Mar 15

Today was the Safari zoo. It exceeded my expectations. It is, bar none, the most amazing zoo I've ever been to. I was able to get up close and personal with animals like never before - and have the pictures to prove it. I took several pictures and then discovered I am at my quota for uploading photos to Flickr. So, I've only loaded the most relevant pictures that help illustrate today's events.

It has rained every day since I've arrived in Indonesia and today was no exception. Typically, the sky is partly cloudy in the morning, clouds roll in around midday, it rains in the afternoon and clears by evening. Today, the rain started early.

Traffic in Jakarta is usually clear on Saturdays. The rain, however flooded the streets - including the highways - and traffic was horrible. Driving to the Safari zoo should normally require 1 hour. It took us 2.5 hours. Part of the extra time was the result of us missing the exit we needed because the rain was coming down so hard we had next to no visibility and missed the sign. The rain continued until we arrived in the city in the mountains that has the Safari Zoo.

We stopped for lunch at a restaurant that overlooked the mountain valley. Breathtaking views of the mountain vistas and the lush jungle vegetation. We had another restaurant snafu. I ordered the spaghetti. The waiter took our orders and when he finally came back, he only had one order. He delivered and said "sorry, we're out of spaghetti". Didn't ask if I wanted something else, hadn't come back before hand to tell us there was no spaghetti. I guess he assumed that I wouldn't want to eat anything if there wasn't spaghetti. I eventually ordered a cheeseburger - which, when delivered, was really a piece of bologna on a bun with lettuce.

Though it had stopped raining when we arrived, we watched as a big storm climbed the mountain across from us and came rushing down the valley. When it rains here, it rains unlike anywhere else I've seen. It literally removes visibility. One minute, we're staring at a mountain with large houses, the next we're staring at a large mass of gray with no idea there is a mountain on the other side. The rain comes down so hard and in such large drops, it forms an impenetrable sheet of water and hides everything more than 500 yards away. (I have pictures, but chose not to load those).

After lunch, we drove the remaining 8km to the Safari zoo. As you come up the final road to the zoo, every 20 feet there are road side stands that sell carrots

I thought nothing of it because there were similar shops that sold other fruit - pineapple, yams, oranges, bananas, etc. These, for some reason, focused on carrots.

When we arrived at the zoo, paid, and began our drive, it wasn't long before I discovered why they sold carrots. We drive through the first gate and are immediately confronted with wild animals. Elephants are lazily grazing just off the road to our left. A pack of zebras are huddled in the middle of the road directly in front of us. It had stopped raining, but there were still drops of rain on the windows. I wanted to get a clear, unobstructed picture of the animals so I rolled down my window. That proved to be a mistake. No sooner had I put the window down then I had two zebras with their heads inside my side of the car.



I finally got them out of the car and put the window back up. That was the closest I had ever been to a zebra. Closed windows didn't deter them, however. They, and then some of their friends, continued to sniff the windows, nibble at some of the plastic, and bite at the glass. Then, without warning, they left our car and ran behind us. The car behind us was feeding them carrots through windows they had opened just far enough to slide carrots through.

Now free from a herd of zebra, we continue up the road. Around the next turn, a pack of llama prance their way to the car, also seeking carrots. One stood directly in front of our car, forcing us to slow to a stop directly in front of it.

The zoo, like most zoos, is divided into several sections or exhibits. Each section is separated by large gates, but the gates are open so cars can drive through them. Large sections of cattle guard rails prevent the animals from crossing between exhibits.

Unlike other zoos where those exhibits contain the same animal, this zoo has several in the same area. Zebras with llama, elephants and water buffalo. Giraffe with hippos and monkeys. Deer with rhinos and ostriches. The only animals they separated into their own exhibits were the predators - lions, tigers and bears. The experience with the zebras and llamas continued with all sections of the park, except the predators.

When we arrived at the section for the lions, the gates are closed and doubled up, like a water lock. You drive up to the first gate and a warning sign reminds you that lions are, indeed, dangerous. The gate opens, you drive into the lock, the gate closes behind you, the next gate opens, and you're now in with lions roaming freely.

The lions are not behind a fence, they are not behind bars. They are crossing the street in front of you. The same is true with the tigers. The warning sign for the tigers shows them leaping on the front of your car and advises you not to stop the vehicle. This is a zoo you would never see in the US. No one would insure it because we would allow the idiots who would exit the car, get maimed or die, to sue the zoo for negligence. Indonesia's approach is much better - social Darwinism.

The bears, however, were behind a barb wire fence. I'm guessing the bears had a history of smelling the carrots in the cars, coming up to the cars, and shaking them. The lions and tigers more or less ignored us - the bears had no choice.

At the end of the drive, the zoo had a special area for children to play. It included rides (carousels, trams), games, and a baby animals zoo. The restrooms (which, by the way, you have to pay to use) were in the baby zoo. I'm glad we went there because I had some awesome animal experiences. They had more then baby animals at the "baby zoo". They had a baby orangutan, a baby lion, a full grown white tiger, and a 9 year old jaguar (leopard)- all of which you could take your picture with for 10,000 Rupiah (about $1.50). I took pictures with all four.



If you ever get the opportunity to visit Jakarta, this is one experience you do not want to miss.