Religions of Java

Via Via is an organic, fairtrade beardy restaurant that arranges cultural tours, off the tourist trail.

We booked the Religion Tour (or Busman's Holiday) which takes you round the villages to see the sites of all the diverse religious groups of Yogya in the company of Maria, a young local Muslim guide.

This is an animist wishing pool - you bathe in the waters when looking for love. Richard was not allowed to go for a swim.


On the same site there is a mosque and this Hindu Shrine, all happily co-existing and seemingly run by the same people.

We were allowed to have a go at the ritual, lighting incense and making an offering of flowers.






This is Holy Cross Catholic Church, built to look like a pagoda as seen in the Kraton. It houses the usual statues and stations of the cross but is open to the air on three sides and has no seating.

The hilltop cross at the 14th Station doubles as an animist spirit tree, where locals come to medidate and contact the spirit said to live inside it.




Next was the mosque. Such a different reception here to in Jerusalem, we were shown how to perform the ritual washing, dressed in religious dress and shown how to perform the stages of prayer. This caused great amusement for the women and children watching us try to stand and kneel and press our heads to the floor without falling over.






Here are said women - very friendly. They thought Laura made good breeding stock and kept squeezing her leg (in a friendly way).

We were also able to visit the Arabic School where the children were having special Ramadan classes.









We then walked to another Hindu and animist shrine. This time the pool was for wealth and buisness (but didn't look very clean - it was inside the bowels of a tree - so no riches for us).

This is Laura with the guide (who said she was big for an Indonesian but looked tiny to us!)







Final stop was a Chinese Cemetary. Previously discriminated against, the Chinese had to be buried separately, reject Confusianism and take an Indonesian name.

Although this is no longer the case the site still belongs to the Sultan and if he wished to use the land for something else, he could order all the graves moved.

Each plot bears the names of living family members in red whose names are coloured in gold when they die. So there is a grave with your name on it, literally.

Tomorrow we fly to Borneo and then, after an overnight in the hotel, being the jungle proper part of the holiday. The blog will be updated as and when we can get an internet connection. (So don't panic, parents, if no news till Friday.)

Sultan's Palace

Earlyish start to beat the crowds to the Kraton - Yogya's old city.

It was built in the 18th Century and centres on the Sultan's Palace.

Although built by a Muslim, it is laid out to represent the Hindu cosmos and is guarded by Buddhist guardian statues.





The inner courtyards were each built by a successive Sultan, including the current Sultan Hanengkuduwana X.

The Sultan is very popular with the locals. Yogja has free health and education unlike the rest of the country, those who live around the palace pay no rent and after the earthquake in 06 he personally helped many of those affected.

The couryards are dotted with little gazebos and covered walkways and are very peaceful. Elderly retainers in traditional batik dress and with ceremonial daggers wander around directing you and giving out information.

Some of the pagodas are beautifully decorated. The colours are red for Isalm, gold for Hinduism and black for Hinduism - the three historic religions of Java.











Although cockfighting is now illegal, the Sultan still likes to keep a collection of birds in cages around the palace.

Usually in the courtyard there are traditional dances and gamelan playing, but during Ramadan, verses from the Qu'ran are chanted aloud.

One of the early Sultans built a Water Garden. His concubines would swim in the pool here, while he watched from the tower and chose which one he wanted to invite to his private pool.

The complex includes an underground mosque, now no longer used.

Much of the site is in a poor state. It was restored in concrete by UNESCO in 2004, but the earthquake 2 years later did not help matters.

This is the Sultan's Gate, through which he would go back to his palace. The gardens used to be connected to the palace by canals, on which the Sultan would travel by canoe, while the girls waded.

Leaving the palace we had lunch in a backpackers restaurant (where we booked a tour for tomorrow) and then headed back to the hotel - the heat and the food having caught up with us a bit. Late afternoom recovering in the hotel, with a quick trip to McDonalds. Bless globalisation, sometimes you just want something you know.

Tomorrow is already our last full day on Java.

