A day at the zoo and it was..

Buat saya, dari semua tempat wisata, kebun binatang adalah tempat yang paling tidak menarik buat dikunjungi.

For me, of all tourist attraction places, the zoo is the most unattractive place to visit.

Tapi bulan Maret lalu saya berkesempatan untuk main ke kebun binatang Ragunan di Jakarta.

However, last March I've got the opportunity to go to Ragunan zoo in Jakarta.

Bukan karena saya kepengen ke sana.

Not because I wanted to go there.

Tapi karena.. bisa jalan-jalan dan pergi bareng-bareng sama serombongan krucil, emak-emak mereka serta the gengs.

It was for the traveling reason and to be able to go with a bunch of little ones, their moms along with the gangs.

Jadi gimana dong rasanya pergi jalan-jalan ke kebun binatang?

So how was it feel to go to the zoo?

*  *  *  *  *

Hepi hepi hepi

Happy happy happy

Baru saya mendarat di halaman kecamatan, pasukan langsung heboh.

I was just landed on the district yard and the troops gave me one hell of an exciting greetings.

Ibu Keke!

Miss Keke!

Ga anak, ga emak.. sama hebohnya.

Both the kids were just as merry as the moms.

Haha.

*  *  *  *  *

Ngantuk ngantuk ngantuk

Sleepy sleepy sleepy

Tidak lama setelah bis masuk tol, saya pun diserang oleh rasa... ngantuuuukk..

Shortly after the bus got into toll road I became soooo sleepy..

Iya, bangun kepagian dan pemandangan di sepanjang jalan tol kan monoton. Ditambah lagi tidak bisa ngapa-ngapain bis dan dininabobokan sama lagu-lagu dari MP3 player.. sudah deh itu mata maunya nutup aja.. haha..

Well, I got up early this morning and toll road offers dull view. Add that with unable to do much in the bus along with being lullabied by songs from the MP3 player.. oh man, I couldn't open my eyes.. haha..

Tapi mau tidur juga tidak bisa jadi ya sepanjang jalan duduk saja sambil terkantuk-kantuk.

I couldn't sleep though so I spent the whole trip sitting in the bus feeling sleepy.

*  *  *  *  *

Berhenti dulu yuukk

Let's make a stop

Lagi duduk terkantuk-kantuk tiba-tiba.. lho kok bisnya belok? Mau kemana? Belum lama masuk tol.

I was sitting and feeling sleepy at the same time when all of sudden.. why is the bus make a turn? Where is it going? We just got to the toll road a moment ago.

Rest area

"Siapa yang mau pipis?.. ayo, pada pipis dulu"

"Who wants to pee?.. let's go pee"

Dan sebagian besar pasukan dalam bis pun berhamburan turun.

And most of the troops in the bus got off.

Haha.. kalau lagi jalan-jalan gini toilet memang termasuk dalam daftar tempat yang harus dikunjungi.

Haha.. toilet is put in a list of a must visited place during traveling.

Termasuk oleh saya.. hehe.. tadinya sih malas bergabung dengan pasukan karena kan dari rumah kan sudah pipis tapi pikir-pikir siapa tahu ngantuk bisa hilang kalau kena air dan udara segar.

Including me.. lol.. at first I didn't feel like joining the troops since I have peed at home but then I thought maybe water and fresh air could get rid the sleepiness.

Kenyataannya sih ngantuk balik lagi begitu balik lagi ke bis.

In reality I felt sleepy again once I got back to the bus.

*  *  *  *  *

Horeee! Akhirnya sampai juga!

Yoohoo! Arrive at last!

Setelah melalui perjalanan yang rasanya lama banget diringi dengan rasa ngantuk, bosan dan kedinginan.. akhirnya sampai juga..

After being on a long drive accompanied with sleepiness, boredom and feeling freezing.. we got there at last..

Turun, baris, ngantri lewat pos masuk, kata-kata pengantar, foto-foto..

Got off, lined up, quequed through the entrace, welcoming speech, taking photos..

Selama itu yang ada dalam pikiran saya "Mana binatangnye?"

All through that the thing I had on mind is "Where are the animals?"

*  *  *  *  *

Jalan nyooookk!

Let's walk!

Belum nyadar tuh kalau bakalan jalan kaki keliling Ragunan.

Not yet realized I'd take a walk around Ragunan.

Emang ga ada bis buat antar pengunjung putar-putar keliling lokasi?

Are there any bus to take visitors around the compound?

Ada tapi nunggunya lama. Trus bisnya sedikit. Yang ngantre sejuta umat.

Yes there is but it's a long wait. There aren't many bus. The line was long.

Kalau tahu harus jalan kaki begini dari rumah pakai sepatu kets deh.

If I knew I had to take a long walk I'd wear my sneakers.

*  *  *  *  *

Ketemu hewan-hewan

Meet the animals

Dari semua hewan yang saya lihat, yang paling wow banget adalah pelikan.

Of all the animals I've seen there, the most wow is pelican.

