The Astonishing Jakarta Zoo

Indonesia is the fourth most densely populated country in the world with 278 million people and something like 13,000 Islands. Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia only has ten million and we think we saw almost all of them on the road from the airport to our hotel. It took three hours to go about 30 miles during rush hour. There is very little infrastructure in Jakarta. No subways, buses, light rail or even trains that we could find. some people bought beat up old mini vans and crowded 25 people in there at about 10 cents a ride to make a little money on the side.

There is much corruption and lots of the government money goes into the pockets of greedy people instead of to the good of the masses. It seems that much of the corruption is among the police who can pull you over at any time and demand money on the spot or you will be required to go through a long expensive court process. What a country!

But for all the hard things for the very poor in Jakarta who do so much with so little, big business seems to be thriving and I have to say 1st, that our favorite place in the world….Bali, is in Indonesia and second, Jakarta must have the most remarkable zoo in the world! Our hosts there were friends with the people who organized a most unusual zoo that I think must rival the Safari Park in San Diego (though I’ve never been there). And the wild zoo near Jonah’s house on the Olympic Peninsula.

We stopped at one of a bazillion stands on the main road to the zoo to buy carrots to feed the animals from our car just before we drove through the most incredible, clean, creative spaces imaginable where healthy animals in an abundance of gorgeous natural settings watched the parade of cars drive through their home with interest, glad for a free hand-out of good food!

Pictures will tell a thousand words. it was simply astounding! there were no fences anywhere and actually we didn’t feed the elephants, lions and tigers but you’ll see whom we did feed:

But not the hippos! One might fall in a mouth that size!

Looked as though this mom has just given birth. Hope they’re just exhausted and not dead!

 

And here is the really fun part. I got to hang out with my buddy for a while. That leg was pretty heavy and the zookeeper instructed me not to put my hand on his head but around his neck. I followed his instructions exactly! Pretty amazing guy!

And this little fellow and I absolutely fell in love. He really wanted to kiss me on the mouth but I opted out! Such a cutie though!

It was a school holiday so the crowd to watch the elephant show was enormous.

How about this crazy traffic going home? Does it look as though there’s about to be a head on collision? This is a “light traffic” hour.

Interesting fruit stands within inches of the cars:

What a ride and a day to remember at possibly the world’s most astonishing zoo!