Batu Secret Zoo

Address: Jl. Oro-oro Ombo no.9, Batu, East Java 

Phone: +62 341 597777

Website: http://www.jawatimurpark2.com/batu-secret-zoo/

This zoo is part of "Jawa Timur Park 2" complex (or for short: JaTim Park 2). So even though you just want to see the zoo, your ticket can also get you in to the Wildlife Museum (Museum Satwa) that lies just beside it. The Wildlife Museum exhibits a collection of well-preserved animals.

The zoo itself is bigggg. My friends & I spent about 3 hours there.. and that was done without stopping for food, skipping the kiddie rides (of course) and going through the last parts of the zoo in a bit of a rush because we had prior engagements. We went inside the museum for a bit but as soon as we noticed it was quite big as well, our tired feet made us choose the exit door :)

That is why I feel you should allocate at least half a day if you want to explore the zoo and the museum. That said, you can easily make it a whole day experience.

The most fun part for me was taking pictures wih a few of the animals. There was a fee of course, but they said the money will be used for conservation purposes.

Museum Angkut (Transportation museum) in Batu

Address: Jl. Terusan Sultan Agung no. 2, Batu, East Java

Phone: +62 341 595007

Website: http://www.museumangkut.com/

The first floor of the Museum

This museum, located in Batu, holds an impressive collection of transportation related pieces. It claims to be the largest in Asia. But besides that, certain parts of the complex are built as a "movie studio" so there are lots of great photo opportunities! You can pretend that you are in Jakarta or even in Europe. No wonder it can be jam-packed on the weekends.

The ticket price is not cheap by Indonesian standards: IDR 60,000 on the weekdays & IDR 80,000 on the weekends (Dec '15). But, in my opinion, it is well worth it!

The car of Indonesia's 1st President and...

... his helicopter 

Replica of the Majapahit ship

"Jakarta" area

Batu, a city with modern tourist attractions

Batu is a small city in East Java, well-known originally for its apple production. It is recently gaining popularity as a main tourist destination due to several modern attractions such as Museum Angkut (a huge transportation museum) and recreational parks Jatim Park 1, Jatim Park 2 and Batu Night Spectacular (BNS). 
I've even heard from locals that development is underway for Jatim Park 3!

Actually, because of Batu's cool air, it has always been the go-to-place for people in the surrounding cities who need a quick break from their hectic city life. Previously, people would go visit its Apple-picking farms and Selecta park.

How to get there?
Since it has never been a main city, to reach Batu you can either take a train/plane to Malang or Surabaya followed by a 45-minute or 2,5-hour drive respectively.

I will blog about Museum Angkut in my next post...

Alun-Alun Batu (Batu Square)

House of Sampoerna

Address : Taman Sampoerna 6, Surabaya 60163
http://www.houseofsampoerna.com

If you are a museum lover and you happen to be in Surabaya (Indonesia’s second largest city), then be sure to visit “House of Sampoerna”. This museum shows you the story of PT HM Sampoerna Tbk, one of Indonesia’s well-known tobacco companies which shares are now majority owned by PT Phillip Morris Indonesia, a subsidiary of Phillip Morris International, Inc.

Although I am against smoking, I was really impressed with the museum. Not like most museums in Indonesia, this museum is well-maintained, well-designed and informative, with an additional benefit : you are allowed to take pictures!

The museum is located in a compound which used to be a Dutch orphanage before Liem Seeng Tee, the founder of the company, bought it in 1932 to be used as a central location for his tobacco business as well as for his family’s residence.

Besides the central building (i.e. the museum), there are two other buildings in the compound. The building on the left side is until now, still used as the family’s residence, while the building on the right has been transformed into a cafe and art gallery.

Apart from the company’s history, you can also see all things related to the cigarette-making process, and you can even watch the traditional hand-rolling process itself, since the compound is still functioning as a production plant.

Compound in 1938

The Museum - Now

Printing Materials

Tobacco Cloves

The Production Plant at Night - In the day, it is a busy sight

Photos courtesy of Kes...Thanks a lot Kes for your patience uploading them on the web!! :)