowd has never changed, only the entrance and exit gate have been changed. A modern electronic entrance-exit gate is located few meters in front while the ex-entrance-and-exit gate area is now snack and coffee shops.
Bogor Botanic Garden
Orchid House and Breeding Place
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| Spathoglottis plicata or Ground orchid (taken in March 2015) in the Orchidarium |
Orchid area is located few meters from Green Garden Café or locals know it as Kafe De Daunan. To reach orchid area, the clue is Baobab tree. There is a restricted orchid place which is not too far from Baobab tree.
The place is covered by black muslin. Orchid house and breeding place are on the vicinity of that black-muslin-covered restricted orchid area.
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| Hanging tiger orchid, the information board said it is known as giant orchid |
I walked a little from the restricted orchid place and found Griya Anggrek beside it and Orchidarium in front of it.
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| Grammatophyllum speciosum or Tiger orchid (taken in March 2015), known as giant orchid inside the Orchidarium |
Griya Anggrek (lit. orchid house) and Orchidarium (orchid breeding place) would be the most beautiful and eye-pleasing place in Kebun Raya Bogor (Bogor Botanic Garden), I imagined. If all orchid collection there had been blooming, there would have been various colors and forms of orchids beautified both places. Unfortunately, that rainy Sunday afternoon when I visited Orchidarium, only tiger orchids, purple-colored ground orchids and white-colored orchids that bloomed.
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| White-colored orchid (taken in march 2015) I found in Kebun Raya Bogor not too far from orchid area |
Basically, Orchidarium does not open for public. Therefore for the first-timers, it is best to ask front gate information officer first whether Orchidarium opened. It is known that it occasionally opens during the breeding months but closes during orchid blooming months. No wonder it opened when I visited it in March where the garden only displayed tiger orchid and ground orchid while the rest of the garden had only orchid leaves and stalks. Bear in mind that picking up flowers are forbidden.
As I mentioned before, in front of Orchidarium, there is Griya Anggrek, a flower shop in the form of orchid garden greenhouse that opens every day from 0800 AM – 0330 PM (other says opens until 0230 PM). The best time to visit is when all orchids bloom, perhaps between October – December because I didn’t see them bloom all in March nor July.
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| Pale-white-colored orchid inside the Orchidarium (taken in March 2015) |
I found the place closed because it was too late in the afternoon so I didn’t have a chance to come inside. The next time I visit Bogor Botanic Garden, I hope the orchids there bloom so I am able to have some different orchid pictures and who knows bring some to home.
The Mexican (Cacti) Garden
I found little information related with ‘The Mexican Garden’ in Bogor Botanic Garden guided walks book issued in 1996 so I assumed that this garden was newly renovated. I believed that this garden was the only garden having modern arrangement, the neatest and most in-order plant allocation in one specific area near place of screw pines “with their wonderful root formation and spiral leaf arrangement.”
The first thing came to my mind was that this garden gave me ‘dry’ atmosphere, different with the tropical garden or forest atmosphere full of rain and water. So it was unique and distinctive. I felt as if the garden had had a separated space from the tropical garden characteristics, as a reverse oasis in the desert, like the desert in the oasis.
The garden itself can be good reference to arrange cacti when making personal house garden. Cacti lovers should not miss this beautiful garden where they can find types of cacti with thin or thick bodies and single or bulk cacti group arranged nicely with white gravels on the ground.
Not only pleasing one's eyes, although the garden gives you the impression of an arid atmosphere, these cactus plants give you valuable life lesson. Any place either with or without difficult circumstances around will still make you continue standing strong and beautifully. Don't you agree?
Het Paleis te Buitenzorg
Or locals are familiar with the name of Istana Bogor and in English it is often referred to The Bogor Palace.
Four Guided Walks (1996)
Gardens
Cemeteries
The Red Bridge
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| "the red suspension bridge" is what guided book called |
It was said to be erected and painted in red-brick color in 1881 by Motmann, a Dutch architect together with a local man Saripin to cross Cipakancilan river. The red color was turned out to be a symbol of remembrance towards the sacrifice of independence fighters where their heroic blood painted the bridge.
The primary idea of taking a stroll in Bogor Botanic Garden is not to be hassled by the myth but "to admire the view of*"
However, what made this red bridge significant on my trip was because it led me to Canarium Avenue.
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| Canarium Avenue which is suitable for sitting and reading or jogging |
A sip of hazelnut-flavored cappuccino
After quite sometime strolling in the garden, I met my two friends in Green Garden Café or Kafe De Daunan.
From the café, Salak mountain was seen from a far.
End Note
Bogor Botanical Garden provides a never-ending charm. Visitors or botanic lovers will not be satisfied if they visit it only once in their life time. It is not because of its grand area that they feel tired or have not enough time walking around to see its collection in one day but because the collection has different time to show its uniqueness and beauty in a year. Some flowers bloom on the first quarter months in the year, some do on the second, third or fourth months.
City dwellers will always miss the natural roof made of green leaves with foundation of big roots that they seldom see in the area full of skyscrapers in Sudirman business district, Jakarta.
Bogor, Mar. 8
Kebun Raya Bogor
Pusat Konservasi Tumbuhan Kebun Raya-LIPI
Jl. Ir. H. Juanda No. 13 Bogor
Jawa Barat, Indonesia
Ph (62 251) 8322187 - 8321657 - 8322220
Fee as per 2015
- Entrance fee was less than 2 USD/person
- Bicycle rent fee was less than 2 USD/hour and should leave an ID card to the officer during the usage
- Bus tour fee was less than 3 USD
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