Yogyakarta - Part 3

During my two week stay in Jogja, I've only visited Borobudur (part of our programme's field trip) and Prambanan. The former is a Buddhist monument, where else the latter is of Hinduism. I was so close to wandering around the Kraton, but my plans were interrupted by a certain being.

Borobudur is my favourite out of the two. As we were there in a group of 30+, we were split to two, accompanied by two tour guides from Borobudur. Yes, they do serve their purpose - knowledgeable and helped us skipped the long queue heading up to the top part of Borobudur. Nevertheless, I'd like to venture around this massive structure on my own, spend time admiring the detailed carved reliefs on the walls, and be amazed over and over again by the geniuses behind the construction of Borobudur as the base was built without any cement yet stood strong and survived multiple natural disasters along the years.

"The 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake which badly damaged nearby Prambanan, left Borobudur unscathed."

Till today, it remains a mystery, as to who built this amazing structure and why it was built. It was in the 19th century that Thomas Stamford Raffles (yes, the founder of Singapore), unearthed this magnificent complex covered by layers of volcanic ash (from eruptions in the early days), deep in the jungles of Yogyakarta. It took 5 years to restore the site; and in 1956, UNESCO started its assessment for a full scale restoration, listing it as one of the World Heritage Site in 1991. Thus drawing enormous attraction from tourists all over the world, which led to the presence of annoying people walking around with colorful umbrellas.

Imagine taking a photo of the whole structure from afar, at a perfect angle, then out pop few colorful spots (umbrellas). Besides that, some people are just so oblivious of their surroundings that they can have their umbrella jutting an inch from your eye yet have no decency to close it (the place is crowded daily) while walking on a narrow pathway.

I was, and still am, greatly fascinated by the architects of Borobudur, as the whole monument is constructed from dark grey andesite stone - extremely heavy - chiselled into a puzzle which has been holding the whole monument for multiple decades now.

Look, Ma! No cement!!

Someone was telling me that there is a 'key' boulder. If one pulls that out, the whole complex will collapse. I am not sure how true is that, or if the person is just joking.

Photo from DI

Still no cement! My curiosity is driving me crazy!!

Chilling on the stones of Borobudur - I look like a Hippie!

Climbing up Borobudur was peanuts *shows off stamina*  HAHA! You know what's the toughest obstacle? Getting around the hoard of souvenir sellers rushing up to you as you leave, convincing you to purchase something from them. And it was not just one person at a time, but 3 to 4 different sellers asking you the same thing while shaking their items right in front of your face.

I understand that it is part of their living and they are just trying to earn money to feed their family. But seriously, oversell is a no-no, especially when I have to keep repeating "Tak mahu, terima kasih" more than 100 times - not exaggerating on that! I will buy a thing or two, if I really need them. Being a seasoned traveller, you somehow come to a point of 'awakening' that you can not do impulsive shopping just because you are in another country, or that souvenirs are 'cheap' and you might have to give someone something back home - no, does not work that way. Because I end up collecting a whole lot of stuff that is of no use to me. So I did give that a thought at Borobudur, plus there was nothing that captured my interest (except for the puppets but the guy refused to sell them to me for the price I wanted)

Hippies

Everyone had to cover themselves with a batik sarong, provided upon entrance. It is a sign of respect. Matches my outfit anyway - hah!

Tour Group - yay!

Entrance fee:-

• USD15/ 135,000IDR for non-Indonesian adults
• USD8/ 72,000IDR for non-Indonesian registered students (need proof of ISIC)
• 15,000 IDR (weekdays)/ 17,500 IDR (weekends) for Indonesian adults

Spot the price difference?? 

Can't really complain because in Malaysia, the same theory applies - leech more money from the tourists!

Nevertheless, I will definitely visit Borobudur again (and walk around the complex 7 times - haha!)

For more information about Borobudur to assist you in your trip, READ THIS >>>

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The day before I left, I had the chance to visit Prambanan too as one of our participants from Cameroon arrived in Indonesia a few days late (due to visa/flight issues) and missed out on Borobudur. As a good hospitable organiser, I agreed to accompany him to Prambanan (also because I'd like to check out the place myself). My colleague was supposed to join us but the guys slept in and did not answer my calls - how typical, heh! In the end, we headed to the site with 3 other guys (South African, Kenyan and Ugandan), and boy, were they treated like celebrities around there. People were stopping them, asking multiple question about where they are from (mainly girls from English study groups), and requesting for photos with them. Well, I get to join in the fun too, when the Indonesians thought I was Japanese/Korean!

Prambanan is amazing, but I think it is being overshadowed by Borobudur. The site was heavily damaged, with rubble stacked around it. It is also listed as UNESCO's World Heritage Site.

Personally, I was disappointed because Shiva's Temple was closed. It is the largest of the temples in the complex, situated right in the middle. As I did World Religions some point during my uni years, I kind of have a basic understanding of Hinduism, although I kind of mixed up Shiva and Vishnu's role. I knew Brahma is the God of Creator. We did not get a tour guide as we prefer discovering the site at leisure.

Temple of Shiva was out of bounds, what a bummer!

"In the wake of the May 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake, some parts of Prambanan sustained significant damage. The site is open again, but some temples are cordoned off and as of the end of 2009 entry into several temples is not allowed, while major repair and restoration work is undertaken."

Broken steeple

Celebrities for the day

Here comes the not-so-good part: The path to the exit is cleverly structured, leading you pass rows of shops selling (more) souvenirs. However, the hawkers here are less pushy than the ones in Borobudur. They let you pass with no annoying oversells, unless you stop and look. Most of the items sold can be found in Malioboro anyway, at half the price.

In conclusion, this place lacks information. It is a huge compound, enough space for them to put up some info boards, just to educate tourists about the history of Prambanan or basic Hinduism. I think UNESCO needs to work on that. So, I would suggest one to do some reading before visiting the site - HERE

After taking this photo, the group of Indonesians (looks like they are from Jakarta) were asking us to do some "crazy" pose. Hence, I gave them CRAZY!

Sweet!

I love history and learning/discovering culture. I should consider doing a second degree in Anthropology, just for the fun of it!

The Legend of the Slender Virgin

After her father King Boko was defeated in battle, the Javanese princess Loro Jonggrang reluctantly agreed to marry his victor Prince Bandung, but only if he built a temple with 1000 statues before sunrise. With the help of spirits, Bandung had completed 999, when the princess lit a fire to the east of the temple. Fooled into thinking it was dawn, roosters in the neighboring village crowed and the spirits fled — and a furious Prince Bandung changed her into stone, the last and most beautiful of the statues.

I also ought to get back to my reading as my English is failing me severely - result of too many languages!