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.

A week to go

Richard and Laura will depart for Java and Borneo on Monday 9th August. Updates will appear here each day that we can find internet access!