Purwodadi Botanical Garden, plus the cars in the parking lot

[annoying_salman]

Purwodadi Botanical Garden is one of three research gardens located in Purwodadi district of Pasuruan regency in East Java. The two other botanical gardens are located in West Java and Bali, and these three gardens work under the supervision of Indonesian Institute of Science. I visited this garden accompanied by my girlfriend, as she decided not to extend her contract, and she asked me to help her move her stuff from the boarding house where she lived in.

Before going back, she wanted to experience being a "tourist" in this area, given that she mostly came back from work exhausted and had no interest in going out. She loves walking together with me in the campus where I live (at least that's what I hope), which has many trees, so naturally this park instantly sprung to my mind when she expressed that she wanted to go out before going home. Besides, I enjoyed nature very much and wouldn't refuse an opportunity to go visiting the garden again.

This trip was also an opportunity for me to test drive my Taft after having its power steering mechanism repaired last week. It was weird not having to turn the steering wheel a little bit to the right to drove straight, and also having little to none dead play in the center of the steering wheel. However, the road leading to the AirBnB where I stayed at has several steep inclines, and after I arrived, I smelled a faint burnt odor coming from the under of the car. Is this a sign to replace the clutch? The car still pulls strongly though, but the last time the clutch was replaced was around 2015 – along with repairing several other problems after lending my car to a relative.

This morning was very pleasant, with lower temperature than Surabaya, given the garden is located 300 m above sea level, and blue sky with cumulus clouds peppered here and there. I miss seeing blue sky, given that since last week the weather in Surabaya has been consistently bleak and dreary.

I saved the most interesting picture for the last for you guys, which is the cars in the parking lot. I couldn't believe the number of Toyota cars, mainly Avanza, in the picture. After I snapped the picture, I originally thought that the Avanza model were consisted of both the Toyota and its sibling, the Daihatsu Xenia.

So, without further ado, the cars from left to right are:

• Daihatsu Sigra, first generation
• Toyota Avanza, second generation, first facelift
• Toyota Avanza, second generation, second facelift
• Toyota Avanza, first generation
• My Taft
• Nissan Grand Livina, first generation
• Toyota Avanza, first generation, first facelift
• Toyota Avanza, first generation, first facelift
• Toyota Kijang Innova, first generation, second facelift
• Toyota Avanza, second generation, first facelift
• Toyota Rush or Daihatsu Terios (didn't capture the car's badge), second generation

I mean, at least half of the cars in the picture are Toyota Avanza!

If you have to choose one car from the picture, which one do you pick?

[flatisflat]

That botanical garden looks gorgeous!
And I'd take the Taft, obviously.

[Vondon302]

@annoying_salman Nice pics!
Just like the States SUVs everywhere.

[Taylor Martin]

Looks like a stunning day. The architecture of that building is really sweet too!

Your Taft is definitely the best looking car in the lot though.

[annoying_salman]

@flatisflat said in Purwodadi Botanical Garden, plus the cars in the parking lot:

That botanical garden looks gorgeous!

It was indeed gorgeous, and the pleasant weather just makes it even better. My friend complained about the lack of information at the plaque of each tree when we visited this garden a couple of weeks ago though.

And I'd take the Taft, obviously.

Nooo, choose another car than the Taft

[annoying_salman]

@vondon302 said in Purwodadi Botanical Garden, plus the cars in the parking lot:

@annoying_salman Nice pics!
Just like the States SUVs everywhere.

Thanks! Does the Toyota Avanza considered as SUV? I'm leaning towards family car or MPV category.

[annoying_salman]

@taylor-martin said in Purwodadi Botanical Garden, plus the cars in the parking lot:

Looks like a stunning day. The architecture of that building is really sweet too!

It was a beautiful day, and I enjoyed every minutes during the visit. That tower is an observatory tower, though it was closed. Shame really, I wanted to climb to the top level to see the garden.

Your Taft is definitely the best looking car in the lot though.

Thanks!

[Vondon302]

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[Vondon302]

This post is deleted!

[Vondon302]

@annoying_salman said in Purwodadi Botanical Garden, plus the cars in the parking lot:

Thanks! Does the Toyota Avanza considered as SUV? I'm leaning towards family car or MPV category.
I think your correct mpv. The lack of sedans seems to be a world wide plague.

[annoying_salman]

@vondon302 said in Purwodadi Botanical Garden, plus the cars in the parking lot:

I think your correct mpv. The lack of sedans seems to be a world wide plague.

There are a couple of lucky bastards in the town that I envied. One of them owned a Mercedes W212 wagon in white, while the other owned a Mazda 6 wagon in the soul red color. I can't help but gawked every time I see those cars.

[flatisflat]

@annoying_salman said in Purwodadi Botanical Garden, plus the cars in the parking lot:

That tower is an observatory tower, though it was closed. Shame really, I wanted to climb to the top level to see the garden.

Interesting; I thought it might've been like a vertical greenhouse or something like that.

[ranwhenparked]

@annoying_salman so beautiful, very jealous. Everything's all dead and brown here at the moment, and very cold.

[WhoIsTheLeader]

I'd take your Taft as that's the coolest car there.

That is a beautiful park. Botanical gardens are always interesting to walk through. I presume that is almost exclusively native flora and fauna in the pictures. I don't know much about trees but those pictured seem rather unusual. They're very skinny with a smooth looking bark and there's almost no undergrowth at all. The branches start very high up.

What's this? I'm intrigued. Is it some sort of greenhouse structure?

[annoying_salman]

@flatisflat said in Purwodadi Botanical Garden, plus the cars in the parking lot:

Interesting; I thought it might've been like a vertical greenhouse or something like that.

The building shares the same design architecture with a greenhouse that attached to the tower, that's why it looks like that I think. It looks out of place in the park, given the design of the building looks like a hi-tech science facility in a movie or something like that.

[annoying_salman]

@ranwhenparked said in Purwodadi Botanical Garden, plus the cars in the parking lot:

@annoying_salman so beautiful, very jealous. Everything's all dead and brown here at the moment, and very cold.

I'd figure the weather in Surabaya will be gray and dreary when I go back home later today. The clear weather is a nice surprise given the day before it was rainy since noon until dusk.

[annoying_salman]

@whoistheleader said in Purwodadi Botanical Garden, plus the cars in the parking lot:

I'd take your Taft as that's the coolest car there.

Thanks but what I originally meant was which car would you choose in the parking lot except my Taft

That is a beautiful park. Botanical gardens are always interesting to walk through. I presume that is almost exclusively native flora and fauna in the pictures. I don't know much about trees but those pictured seem rather unusual. They're very skinny with a smooth looking bark and there's almost no undergrowth at all. The branches start very high up.

It was indeed beautiful. I think they only host flora only though, because there was no area in the garden that showcases animals. I also have no idea about those trees, even with reading the plaque that attached to almost each of them.

I'm just there to soak up the fresh air and listening to insects sounds, which in several places was very loud.

What's this? I'm intrigued. Is it some sort of greenhouse structure?

The tower is an observatory tower, and attached to a greenhouse that shares the same design architecture. It was a shame that both of the building were closed during our visit. The tower and the greenhouse look out of place in the garden, given that they stand in an empty field, and having architecture design like a hi-tech science facility from a movie.

[pip bip]

@annoying_salman toyota is popular there too.

[annoying_salman]

@pip-bip said in Purwodadi Botanical Garden, plus the cars in the parking lot:

@annoying_salman toyota is popular there too.

Yup, they are very popular here.