Indonesia: Around the Bogor Botanical Gardens (Kebun Raya Bogor)

One of the cities I missed visiting during my previous trips to Indonesia is Bogor. The main attraction of Bogor are the Kebun Raya Bogor or Bogor Botanical Gardens and the Presidential Palace which can be seen from the gardens.

From the Gambir Station in Jakarta, I took a train to Bogor which takes about an hour and costs Rp11000. From the Bogor Train Station, which was built in 1881 (the good thing about Indonesia is that their old train stations have been preserved), I walked to the Tourist Information Center a few meters away to ask for a map and directions to the Bogor Botanical Gardens. Basically, from the entrance of the station, you make a right. You'll see signs pointing towards the information center.


From the Tourist Information Center, it's a one-kilometer walk to the Kebun Raya Bogor. Along the way, you'll see a number of Dutch colonial buildings. There is only one open gate to the botanical gardens. Entrance fee is Rp9500.

The 80-hectare garden opened in 1817 and today contains over 15,000 species of trees and plants. It continues its tradition as a major center for botanical research. Noteworthy in the collection are 400 types of exceptional palms and 3,000 varieties of orchids.



Unless you have a private vehicle, be prepared for a lot of walking. And make sure to have lunch at Cafe de Daunan, a restaurant in the middle of the gardens. Its pleasant location up a hill offers a refreshing view of the plants and trees.

I ordered a plate of Rijsttafel, which is a little of everything: rice served with various dishes of fried chicken (ayam goreng), marinated beef, sautéed bean cake, spicy egg and shrimp, traditional vegetable dishes, and spicy potato and peanuts. For drinks, I had Es Kelapa Muda, which is coconut juice with vanilla syrup!

I walked towards the Orchid House where some really nice blooms were on display. But the bulk of their collection of Indonesian species is actually in the green houses behind the main display.


Lucky for me, a Rafflesia patma was in full bloom today in another section of the garden. The flower only lasts a few days and is rarely seen. It was such a big thing that they were installing signs that day pointing visitors to the rafflesia flower.

While you're there, also make sure to check out the Presidential Palace which can be seen from the lake of the gardens. It's where you take those "I've been to Bogor" photos.


I didn't stay too long and took the train back to Jakarta before dark. Unfortunately, I was met by Jakarta's notorious traffic. And I learned that taxi meters in Jakarta are very sensitive to traffic if you know what I mean!

Indonesia: Around Jakarta's old Kota District and Sunda Kelapa Port

I'm back in Jakarta, Indonesia. And one of the first places I visited was Jakarta Old Town (Kota Tua Jakarta), also known as Old Batavia (Oud Batavia), the seat of government of Indonesia under Dutch colonial rule. It's a heritage district which is very much intact, having been saved from any WWII bombings which devastated Philippine cities like Manila. Sadly, most of the buildings are unused and in a state of decay. But a visit to the old Kota District makes an interesting walking tour.

I asked the taxi to drop me off close to Taman Fatahillah (Fatahillah Square) where the former Stadhuis (city hall) of Batavia still stands. This structure built in 1710 houses the Jakarta History Museum (Museum Sejarah Jakarta), which is also called the Fatahillah Museum or Batavia Museum.

Among the items you'll find in the museum are objects from the Dutch East Indies Company, historic maps, paintings, ceramics, furnitures and archeological objects from the prehistoric era. Entrance to the museum is Rp2000.

Also around Fatahillah Square are two other museums namely the Wayang Museum and the Fine Arts and Ceramics Museum.



The Wayang Museum is a showcase of Javanese wayang puppetry. The current building is located in a site previously occupied by the Old Dutch Church built in 1640. The church was destroyed by an earthquake in 1808. The garden of the Wayang Museum is the former yard of the Dutch church, the burial place of Governor General Jan Pieterszoon Coen and other governors general.

The current building dates back to 1912, initially functioning as a warehouse of the Geo Wehry and Co. The building got its current look in 1938 when it was adjusted to Dutch colonial architecture.

Inside the museum are various kinds of wayang, such as wayang kulit and wayang golek. Entrance to the museum is Rp2000.


The Fine Arts and Ceramic Museum (Museum Seni Rupa dan Keramik) is a showcase of paintings of local artists and ceramics of Indonesia. The building where it is currently housed was completed in 1870, and was used as the Court of Justice. Entrance to the museum is Rp2000.


I took an ojek (motorcycle for hire) to Sunda Kelapa, the old port of Jakarta which has been in continuous use since the 12th century. It was the main port of Sunda Kingdom of Pajajaran. The old Sunda Kelapa port only accommodates pinisi or Makassarese schooners, a traditional two masted wooden ship. There are guides in the tourist information office who can take you up the boats. But you'll have to haggle for the guide fee.


