Cub Scout Campout

We were pretty excited about our first Cub Scout campout.  We were staying inside the Taman Safari park but the campground is hard to reach, so we had to load our bags on a truck and pile in a big bus to drive up near it, then walk another 10 minutes down a small road to reach the grounds.

 

Meals were provided in the big mess hall, which had a gorgeous view.

 

Thankfully, tents were provided and they were raised up off the ground.  We were grateful since we brought very little of our own camping gear.

The campground was scenic and right next to the river, so we got to sleep to the sounds of the water running just past our tent and the rain falling on the canopy over it.

 Unfortunately, about 30 seconds after we picked our tents, I met my first Asian hornet and got a nasty sting on the head.  I've never had such intense pain from an insect sting or had it last for so long.  I was miserable for hours because the pain didn't let up all afternoon.  Because of the traffic and different travel times for everyone, there were no organized activities all afternoon so I rested while Matt and the boys explored.

I ventured back out for dinner and the night safari, which was really interesting.  Afterward, we got to meet a few of the younger cats up close and personally.

 

 

 
 On Sunday morning, we enjoyed the beautiful campgrounds after breakfast.

The boys cut sticks and ran around chasing one another...a perfect way to enjoy the outdoors.

Several of the kids, including Alex, managed to pick up leeches in the wet grass  *shudder*  We met lots of local wildlife on this trip.

The boys had slingshot tournament.

They also got to line up for the flying fox zipline.

Alex couldn't wait to get to the top.

I think he passed about four kids in his rush to the top.

Superman!

My head still hurt the next day but not nearly as much.  I was still hitting the ground every time I saw a flying insect, though.

The boys were awarded the badges they had earned so far this year and we packed up to head home.

It was a fun time and I'd love to do it again one day when I'm fully conscious the entire trip!

Turns out the hornet sting was a gift that just kept on giving.  When we got home Sunday afternoon, I noticed my face was swelling so I popped some more benadryl.  By that evening, I looked something like this!  It was time to see what Jakarta medicine could do to help me.  I've now had two rounds of steroids and I'm hoping and praying the swelling doesn't come back. 

Taman Safari

The Cub Scouts planned the first campout of the year at Taman Safari, a drive-thru safari, zoo and amusement park about 40 miles south of our house.  Sounds like a quick drive, right?  Unfortunately, heading to Bogor is one of the worst directions to drive.  Traffic can be a nightmare and sometimes roads are closed without warning when the police make them one way (!).  We left plenty early but still got caught in a massive jam outside of Bogor.  Our 1.5 hour ideal trip took over 3 hours, but it got pretty entertaining in the heaviest traffic.  All these people started appearing on the highway selling food and drinks.

 

Want a picture with an angry bird?

Or how about some kind of princess?  (I love this picture, too, because you can see that the shoulder is a perfectly acceptable lane as well)

Toys, anyone?

This brave man has his cart in the middle of the freeway.  I guess he's seen it long enough to know that the traffic wasn't going to speed up for hours.

This was an interesting shot as well - I hope these men got half price on their tickets!

Finally, we were headed up the road toward Taman Safari and there were vendors lining the entire stretch selling bananas and carrots to feed the animals.  We filled the car with treats for our furry friends.

Finally at our destination!  The night safari (safari malam) was just one of the exhibits we planned to visit.

Once we got inside the safari, we were immediately enthralled.  The Asian elephants were so much fun to watch.

These wild monkeys had figured out the good deal the other animals were getting and happily caught bananas for free snacks.

Seriously, don't get out of the car...you never know what's right around the corner.

Like a big ole hippo!

This was a hungry, hungry hippo!  Enjoy Alex's sound effects.

 

It was hard to drive away from this awesome mouth...

...but we had so many new friends to meet and feed.

Zoom in to see the gorgeous leopard in the tree.

They even had several owls on display.

I wanted this picture to remember the river crossings.  The safari is built on the slope of the Pangrango volcano and gets significant rainfall, so I have no idea what happens when it rains heavily uphill.  Thank goodness we didn't have to find out that day.

Nom nom...

Alex loved getting the zebras to reach in the car for his carrots.

The drive thru areas with the big cats were incredible.  They were completely gated, of course, but the cats were free to roam around inside.  Seriously, don't get out of the car here!

Pretty incredible to see lions and tigers wandering around us.

This guy was happy to watch all the cars stop and gawk at him.

I've never been so close to rhinos, either.

Slow down!  Hippos have the right of way.

Zoom in to see the beautiful black leopards.

We did choose a safe spot so Ben could get his requisite Asian picture :)

Overall, it was impressive and I'd love to go back and see the exhibits we missed.  What a cool experience!