Monkeys and Mountains

Another lazy morning by the pool. No cocktails this time though.

Handoko picked us up and took us to Kaliurung. This is a popular holiday retreat for the locals on the slopes of Mount Merapi - the 6th most active volcano in the world.

We began at a small nature reserve - a light introduction to the jungle.

At the water fall, Richard tried to recreate the Timotei shampoo advert. Somehow it's not quite so alluring.

We spent the day 2 to 3km higher than Yogya and so it was much cooler and the storms yesterday had reduced the humidity so we got a break from the oppressive heat.

We bumped into some monkeys, but they were a little disappointed that we didn't have any food for them. This one started eating a piece of tissue that he'd found.

We took a ride on the 'train' round the village and local area. After they'd given it a push start of course.

We then went to the top of the volcano, which was shrouded in cloud - very creepy. The picture shows the path the lava takes down the mountain.

This is all that is left of the village at the top. In 1996, the last serious erruption (there was a smaller one in 2006), wiped out the houses and despite the presence of a bunker, killed all the residents.

With all the grey ash, ruins and cloud it was a sombre place.

Final stop off was a view point of the full scale of the lava channel. A group of men with trucks were mining lava to be exported.

(You can just make them out in the photo - did you know that clicking on the photos gives you a larger version - use the back button on your browser to come back here.)

Now back at the hotel unincinerated, we have our eyes on the huge buffet being assembled in the courtyard.

Prambanan

Late breakfast and a lazy morning with cocktails by the pool. It's rough this jungle lifestyle.

After lunch we visited Prambanan - the tallest Hindu temples on Java. They were build about the same time as Borobudur - 1200 years ago. Like Borodudur they were also abandoned and lost shortly after they were built and recently rediscovered and restored.

There are three main temples, the tallest of which is 45m high. They are dedicated to Brahma the creator, Shiva the destroyer and Vishnu the protector. Each houses a large statue of the deity.

Opposite each is another temple for each of their steeds. This is Nandi, the ox mount of Shiva - people whisper their wishes into Nandi's ear. Just as long as Laura wasn't wishing for children...

The temples are impressive, but with the dark volcanic stone, jagged design and as the storm clouds gathered it had a sense of foreboding and an Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom feeling. Actually genuinely intimidating!

A short walk away is Candi Sewu. A Buddhist tomb complex. Legend says that a Prince wanted to marry a local Princess, but she did not like him so she set him the challenge of building 1000 temples in one night. When he had built 999 she scared the cockrels into crowing, tricking him into thinking he had failed.

Harsh. However he got his own back by turning her into a stone staute and putting her in the 1000th shrine.

Together with Prambanan, Sewu was badly damaged in the 2006 earthquake and is being restored, hence the scaffolding.

Handoko, our taxi driver, took us to a local viewpoint to see the sunset. Unfortunately it started to rain and the cloud came down so no sunset, but still a pretty view at dusk.

Dinner at the Pegoda Restaurant for a buffet of local dishes (plus chips).

Followed by a short performance of the Ramayana Hindu epic ballet (the traditional form is 8 hours long - this was the tourist friendly am-dram 90 min version.)

Javanese dance is a mixture of subtle hand and feet movements combined with martial arts and acrobatics.

The story is a classic tale of boy meets girl.

Boy runs off with golden deer who is actually a monkey.

Other boy cuts off his own genitals.

Girl is kidnapped by old man who is really a monkey.

It all gets a bit obscure and there is lots of monkey kung-fu.

Boy kills evil monkey and rescues girl.

Boy throws girl into a fire to see if she is still a virgin (no me neither)

Brahma saves girl and they all live happily ever after.

The end.

Borobudur

Up early to beat the heat and the crowds. We were collected from our hotel by Handoko - the friendly local taxi-driver whom we have hired for the next three days to show us the local area.


This is Borobudur, the largest monuent in the Southern Hemisphere.


