
Awesome Borobudur
Underrated Borobudur in Yogyakarta (Java, Indonesia)This 9th century Buddhist temple is enough reason to make this trip to Yogyakarta. Or for that matter, to make this trip to Indonesia .
Who has not heard of Candi Borobudur? Candi in Bahasa means Temple, or more loosely, any ancient structure. Borobudur means mountain having many terraces (budhara). The idea is to walk to the base of the temple and go around clockwise , passing all those corridors lined with ancient relief panels telling the legendary story of Ramayana all the way through 504 Buddha effigies. The first 6 terraces are squarish in form, while the 2 upper terraces are circular in form, dotted by the many stupas with
The Many Stupas of Borobudur
Each one but the top stupa has a buddha inside. Tradition calls for one reaching out to touch the foot of the Buddha while saying one's petition. The stupas are arranged in such a way that the entir... [more]
buddhas inside of each except the topmost stupa. Each terrace symbolizes a stage in our human life. Our local guide repeatedly reminded us that the base symbolizes our earthly attachments, in particular lust, and walking clockwise through the terraces to the top symbolizes our liberation from all these worldly attachments. Buddha resides at the top dome, in nirvana, and here, every pilgrim is rewarded not only with the prospect of nirvana but also with a panoramic view of this part of central Java. It is hard to imagine that this pilgrimage site lay deserted and hidden for many centuries, buried under layers of volcanic ash and jungle growth. How and why it is erected on this very site on a bedrock hill, seemingly "floating" on what others presume to be a lake, such that the temple's architectural design actually resemble that of a lotus flower. It also remains a mystery why this heritage site was abandoned. One can only surmise that this lovely ancient structure was deserted when Java converted to Islam around the 14th century. An even bigger mystery though is who actually built this temple, which is even older than the world - famous Angkor Wat in
Would Elizabeth make it?

It's quite a walk, and there's the steep staircase. We circled around in clockwise fashion , climbed a few steps at a time to reach the top . Er yes, Elizabeth thankfully made it!
Cambodia. But we are only concerned with what we found there..........and never mind what history says and claims. Though we are not Buddhists, we like the concept of detaching ourselves from worldly attachments, the law of karma, and the triumph of good over evil. The many religions of this world are all in agreement in so far as love for mankind and selflessness go. This must be the universal rule. To do good. No matter

This corridor is lined with relief panels depicting the legendary Ramayana. The base dwells on man's earthly attachments, shifting towards the aspired nirvana as one reaches the top taking one's time framing some shots, finding a vacant space to rest between stupas , breathing the morning air before the sun beats down on your neck, and essentially just having a wonderful, leisurely time "clocking it" around the many terraces of Borobudur. We even accommodated Yantong's suggestion to stick in our hand to touch the Buddha's feet inside one stupa. And to circle the top level 3 times while making our petitions. Each time we passed Yantong as we circled clockwise, we hear his soft-spoken "one round, two rounds, then third and final round". Each time, he said this cheerfully like there is no problem in this world. He was very kind to his "Ibu", my friend Elizabeth, especially as she dragged her leg climbing up and going down the steep stairway. To tell you the truth, I was amazed she made it. (You better read up on a sequel of this blog..........as Elizabeth breezes through the airport on a wheelchair on her way to Bali, the second leg of our trip. But I am getting ahead of that story)
Mendut Temple: A Pleasant Detour
Well, it was not exactly a detour. Mendut


Voila.....we made it!
There's Beth hamming it up. Imagine her dragging one leg all throughout this journey. Yay!
and Bali. And we couldn't be happier on this first leg of our tour. Amazingly, I found Paul through the many blogs and travel reviews I have been reading. As we exchanged emails a few times, we were friends long before we arrived in Indonesia!
But what we even found more amazing is how these two Bellong and Yantong try to perfect their craft. Bellong used to be a farmer , and even left Indonesia to work in a farm in Germany, and on his second assignment, worked as a waiter in a restaurant in Germany. He now operates an independent travel group and works closely with Paul. Yantong, on the other hand, works as a local Borobudur guide in between his farming chores. Through broken English, both were able to communicate well with us to share the many stories and folk tales. When pressed for a more specific answer, they giggle like young boys. When pressed further, they simply grunt. ;-)
My friends and I have so much respect for Indonesians after meeting Paul, Bellong and Yantong. These 3 are kind souls, who do not seem to care much for money yet would Mendut Temple

There is an imaginary straight line connecting Borobudur, Pawon and Mendut Temples. Some claim there is a walled walkway connecting all 3, reinforcing the myth that there is a ritual relationship amo...
go out of their way to please. We paid Paul a downpayment a few weeks before we arrived in Indonesia. When we asked him how much more we owe him, he could not even remember. They were embarassed each time we find something to buy, and in fact move away so we would not ask them to "intervene". When asked if we should still tip our local guides, Paul said it is all taken care of with the "package" we paid him. But we were so pleased with Bellong and Yantong and felt they deserve more than the usual.
Back To Our Lovely Hotel

The morning spent sweating , climbing, panting for breath, and in Elizabeth's case, dragging her left leg all around, was rewarded at the end of the day with our lovely time in this lovely hotel in Yogyakarta. Again, Paul made sure we take pleasure in this colonial inspired hotel called Phoenix Hotel. The ground floor room where all 3 of us crashed is just a few steps away from the boutique, swimming pool area, internet area, and breakfast area. We simply loved the hotel with its high ceilings, Dutch colonial
Still in Mendut Temple

Wouldn't u want to stay here?
The hotel staff were so good, accommodating my friend Beth's medical needs as well as making things truly comfortable for all of us.
jams and marmalades. The food was superb. The ambience , just as great. There was even a local flavour to it all as there was this lady offering herbal medicinal drinks supposedly good for a wide range of ailments - for high cholesterol, poor kidneys, gout, allergies, blood circulation, etc. I tried one of those.......took a sip and gulped down a whole glass of water soon after. Well, that should tell you to curb your adventurous palate once in a while. Honestly? I never tasted anything as bitter than that. Beats any cough syrup!
By the time Bellong was ready to whizz us out of the hotel to take us to the airport to catch our flight to Bali, we weren't quite as ready to say goodbye to Phoenix Hotel and Bellong. With fingers and toes crossed, we were hoping that we would have the same luck in Bali. Were we just as lucky? Keep reading. Next sequel up soon ;-)


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