How often do you find yourself complaining when it’s crowded at a theme-park? Quite often right? Well, I used to complain a lot since a crowded place means more queue and I can’t get any proper shots. But this time, My mom, my cousin, and I were experiencing a science themed park alone, just the three of us!
Pre-historic section
Also check out : Malioboro During The Pandemic : A Day Trip In The Most Famous Street In Yogyakarta
Was it fun? I’ll let you find out through my travelogue.
After exploring Malioboro, we decided to visit a place that is currently open. Thankfully, Taman Pintar, a science theme park for kids just 5 minutes walk from titik 0 kilometer was opened. I have visited this place many times and it also never gets old. There’s always something new that you would want to try. In the previous post, I mentioned that this park is divided into two areas, the indoor and the outdoor.
But before entering into the complex, we were requested to leave our details by the officer. He also checked our temperature and asked us to wash our hands. Then, after that we were let into the outdoor complex.
The outdoor complex of Taman Pintar has some interesting science visual aids that you can touch and try. Other than some visual aids, there are some small drinks and food vendors. Basically, on this complex, the visual aids are free to use except the boat ride. The fun part is located at the indoor complex.
To get into the indoor area there is a small entrance fee. It costs 20.000/person to get into the oval room. For that amount of fee you get to see gigantic freshwater fish, experience AR and VR technology, try out visual aids while also learning about some science theory. There are some simulations as well that you can try. I do recommend trying the earthquake simulation. Not only that is fun, you get to experience what is like being inside a house that’s shaking. But first, I will tell you how to get there!
Ticketing
How To Get There
If you walk from malioboro street, Go further south until you see a post office. Then turn left and walk about 200-300 meters. Taman Pintar is located at the left side of the road. If you are taking a bus ride, you can simply mention your destination to the conductor and the person in charge will tell you where to stop. The shelter is located just in front of Taman Pintar, so it’s easier for you to get there by bus as compared to walking.
Recommended Attraction To Try
Though this place is catered towards children, as an adult you can still learn about many things. If you are a foreigner, you can learn about some Indonesian history in this place. If you are not into history, there are some cool science experiments and visual aids to try. This is also why I love visiting this place, they seem to always add new things into the museum.
So after the ticket checking, the first thing you will see after is a small aquarium with gigantic freshwater fishes. Since the place was dimmed, I got really scared of the fish for unknown reasons. In this mid-sized aquarium, you can see Arapaima gigas and also catfish. After passing through the mini-sized seaworld, you will be greeted by gigantic dinosaur statues. In this area, when you walk through the mini pre-historic park, you can see yourself on the screen.
Then after that, you get to the middle of the oval size building. There are many science visual aids along with its explanation. I really recommend trying the earthquake and geological place just on the corner of this place. As you get to the upstairs, you get into the astronomy area and also the “future”. It’s quite fun to be in this area. There is plenty of information about astronomy, geology, mining, and even nuclear technology.
We explored this place alone and it was quite eerie. It should be fun but it felt different. When there are other people, it could feel a bit more lively and in some cases, noticing what people do or what they are most interested about. I got disinterested because it feels so weird exploring the place alone. I watched too many thriller movies to know that it was a bad scenario being in a massive building with just the three of us. So, I just move around and try to exit the building quickly. My mom and Ray felt the same but they were more enthusiastic than me.
The eeriest place for me is the area where it has batiks, keris, and also temples. And the most interesting place for me is the nuclear section where I could read about nuclear technology and its use case. But for Ray, he seems to be most interested in VR and AR rooms. He played a game until he felt like it wasn’t fun at all. On normal days, this place is crowded and you have queues. But that day, it was just the three of us and we had the access to try many things without queues and even no spectators.
However, you can try this place and I really recommend it. I know that most people visit this city for its culture, nature, and also the famous temples. But this park is worth trying especially if you’re the geeky/nerdy type. Not only that, you get to learn some history and why you see a lot of batik in this city.
Keris & Batik
Food Recommendation
After spending about an hour inside this park, we were quite starving. So, I decided to take Ray and my mom to a place called “Raminten”. This place is uniquely javanese with waitresses and waiters wearing traditional Yogyakarta’s clothing. This place serves Yogyakarta and generic Indonesian meals and drinks served in interesting plates and glasses. If yogyakarta could fit into a small tiny house, this place has it all. You can find almost all representations of the culture from the tolerance, food, customs, traditions, objects and miniatures. So, this place is really a must visit when you come to this city.
This place is located quite hidden from the main avenues and also a 20 minutes ride from Malioboro. I often went with my friends in the past. I also like to bring my host here so that they can try various Indonesian foods as I think that this place is quite decent in terms of taste and is reasonably priced.
Address: Jl. Faridan M Noto No.7, Kotabaru, Kec. Gondokusuman, Kota Yogyakarta, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta 55224
Opens 9:30 AM to 8 PM
The seating in this place is called “ Lesehan” which means sitting with your legs crossed. It’s quite difficult for someone who is not used to it but the wooden chairs here are quite comfortable. So, don’t worry about that.
Another food that is uniquely Yogyakarta is nasi kucing. Well it is literally translated as Cat’s Rice but no, there’s no cat involved here. The name refers to a small portion that this rice has. It is served with vegetables and also various proteins alongside sambal, chili indonesian paste. I recommend trying it and also milk in this place. Why? Because the milk in this place is served in a breast cup which makes it quite an awkward experience for first timers.
Not only nasi kucing, we also ordered ayam bumbung. It’s chicken curry served inside a bamboo pocket. It was delicious, especially served with nasi kucing. Then as for drinks we ordered a very huge coconut water with syrup. For all these meals and the drinks, we only spend 6$. So it’s definitely a great place to eat especially with groups of friends.
Now, stay tuned for a recommendation on where to stay during your visit in Yogyakarta. I’ve got two places that are suitable for budget travelers and also a digital nomad. See you in my next travelogue.
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 | Mac covers technology, philosophy, nootropics, books, productivity, minimalist lifestyle, cybersecurity, and languages. Other than those, she is passionate about cooking and travel. In her free time, she enjoys learning various things. Hive is the only social media and blog that she has. |