Borobudur

While I was in Jogjakarta (East Java), I paid a visit to the Borobudur Temple. It was about an hour and a half out of the city. The city it self is not at all modern and the night life leaves a lot to be desired. There are a few cool bars but the crowd is not too hot. The Gran Mellia hotel is one of the best hotels in the city and the rates are very fair, starting at about $60 a night.

The temple itself is located in, what has been made, a large park. It is well maintained and foreign tourists pay quite a high entrance fee, about $50 if I am not mistaken. It is much cheaper for local residents. The foreign tourists can also hire multilingual tour guides to take them around the site. The tip of the temple standing out above the trees is a spectacular site as you approach from a distance.

The stairs leading to the top seem quite long and a scene for a Reebok add was shot here many years ago showing a couple racing to the top. I was kind of worried that I would fail to climb to the top but I was surprised to see that it really was not that high up. Only the narrow steps created a challenge.

Numerous carved Buddha’s sit postured all around the temple and on various levels of it, placed within small caves. There are also many of these hollow bell shaped things. You can see how large they are with me standing next to one.

Within each of these bells sits another carved Buddha. Here is one exposed. If you reach in through a hole in the bell and touch the Buddha, you can make a wish that is said to come true. I still haven’t met Brooke Burke so I guess we can rule out that myth. You can also see how beautiful the surrounding mountains are.

These bell shaped carving are studded all over the top of the temple.

Borobudur is one of Indonesia’s treasures. It is awesome how this Buddhist monument has remained standing as various religions and rulers have stormed through the region.

These pictures were all taken with my Canon Digital Power Shot. I think they came out pretty damn good.