Jakarta: My Firsts (August 13-Day 1- First Day!)

August 13-Day 1- First Day!

We woke up at around 0500H. Prepared breakfast and get dressed as my uncle searched for the map to Taman Safari. Below their apartment was a bakery and food stalls so we bought some snacks since my aunt said it’s a long ride. We were lucky my uncle’s car has GPS. So he plugged the coordinates, he searched, to the GPS. We thought we were okay when my uncle realized we’re somewhat lost. So my uncle asked for directions and later learned that we exceeded the right exit but the locals said that we were near another tourist spot which was Taman Mini. We were also supposed to go there but on another day, and since it’s much closer we decided to go anyway.

from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org)

Taman Mini is actually a park which has smaller replicas of the country’s tourists spots whether they’re buildings, stone formations, mountains, etc. It is actually similar to Nayong Pilipino only it is a better version. I love how they maintained the place. I know when I was small my family brought me to Nayong Pilipino, though I barely remember it but according to their stories what it lacked was the maintenance and of course like me, my aunt loves to compare so she told me that if Nayong Pilipino was maintained the same way Taman Mini has been maintained it would have been better.

Ticket prices:

from tmi website (http://www.tamanmini.com/page/tiket?lang=en)

They have miniature houses of different time era & different tribes.

An open hut with that "Eat Pray Love" feel...

They also have different museums which showcase the culture, lifestyle & even religions in Indonesia. Though some require additional entrance fee and some just asks for donations.

We even rode a Train & a Cable Car to see the entire place in birds eye view. It was great and thus, we decided where to go just before the day ends.

It was a very long trip back to my aunt’s condo so we arrived a bit late. My aunt decided to eat out for dinner. We ate dinner at the nearest mall which is Central Park. It is actually connected to their place. So we passed through the tunnel which would lead to the mall. We ate at the food court and my cousin told me to try one of his favorites, A Fung. They serve different kinds of soup, and my cousin usually orders this soup. It has a chicken soup broth with flour balls which taste like chicken (somewhat like fishballs). I love the soup base but the balls are somewhat lacking taste.