Travel Bug Bites:: 07 Jul 2008

It's another early start today and we decided to have breakfast before we started on our journey to the Mini Indonesia park. Dad didn't really know what to eat and so I suggested we try the famous Gado Gado he was talking about the night before. So off we went, hoping that they were already open, and good thing they were. Mom and dad decided to have the famous Gado Gado, while I decided to take the Mee Soto and a Tahu Telor.

Gado Gado

Soto Ayam

Tahu Telor

After getting our bellies full, we hailed a cab and tried getting to the Textile Museum but the driver didn't know where that was, so Mr Driver decided that Mini Indonesia park was the destination for today. Halfway through the ride, it felt like it was a big mistake choosing to head there when the traffic jam didn't seem to move. After about an hour, we finally got to the entrance of the park but the driver decided to give us a little tour of the place before dad decided to stop him right in the middle, with no proper information nearby. We get out of the cab and are greeted by the pseudo-Disney castle, which was the main attraction in the compounds of the kids' playground. It would cost us 4k rupiah each to get in and we decided that a nice pic of the place was enough as none of us would fit in anything there anyway.

Taman Mini Indonesia Indah

Disneyland??

The great thing about this park is that you can learn about the different architecture, practices and cultures within the different islands of Indonesia. There are even vast differences within the different sections of an island. Walking around the grounds, you'll see the big pond in the middle is actually a model of all the Indonesian islands, including some of the more famous volcanoes and mountains. It would have been great viewing it from the cable cars, but the line for everything was soooooo long, we almost gave up on the monorail ride, but decided that it was the 2nd best way to have a look at the whole park in a short time.

Mini Indonesia

Kampung Life

Fed Up Of The Long Queues

Mini Motorcross

Bali

After quite a few hours of travelling around the park, we reach the entrance to the park where there were a few stalls selling food and drinks. Since all of us were really tired and hungry, we sat down to have a rather early dinner and cool off with a big cool coconut. I decided to get the Nasi Goreng, while mom & dad decided on having plain rice with 2 different soups, Sup Buntut and the other one which I forgot. They both looked the same, and tasted almost similar, and I think the only difference is that one had veggies in them while the other didn't.

After the meal, it was off to the train ride I've been trying to get to the whole day since I saw the tracks. Good thing for us, it was the last ride of the day and it waited for any last minute ticket buyers, which were some family right behind our heels. It was different from the monorail ride, and went much further out to the parameters of the park, rather than around the middle. As it seems, there was a lot more ground that we haven't covered, and it's best to drive into the place, considering the aching feet after covering only about 1/3 of the park.

Last Ride Of The Day

Just as we leave, we are greeted by quite a few well-dressed people arriving for a rather grand wedding at the function room at the entrance of the park. Right before it was this structure, the meaning or symbolism of which I still do not know (and don't really care), but looked quite nice against the evening sky.

The next day, it was mom and me off to do some shopping on our own. We were walking around when we needed a break and found something I really miss, A&W. It's funny how something so simple as a Root Beer Float in a glass can just make your day, just because. Add some curly fries to that and you're set for the week!

Mmmmm....Miss This

Later that night, before we headed to the airport to catch our flight, dad brought us to the food court just opposite the apartment for dinner. Funny enough, mom and I were hoping for dinners from such places the whole week, but it was only until the last day that dad brought us to where we actually wanted to go. Anyway, dessert after dinner as a not-so-massive version of Ice Kachang. The flavours were much different and rather creative, yet odd, combinations. Mom decided on the chocolate and red bean one, which tasted like shaved iced milo with red beans at the base. I opted for avocado, but didn't want milk, which resulted in a rather plain looking dessert, but it was just what I pictured, just missing some chocolate sauce.