Karena baru kali itu saya ketemu sama yang asli, bukan fotonya, bukan yang di tv, bukan boneka.

Because it was the first time I met real pelican, not the one in picture, nor in tv, not a doll either.

*  *  *  *  *

Pengelana yang kehausan

A thirsty wanderer

Hari itu mau dibilang panas.. ya ga panas tapi mau dibilang sejuk.. mmm.., buat ukuran orang Bogor yang terbiasa dengan sejuknya daerah pegunungan.. Jakarta itu panas.

Can't say it was a hot day.. but it wasn't cool.. mmm.., for somebody who is used with the coolness from the mountains in Bogor.. Jakarta is hot.

Apalagi ini jalan kaki begitu jauh.

Especially after had a long walk.

Duh, serasa jadi pengelana di tengah gurun pasir.

Gosh, felt like a wanderer in the dessert.

Karena itu ketika mata saya melihat sesuatu di kejauhan..

That's why when I saw something in the distance..

"Bang! Abang! Es krim! Tunggu!"

"Dude! Hey man! Ice cream! Wait up!"

Rasanya sih jauh dari enak banget tapi yang penting ada sesuatu yang dingin dan manis yang bukan air putih.

It tasted far from super tasty but it was cold and sweet and it was not water. That's what mattered.

*  *  *  *  *

Nyuri-nyuri wefie

Stealing wefie

"Ke, kapan kita mau wefiean?"

"Ke, when are going to do wefie?"

Dan tiap kali itu pula jawaban saya "ya, hayo wefie!" sambil celingak celinguk..

And my answer would always be "ok, let's have wefie!" as I looked around..

Disusul dengan pertanyaan saya..

Followed by me asking..

"Yohana mana?" atau "Bu Eti mana?"

"Where is Yohana?" or "Where is Mrs Eti?"

Soalnya kalau Bu Etinya ada, Yohana entah ada di mana dan gitu juga sebaliknya, sekalinya Yohana ada, bu Eti menghilang.

Minus Yohana

The thing is when Mrs Eti was there, Yohana was not in sight and when Yohana was full present, Mrs Eti was no where to be found.

"Susah amat sih mau wefie" gerutu bu Eti.

"Why is it so hard to do wefie" grumbled Mrs Eti.

"Ih, repot banget sih kita mau wefie" Yohana ngomel.

"Geez, why is it difficult to get us to have wefie" Yohana grunt.

Tinggal saya yang garuk-garuk kepala dan nyengir. Ini kok ya wefie kayak mau maling ke rumah orang aja sih. 

It left me scratching my head and grinned. This wefie felt like seeking an opportunity to break into somebody's house.

Soalnya emak ngelarang kita wefie, begitu kata mereka tentang sabda kepsek.

Madam forbid us to do wefie, they told me about headmaster's command.

Lha, apa salahnya wefie asal tidak mengabaikan tugas sebagai guru yang harus menjaga dan mengawal murid-murid.

Man, what's so wrong about making wefie as long as nobody neglecting the duty as teachers who have to accompany and look after the students.

*  *  *  *  *

Makan siang

Lunch

Sayang sekali Ragunan tidak menyediakan tempat khusus untuk pengunjung bisa makan atau berpiknik.

Unfortunately Ragunan zoo does not have any place for visitors to have lunch or have picnic.

Jadi kami pun menggelar tikar dan piknik di depan kandang gorila. Di depan kami ada jalan setapak di mana pengunjung lain berlalu lalang selagi kami makan. 

So we put our mat and had picnic infront of gorilla cage. There is a footpath infront of us where other visitors passed as we had lunch.

Jadi kayak berasa lagi piknik di emperan jalan.

Felt like having picnic on the sidewalk.

Mungkin ini bukan masalah buat beberapa orang tapi buat saya rasanya rada tidak nyaman.

It probably is not a problem for some people but for me it feels uncomfortable.

*  *  *  *  *

Ya ampun, yang lain pada kemana?

Oh man, where are the others go?

Berhubung kecepatan jalan saya dan seorang ibu lagi tidak bisa menyamai anak-anak dan emak-emaknya maka tertinggal jauhlah kami.

Since our pace, me and another lady, couldn't match with the kids and their moms, the two of us were soon left so far behind.

Saking jauhnya.. kami kehilangan jejak mereka.

We were so far behind.. we lost their track.

"Kemana ya mereka?" ibu-ibu yang bersama saya celingak celinguk sambil cengar-cengir.

"Where are they?" the lady who was with me grinned as she looked around.

Saya ogah nyusul. Panas. Capek. Lagian siapa yang tahu posisi mereka ada di mana. Pusing mau cari-carian. Area segitu luas. Bikin gempor aja kalau mau muter-muter nyari.

I didn't feel like going after them. It was hot. I was exhausted. Beside, who could tell where they were at that time. It just gave a dizzy to try find their location. The area is so wide. It would kill us if we tried to find them.

