Bellongg Independent Tour: Underrated Borobudur in Yogyakarta (Java, Indonesia)

We have only seen it in photos. Yet we were not prepared for it. We were not discouraged that one of my friends suffered a leg problem on our first day in Yogyakarta and had to drag her leg while clocking it around the temple as locals do. But it certainly helped that we were with very competent local guides Bellong and Yantong who made sure their Ibu (mother in Bahasa Indonesia) did not miss this highlight of our trip.

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

We lingered in the temple long before the tourists came in droves. We did not regret our decision to leave before sunrise to make this one hour trip from our hotel in Yogyakarta to "possess" this monument for ourselves, even for a few moments. Of course, there were also those before us when we arrived. I wanted so much to take a photo of the temple from the base but there was this one man who looked like he wanted to spend the whole morning by the stairs and wouldn't budge from his prime spot, just ogling the stupas from afar. But it still makes a lot of difference to be at the temple, lingering at whatever corner, sitting by the steps, Lovely Corridor

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

Relief Panels Depicting the Legendary Ramayana. The triumph of good over evil, the law of karma, the detachment from wordly desires such as lust. Who can argue with that? It's the universal law of LOVE for mankind and selflessness now, this... is right along the path as it lies at the end of a straight line from Borobudur through another temple, Pawon . There just maybe a grain of truth to that folk tale that each of these 3 temples are connected with a walled walkway and that a ritual relationship exists among the 3 temples. Mendut these days stands alone right by the side of the road, lined by vendors selling oleh-oleh or souvenirs rom fans, to tees, to hats and miniature temples. We ventured into a not so private garden beside the temple, more like a sanctuary for tired souls like ours. We found the garden with all its ornamental plants and trees and lily ponds very soothing to our nerves. There was a monk who was cleaning, sweeping the prayer temple as well as some corners adorned with statues.

We told our local guide and driver Bellong how happy we were with this "detour" as this was not listed in our itinerary. I made a mental note of telling Paul about how we appreciate Bellong, as well as our Borobudur guide Yantong. Paul arranged this iti and hotel bookings for us in both Yogyakarta.
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

architecture peppered with Indonesian design. We missed the guided heritage tour of the hotel, and also the famous Gin Sling at its equally famous bar, but we were more than pleased to find this beauty of a hotel . Here is one place where we had absolutely NOTHING to complain about. By evening, Elizabeth's leg started giving her trouble that my friend Emy had to check with the Front Desk how we can ask someone to buy medicine for her. Was it our luck or was an angel sent our way? One of the hotel staff happened to have a grandfather with the same ailment and bought this ointment from the Apotek to relieve the pain. A wheelchair was also made available. Separately, Bellong was also most helpful trying to find medicine and a hot water bag for my friend. Elizabeth's leg got better with some medications, the pain reliever ointment, and hot water bag. We are eternally grateful for all this kindness which even extended till the next morning when we went for our buffet breakfast. We were given a choice table, served our preferred egg dishes and fresh fruit drinks. We enjoyed the bread , noodles, cold cuts,
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 ;-)