Visitors throng Bogor Palace

BOGOR (JP): The 518th anniversary of the Bogor Botanical Gardens was marked on Sunday with a sea of some 10,000 people thronging the historical Bogor Palace located inside the vast compound of the gardens.

The management of the palace, which is only opened to the public on certain days, recorded at least nine Japanese tourists among the heavy crowd of visitors.

Gatut Susanta, chief organizer of the garden's anniversary, said the palace officials only allowed a maximum of 10 groups of 100 people to enter the palace each day during the event.

"Right after touring the palace, visitors will be guided directly to the Botanical Gardens through the palace's rear gate," Gatut said.

During the June 2 to June 12 special event, the organizers will distribute 2,000 saplings of the Enterolobium cyelocarpum tree, locally known as Sengon Buto, freely to interested guests at the rear entrance.

The Bogor Botanical Gardens, home to 12,128 plant species from 1,281 genera or 203 families, is considered the botanical gardens with the largest collection in the world.

The festival, costing some Rp 600 million, will also feature a marching band competition, a show of 14 groups of Barongsai dancers from Jakarta, Sukabumi and Bogor, a singing bird competition and an auction of historical drawings and items, including two portraits of former Bogor mayors during the first years of the Bogor Palace.

Both of the framed pictures were sold on Saturday for Rp 7 million and Rp 5 million.

The auction money, Gatut said, was slated to be used for social activities.

Outside the gardens, the streets were heavily congested by traffic heading to the event.

Many of the visitors jointly rented public minivans, leaving many locals stranded. (21/edt)