"Kita tunggu mereka di sini aja deh" kata saya ketika kami sampai di tepi danau. Di situ sejuk. Kami bisa duduk istirahat dan ngadem.

"We would better wait here" I decided when we got at the lake. It was cool in there. We could sit, rested and chilled.

Dan... jreng jreng.. beberapa menit kemudian muncul deh mereka.

And... voila.. few minutes later they came.

*  *  *  *  *

Hewan apa saja yang sudah dilihat?

What animals have you seen?

Jujur aja, saya lebih suka ke museum dari pada ke kebun binatang.

To be honest, I prefer museum than zoo.

Tapi buat anak-anak TK dan SD, kebun binatang memang menarik.

However, kindergarten and elementary kids think zoo is a fascinating place.

Buat saya, hewan-hewan di kebun binatang standar saja. Tidak ada yang terlalu luar biasa menarik atau unik (kecuali pelikan).

For me, the zoo has ordinary animals. Nothing is outrageous or unique (except the pelican).

Tapi itulah yang membedakan antara orang dewasa dengan anak-anak. Apa yang buat kita biasa-biasa saja, buat anak-anak adalah keajaiban dunia.

reptile section

But that's what makes adults different with children. What we consider as ordinary things, children see it as the world's wonder.

*  *  *  *  *

Bendera putih

White flag

Semua masih pengen muter-muter lagi..

They wanted to look around..

Mau lihat ini.. mau lihat itu..

Wanna see this.. wanna see that..

Gih, sana. Saya ngibarin bendera putih aja deh. Nyerah.

So, off you go. I put the white flag out. Surrender.

Gue gempor. Kagak sanggup lagi jalan. 

I'm so knocked out. Couldn't walk anymore.

Saya nemu kursi taman kosong tidak jauh dari kandang pelikan. Ah, di sini sejuk. Angkat kaki. Buka sepatu. Selonjoran di kursi. Sedap.

I found an empty bench near the pelican cage. Ah, it's cool in there. Lifted the legs. Took off the shoes. Sat there in the bench with both legs stretched on it. Heaven.

*  *  *  *  *

Pengen pulang

Wanna go home

Satu persatu anak-anak, emak-emak dan guru muncul.

One by one the kids, the moms and the teachers came.

Pulang sekarang?

Going back now?

Belum. Ada area bermain di situ.

Not yet. There is playground just around there.

Gubrak!

Oh no!

Saya memutuskan untuk keluar saja dan menunggu di lapangan parkir.

I decided to go out and waited in the parking lot.

Eh, ada yang jualan boneka. Yuk lihat. Akhirnya saya malah beli satu boneka kangguru.

Oh, look at those doll stalls. Let's take a look. Well, I bought a kangaroo doll.

*  *  *  *  *

Pulang... Akhirnya.. 

Going back... at last..

Sudah sore dan mendung waktu kami akhirnya melaju menuju kembali ke Bogor.

It was afternoon already and cloudy when we sped to go back to Bogor.

*  *  *  *  *

Mampir dulu yok

Let's make a stop

Saya yang sudah gempor langsung tepar di bis.

I was so knocked out when we got at the bus.

Lagi duduk terkantuk-kantuk gitu.. kok bisnya tiba-tiba belok ya? Mau kemana?

As I was sitting there feeling sleepy.. suddenly the bus made a turn. Where would it go?

Mampir dulu beli oleh-oleh. Haish!

Made a stop to buy snacks. Gosh!

*  *  *  *  *

Hei, tungguin gue!

Hey, wait for me!

Gara-gara dulu pernah ditinggal sama bis, saya langsung parno waktu ngeliat bis kami meluncur pergi.

Having the experience being left by the bus, it made me paranoid when I saw our bus drove away.

Eh, mau kemane lu?

Hey, where the hell are you going?

Masalahnya saya lagi nungguin pesanan minuman saya.

The thing is I was waiting for my order to come.

Tapi lihat kiri, lihat kanan.. oh, pasukan juga belon pada naik tuh.

As I saw around.. oh, the guys haven't got into the bus either.

* tarik napas lega *

* took a deep relief sigh *

*  *  *  *  *

The krucils

The little ones

Di dalam bis..

In the bus..

"Bu Keke lagi ngapain?"

"What are you doing, miss Keke?"

Tiga krucil ini mendatangi saya. Bertanya. Colak colek ke saya. Ketawa ketiwi. Ngobrol.

These three girls came to me. Asking questions. Poking me. Gigling. Chatting.

Tetap ceria dan semangat.

Remained cheerful and full of spirit.

Seandainya saja saya bisa punya setengah dari enerji mereka.

If only I could have half of their energies.

*  *  *  *  *

Kota tersayang

Sweet hometown

Sore itu tidak ada pemandangan yang jauh lebih indah dari pada yang ini..

That afternoon nothing is more beautiful than the above sight..

Terima kasih Tuhan, kami sampai dengan selamat.

Thank you God, we arrived safely.