Borobudur, a Buddhist Temple

I liked Prambanan but I loved Borobudur. One of the highlights of the trip – and it was a trip filled with highlights. It’s the biggest Buddhist temple in the world. It’s the largest monument in the Southern Hemisphere! Built in the ninth century, over 100 feet tall and over 300 x 300 feet wide, it consists of ten levels. Each level has amazing friezes and carvings, and there are sitting Buddhas and stupas on the walls throughout. The way to see it is to walk clockwise around each level. The lowest levels represent everyday base instincts and sins (or the Buddhist equivalent) and the carvings are of debauchery and the like. As you ascend, the carvings depict things ever more pure, until at the top, you are close to enlightenment, and there are only stupas, each with a Buddha inside. I was told this would take a couple of hours; many of the Indonesian tourists took the staircase straight to the top, but I chose to walk around each level, a total of about 5K (I did forego the experience of seeing it at sunrise, however). I was close to the top when I heard the midday call to prayer, which added to the spiritual feeling. It was a clear day (since it was the rainy season – if that makes sense) so I also had a great view of Mt. Merapi.







I saw a couple of other temples on the way back. For those not as into temples, there are other things to do in the Yogyakarta area (here I am, marketing) – you can climb Mt. Merapi, go to the Dieng Plateau (which has sulfurous lakes and craters), see the ocean (the beach town has hot springs and a meditation cave), visit cemeteries (you have to wear traditional garb to visit!), or travel to nearby Surakarta (nicknamed Solo – seems like a smaller Yogya with its own things to see and do) – not to mention other parts of Java; Yogya is pretty centrally located. I didn’t have enough day (or days) for any of those, but when I got back I had the becak take me to the nearby suburb of Kota Gede, which is known for silver, especially filagree. Again, I returned to the charming Yogya Village Inn early – I had received a slew of birthday emails and wanted to respond. And I had had some tossing and turning after making the Hawaii reservations (anxiety about my return, perhaps?) so I was tired – I just decided to plan the bulk of the U.S. portion after I got to the mainland, and then I was much calmer.

More than person I encountered in Indonesia asked me why more Americans don’t visit – is there a State Department warning? I told them no (both before and after I looked it up. There isn’t). I told them that it was far and that people didn’t know that much about it but that with Obama having lived there, maybe more people will be interested in going. But I also thought, “Indonesia needs more marketing!” Job opportunity? More up my alley than teaching English, I think. Of course, I could also help market Morocco…. but I digress. Oh, and by the way, there were major pro-Palestine demonstrations in Jakarta right after I left – not that I would have been anywhere near them – and the Thailand demonstrations escalated right after I left – and in addition to the major earthquake in Papua, there had been a minor one on Sumatra, the next island over, a day or two earlier. Maybe it’s best not to look at the news while on vacation!