I was at the hotel lobby where I requested to be picked up from for the Nature Trip in the Countryside of Indonesia Tour. My friend fell sick the night before, so I went alone for the tour. The tour was sponsored by BeMyGuest, the world’s largest online provider for Asian activities. The tour destinations were Puncak, Taman Safari Indonesia, and Bogor Botanical Garden.
It was around 9 in the morning and I looked at my mobile phone, no calls nor messages coming in. I was looking around for the guide who supposed to pick me up.
“Could be traffic jam”, I thought. It is a common issue in Jakarta.
Then, I sat on the sofa at the lobby and opposite of me was a guy in batik shirt sitting and he was on his phone. His face frowned and he seemed troubled about something. It was 9.10 am and I decided to give the contact person a call. There’s a connecting sound but no answer. I supposed he’s driving so couldn’t pick up my call. But not long after, there’s a call coming in. That’s the number I called earlier. It was the guide.
“Hello”, I answered.
“Hello, Ms. Tracy?”
Erh, then I realized that the source of the voice was from the frowned face guy sitting opposite of me! We both looked at each other for a few seconds and then burst into laughs!
He was panic earlier and made a phone call back to his office because he checked with the hotel receptionist and couldn’t find my name in the hotel guest list. He thought he had gotten the wrong hotel. Then I explained to him that I was staying nearby the hotel and requested to be picked up at that hotel so that it is easier for them to find me. Somehow…I think my thoughtfulness had almost caused trouble.
Fortunately, I was not left behind. The driver with his vehicle waited for us in front of the hotel. It’s a coincidence to be I was the only person going for the tour. Well, it’s kinda become a private trip – Me, the guide and the driver. 🙂
Puncak – The Fresh Air, Mountain and Cooler Climate
Puncak (direct translate: summit/peak in English) is the popular name for the area surrounding the peak of Mt.Gede-Pangrango, located in the Bogor-Cianjur-Sukabumi regencies, in the province of West Java, Indonesia (Reference: Wikipedia).
It takes about 2 hours car ride from Jakarta and although the traffic here can be bad, however, some Jakartans love to spend the weekend in Puncak. One of the reasons is because of the fresher air as there is more greenery in Puncak compared to Jakarta city. Another reason is because of its mountain area, the weather is colder.
We had an early lunch at around 11.30 am at Saung Padi Restaurant and the food was simply good and more than enough. When I was there, the restaurant was not as busy as it’s during the weekday. But on weekends, I was told that this place is usually crowded.
We moved from the restaurant at around 12.15 pm and continued our journey to Puncak. Along the way, Mr Hanafi shared many stories about the places, the food, the people and the weather. Mr Hanafi has plenty of knowledge about the place and later on, I found out that he also has many years of experience in guiding. In one sentence, he is rich with stories to share. 😀
Puncak – The Scenery and The Tea Plantation
They drove me up to a few viewing points to see the scenery from Puncak over the tea plantation. The highest point where we stopped by before we made a turning back was at a restaurant called Rindu Alam. From there we have a better view of the tea plantation around Puncak area.
Although the weather on that day was a little bit foggy and cloudy, we still could see people parachuting above us, one by one. I wonder wouldn’t it be cold up there? To see such greenery always make me feel good. However, we only stayed a while for taking photos as we still have other places to go after this. That was the first stop of the Nature Trip in the Countryside of Indonesia Tour which was operated by one of the service providers listed on BeMyGuest.
If you love sightseeing with this kind of view or if you love photography, this place may be a good option. Or having a cup of tea or coffee while enjoying the scenery in Puncak, that ain’t a bad idea, too.
Disclaimer: Although it’s a sponsored trip by BeMyGuest, all are genuinely based on my personal opinions.