Began as a Hindu mandala in the 8th century, it soon became a Buddhist temple. It was only in use for a few decades before being buried in ash when Mount Merapi erupted. It lay hidden in ash and jungle for over 1000 years until being rediscovered by a British explorer (a rare example of something actually being discovered rather than just pointed at by a white man when the natives knew it was there all along).

As you can see it is still in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by volcanic mountains and jungle and totally unspoilt.

The temple has 9 levels, and a total of 5kms of pathways round them.

They represent the journey of the Buddha to Nirvana and are followed as a pilgrimage.

The lower levels are decorated with 1200 or so carved reliefs. The 1st 2 levels depict the everyday world of desires and sense phemomena.

The 3rd and 4th show scenes from the life of Buddha.

OOOOOOoooooommmmmmmmmm.

The top levels represent the non-material world and are open to the sky and the landscape.

Each of these 'bells' is a stupa. Each contains a Buddha, sheltered as he meditates.

At the very top, a large, solid stupa surrounds an empty space which represents Nirvana - the nothingness and oneness of enlightenment.

It was an amazing experience - an awe inspiring place, in a peaceful setting, and utterly unlike anything we have seen before.

Next we visited a Buddhist temple and monastery. Another tranquil place.

In the foreground the Buddha is sleeping, with Brahman (the 'God the Father' of Buddhism, the Creator).

OOOOOooooommmmm.

Borobudur is the largest of a series of Temples, of which the next largest (but tiny by comparison) is Candi Mendut which houses three 3m high statues - Buddha and two 'saints' or Bodhisattvas.

Following this we went for lunch in a pleasant pagoda and watched a traditional shadow-puppet show. We then returned to our hotel for high tea (yes you must choose 7 items each from the menu, sir) and cocktails. There is a buffet later...

Tomorrow we plan a later start - an afternoon trip to the Hindu area at Prambanan and an evening at the Ramayana Ballet.

Day - Introduction to Yogya

Up at 4am - jet lag helps with this as it was 9pm by our body clocks. Breakfast of tuna and egg (together) sandwiches and then flight to Yogyakarta, arrived 8:30am for much form filling at immigration.

Hotel room not ready this early so we explored the local area.

This is the Tugu Monument at the end of the road. It was built as a house for the Spirit of the Forest when the forest was cut down to make way for the city. Bet he was chuffed.

Moped city round here.

This is Maliboro - the main street. Shops and markets, but quieter today (thankfully) as it is the first day of Ramadan.

The easiest way to travel is by becak - a bike with a seat on the front and a knackered old man on the back, pedalling. Bless him.

Maliboro mall. It has a marvellous donut shop. Laura - chocolate and nut Richard - Donut with cheese. Mmmn.

Also has McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut if the local cuisine is dodgy.

Time for something a little more cultural, so we went to a museum of Javanese history and culture. This man was making a traditional puppet, carved from buffalo hide with a bicycle spoke (46 different spokes no less). They are brightly painted and used in tellings of the Ramayana - Hindu legends.

We bought a Vishnu.

The rest of the museum was idol-tastic. Plenty to look at, even if you weren't sure what you were looking at. Like this chap.

Checked in to the Pheonix Hotel, which is posh, but friendly.

This is just one of the corridors.

This is our room. Off now for a swim in the pool and dinner in the hotel restaurant. Hopefully an early night and an early morning trip to Bororbudur temple before the crowds and the heat.

Arrived in Kuala Lumpur

Stayed Sunday night in Steve's excellent flat in London. Thanks, Steve.

After an interminable 12:30hr flight (with no TV's - they use portables but they ran out on the row in front of us!) we arrived, finally, in KL, 1:30pm local time (UK+7hrs).

It was a little warm....

We are staying in airconditioned cupboards in the Tune hotel which is right at the airport. Too tired to explore today and have 4am start tomorrow as we flat to Java first thing. Still, the view from the room takes in a suitable number of palm trees.

We will start keeping a proper record tomorrow when we have had chance to explore Yogyakarta.