Yogyakarta and beyond

In front Prambanan
see all photos »

After getting off our never ending train ride from Jakarta we arrived in Yogyakarta, better know as Jogya in the heart of the island of Java.  We came here to see the huge hindu temple complex of Prambanan and the large Buddist temple of Borobudur.

After the train ride, we walked through the small alleyways around the train station looking for a cheap place to stay.  After some of our previous adventures of booking a room in advance only to find out it was not as advertised, we adopted a new approach.  We could tell we were nearing the hostles as we started to pick up a following of people trying to convince us to stay at their hostel.  After checking out two on the recomendation of our travel companion Lonely Planet.  The first was full and the second did not have screens on the windows, which would mean either we would bake like a Thanksgiving Day turkey, or Michelle was going to be scrafised to the misquitos.  So we went back to the street to enlist the help of one of the people we had meet.  They led us to a place just of the main street, that we never would have found unless lost.  That had decent rooms.  After getting our stuff set down, we set out to explore the town and get a little food.

Do I look like Chuck Norris?

The Main Temple in Prambanan
see all photos »

The next day we slept in with the idea of going and making arrangements for transportation to the temples and then go check out the cultural center of Java that is the streets of Jogja.  When talking to the tour guide we realized that we could go to the Temple complex at Prambanan and see the  Ramayama Ballet that overlooks the ruins that night.  We decided to jump on this opportunity and set out to explore the largest Hindu temple in Java.  As we walked around we realized that there are actually 4 different temple complexes at Prambanan.  Three are Hindu and one is Buddist.  But the one everyone talks about is the main complex with the large Shiva temple, and 7 surrounding temples.  The temples have carvings telling the story of Ramayama (the ballet we saw latter that night).  Despite the fact that all of the temples had been damaged and reconstructed through the years by earthquakes the temples are extemely impressive, though the jungle that once surrounded them has been turned into a large park.

Bill showing his new awareness
see all photos »

The "ballet" of Ramayama, was more like a play without any words.  There was occasional words projected to keep the audience informed of the story, but it was not too hard to follow.  The story is similar to the story of the Trojan war.  The dancing part was pretty lame.  The females only twirled sashes and then sat down, while the guys bounced from one leg to the next.  There was a lot of walking on the tips of their toes but no real dancing.  But it was still interesting to see.

Sunset over Prambanan
see all photos »

We slept in the next day, after staying out late to see the ballet.  So Michelle decided that this would be a good day for her to take care of some female things, she needed a hair cut, manicure, and pedicure.  Sorry Mom, she told me she absolutely could not wait until Australia to have it done.  So after checking out like 2 or 3 different places she found one that she liked that spoke pretty good english.  We decided to get some food then set her down to get a hair cut.  When we got back I dropped her off and said I will be back in 2 hours to see how it is going, and I went to the internet cafe to go start making some traveling plans.  Because despite the fact that all the books say free and easy is the way to go, it adds a lot of stress to always be worried about where we are going next and how to get there.  So after laying down some rough plans to get us to Bangkok, I headed back to see Michelle.  She was done with the haircut and just getting a leg massage (I never knew this was included in a peidure), and the manicure.  Anyways it did not really look like she had much hair cut off, but it was definately styled different.  So after waiting for the remaining work to be completed, we headed back to the hostel.

Bill mastering his meditation poses
see all photos »

This is where she started to make comments like, "They cut 4 lbs of hair off my head." "My hair is shorter than yours." "I don't have any hair left."  Needless to say in her opinion they had gone a little overboard with the cutting layers and removed most of her hair making it very thin and short, just leaving behind a mullet, to keep the length.  I guess Indonesia is still in the 80's because that is where this hair cut came from.  In fact that night as we watched an old Chuck Norris movie, she asked me "Do I look like Chuck Norris?"

Michelle showing how it is done
see all photos »

The next day with her new hair cut, we decided to rent a motorcycle/scooter and drive to the temple of Borobudur instead of paying for the tour that was not really a tour.  Our paid "tour" to Prambanan ended up being a glorified taxi service that sat in the parking lot with the meter running.  So armed with a motor cycle we headed out to find our way.  We found our way their with little problem, though the steady stream of tour buses definately helped the cause.

The temple of Borobudur is an awe inspiring site.  Perched on the top of a hill with 6 square levels toped with 3 round levels.  Again the jungle that once surrounded the area had been removed and turned into a park.  The temple was burried under volcanic ash for a number of years.  But now has some 1,500 carvings of the road to enlightenment.  I told Michelle she should study these since she is capable of achieving enlightenment since she can fit through Budah's Nose.  Some of the carvings are in remarkable condition others have nearly been erased by time.  After walking around the 6 levels with the carvings we got to the top where there are 3 levels of stupahs.  Now I have seen pictures of a Budah sitting in a Lotus blossom surrounded by these stupahs.  But when I looked closer I realised that each of these stupahs contained a Budah in a Lotus blossom.  It was a pretty incredible sight.

Bill and Michelle in front of the main temples of Prambanan
see all photos »

The other part about the temple which I have not mentioned is that fact that 3 or 4 different schools teaching english bring their students here to have them practice coversations with foriegners.  So standing out like sore thumbs we were targeted by many of these groups.  It was funny to see how they would send the brave one in the group up to ask if they could have a minute.  As soon as they saw we were receptive participants the entire group would swarm and there would be 10 to 12 kids all asking the same questions.  Some could understand the responses an others would stare at you with blank smiles and laugh at whatever you said.  It was alot like the start of Men in Black where they pick up the illegal imigrants with the alien.

The view of the Shiva temple at Prambanan from the Ramayama Ballet
see all photos »

So after seeing the temple, and having some freedom with our motorcycle.  We headed out to find Mount Mertapi, which is a volcano that has been erupting for nearly 200 years.  And unlike Hawaii where it is just running into the ocean, this one is actually a mountain with a hole in the top where the lava flows down the sides.  Think of your typical cartoon volcano and you have it.  As we were driving out we found this neat little resturant that had little huts set out on islands in a Koi pond.  So we stoped to relax and eat some lunch.  After eating we continued on our way and were doing well until we got a flat tire on our motorcycle.  So I left Michelle near a convience store, where she made some friends to pass the time, while I went to get the tire fixed.  As soon as I got back with the tire fixed it started pouring rain.  So I sat and talked with Michelle's new friends until the rain stoped.  Then we continued on our way a mere 17 km away.  After nearly 25 km, and still no volcano with the clouds rolling in we turned back and headed for our hostel.

The arches on the six square levels of Borobudur
see all photos »

The next day we headed out to catch a plane to Malaysia in search of some beaches.

Bill