I was a millionaire for a few days

I wrote an article about our visit in Bali. You can check it here. It took me this long to finally write the continuation of our trip to Indonesia. Days ago, Mitochondria wrote in noise about jasmine flower which seemed to be the sign to finish this Indonesia trip.

After our short time in Bali, we then decided to visit the UNESCO temples of Prambanan and Borobudur.

From Bali, we decided to take a bus going to Yogyakarta.

Since we are already in Indonesia, why not visit the temples that we have been seeing in tv and online. We have been reading about them in books. That was the thought at that time. Looking back, we should have just stayed and explored Bali more. Still, we were happy about our decision.

I would have wanted to document this better but since I don't have the other photos now, I'll just make do of what was left.

After booking a ticket the previous day, we then checked out of hotel the next day and headed to Ubbung Terminal an hour before our trip. From Denpasar, this bus will take us to Yogyakarta after 20 hours of travel. Yes, we survived an almost one day trip on the bus. Whew! Thank goodness the ride was comfortable. I remember looking at the sea, riding in the middle of the jungle and passing by a huge electric power plant well lit at night.

At one point, we had to ride a ferry that took us from Bali to Java.

This was my first time to ride a ferry. It was a pleasant evening and we took our time exploring the ferry. There were drinks and snacks but we didn't feel like trying any of those. It took us about an hour to cross.

We had a stop over where we ate and freshened up. We didn't know at first that the food was paid for. It was included in the bus fee. A fellow passenger asked why we were not eating so we told her that we don't feel like eating for by that point all we wanted was to just rest. 20-hour travel is no joke. When she informed us that we already paid for it, we grudgingly decided to try some of the food that was served. I don't remember now what the food was.

Once we arrived at the terminal, we headed to the nearest shops where we ate. We were famished!

We then ate our brunch at Adisucipto International Airport in Yogyakarta. I am in love with their food.

At the airport, we decided to visit Borobudur Temple first. It's already mid morning by then so why not make the most of it. Our energy was replenished by the food that we ate that's why we were ready to go anywhere.

From the airport, we decided to acquire the service of those tours available at the airport. Even though the heat was unfamiliar (for we were used to the cool temperature we have here in our mountain), it was a pleasant welcome.

Getting to Borobudur from the airport took us about less than two hours. One thing that is noticeable on the road are the number of motorcycles. I haven't seen as many motorcycles that plenty. I'm just not used to it.

Borobodur Temple can be traced back to the 8th century during the reign of the Syailendra Dynasty. This Dynasty ruled the land of Java for five centuries. The temple is one of their contributions in history. It is built on a pyramid base. The bell like structures are called stupas. Each of those has a buddha in it.

This is located in Central Java and it covers a span of 2,520 sq m. It was still used up until 15th century. It was then restored in the 1970s and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Source

To maintain the sacredness of the place, proper dress code should be worn when entering the compound. You are not allowed to wear short shorts or skirts and don't show too much skin. As you can see in my photo above, I donned a sarong for I was wearing shorts at that time. There is a minimal fee to pay when entering the site. The staff will assist you in wearing a sarong if you need to. We will then surrender those sarongs once we exit the place.

There was an elephant house within the compound that you can ride for a fee of course. We didn't avail that. I just can't bear the smell. You can feed them too.

There were also horse-drawn carriages that will take you around the compound.

When exiting the site, you will then be entering a maze of souvenir shops. There were a whole lot of them it's overwhelming. You will literally get lost if when checking on those interesting goods.

Be mindful of the peddlers. We were met by a bunch of them before we even got to the entrance. They are very persistent that you will buy whatever they wanted to sell. Even though we kept saying no, we were trapped in the middle of them and we are getting the attention of others which is embarrassing. To keep them off our backs, we agreed to buy from one of them later. A mistake we regret. The guy would then wait for you at the exit. These are sharp and they will know you so you can't hide from them. They would even know your smell lol! The item we purchased from him was double or triple than what was sold in the shops that you pass when exiting the site. Ignore them. Don't talk to them. Don't even make eye contact with them. You have been warned. Then again, it's all up to you.

Next stop: Prambanan Temple.

But that will be for the next blog.

It's good to look back to our travel. I am amazed to be able to visit historical places such as this. It gives that feeling of traveling back in time.

Thanks a lot for reading. Until next time!