Nearby is the old Uitkijk Lookout Tower which offers a great view of the Sunda Kelapa Port.


I took an ojek back to Kota (Rp10000) and was dropped off at the Jakarta Kota Train Station, another heritage landmark. The station, completed in 1870 and renovated in 1926, is a combination of Western Art Deco and local architecture styles.

Outside you'll notice some of the traditional modes of public transport in Jakarta, the bajaj (pronounced as bajay, their local tricycle) and the mikrolet (the local version of the multicab).



Walking around, you can see a lot of the buildings still standing. In 1972, then Jakarta governor Ali Sadikin issued a decree that officially designated the Jakarta Kota area a heritage site, as part of efforts to preserve the city's architectural heritage. Slowly, the different buildings are being restored. But the slow progress has left many of the buildings in a state of decay.

At least Indonesia is lucky it still has something to restore. For Manila, not much is left. Which is why we fight hard to preserve the little that is left. It's close to impossible to bring back what is no longer there.

Cebu: Sizzling beef and pork pochero at Abuhan Dos

After hearing so much about this sizzling pochero from Cebu City, I finally got to try it out at Abuhan Dos. Pochero is actually the Cebuano term for bulalo. So what they actually serve is sizzling bulalo. You can order the pochero the regular way with soup. Beef Pochero comes in large (Php373) and medium (Php304) bowls. While a bowl of Pork Pochero is Php186.


The Sizzling Beef Pochero comes in large (Php384) and medium (Php315) servings. While the Sizzling Pork Pochero costs Php192. We got ourselves a sizzling plate each of beef and pork pochero which comes with a generous serving of mushroom sauce in a bowl. The pork pochero is better for me. It's actually recommended by the locals.

Also among the specialties of Abuhan Dos are Balbacua (Php165), a traditional Cebuano oxtail broth, Kare-kare (Php196), Callos (Php226), Lengua Estofada (Php226), Bicol Express (Php111) and Caldereta (Php226).

Abuhan Dos
176 F. Ramos Street, Cebu City

Bulacan: What can be called traditional Bulacan food?

Last week, I got invited to deliver a lecture at a Bulacan heritage food forum and cooking competition in Paombong, Bulacan. I was quite interested as to what can be considered traditional dishes of Bulacan. I was surprised to find out that there are some similarities between Pampanga and Bulacan when is comes to traditional food, particularly bringhi and the various frog dishes.



There was Batute, Adobong Palaka and Aligasin at Damuko sa Tuba. Bringhe ng Tagumpay is like the Pampanga bringhe although this one is wrapped in banana leaf cones that make servings good for one. Also on the table was Lumpia ng Kalayaan, Hamon Bulakenya and Asado de Carajay, On the seafood list was Nilasing na Hipon, Alimango sa Misua, and Alimango ng Hagonoy which are from the coastal towns of Bulacan.

What other traditional Bulacan dishes do you know of?

Pahiyas, Agawan and Mayohan, Quezon festivals for San Isidro Labrador

Quezon is known for the various festivals held in celebration of the feast of San Isidro Labrador. These are the Pahiyas Festival in Lucban, Agawan Festival in Sariaya and Mayohan Festival in Tayabas. We got to visit these three Quezon towns plus San Pablo, Laguna.



We visited the town of Sariaya first and marveled at their grand Art Deco mansions. Three of them were declared Heritage Houses by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, namely the Natalio Enriquez House, Rodriguez House and Gala-Rodriguez House.



The Sariaya Church and the different houses were all colorfully decorated with local produce and goodies for the agawan which would happen later in the day.



From Sariaya, we visited the Tayabas Basilica, a National Cultural Treasure. At about 3 p.m., a procession of the image of San Isidro Labrador makes its way around town. As the image passes by every house, suman or glutinous rice cakes, are hurled out the balconies and windows in the hundreds, causing a mad rush among the procession participants. The more you get, the more blessings for the family and the more suman to eat!


The Pahiyas Festival in Lucban is the most popular and no doubt, the most colorful of the three festivals. The procession of the image of San Isidro Labrador usually makes its way around town first thing in the morning at about 7:30 a.m.



Every year, the procession route changes. And only houses along the procession route are decorated. Usually, it takes about seven years before the procession passes by a house again. So that gives a household enough time to save resources and prepare for the colorful and ostentatious decorations that are an inherent part of the Pahiyas.

The afternoon is reserved for a lively parade that makes its way around town. But unfortunately, this parade has been invaded by not so subtle commercial advertising. Anyway, I'll talk about the delicious Southern Tagalog food we ate in another post.