If you make two pieces of toast, but one is slightly burned, and the other is toasted to perfection, which one do you eat first???
I remember first pondering this question whilst at university with my friend James, probably because he'd burned breakfast again, and it's one of those obscure things I like to ask people from time-to-time, just to see how their mind works.
My answer, in case you're interested, is that I would eat the burned one first whilst it's hot, and then eat the perfect one as at least it won't taste too bad when it's a bit cooler. If you eat the perfectly toasted one first, then you have to suffer through the burned one tasting not only flame-grilled, but also cold.
I'd equate this to when you say to someone, "I have some good news, and some bad news. Which one would you like first?" I'd always choose the bad news first, primarily because it might make the good news seem even better.
"How on earth is this relevant you might ask?" Well in a bizarre way, I think you can tell from my responses that I am the kind of person who likes to save thing enjoyable until the end. 'Save the best for last' I guess you could say - a method I also adopt when eating, making sure to get rid of any salad or vegetables first so I can wash the taste away with something much more enjoyable.
These bizarre thoughts lead into a technique that I have often adopted on my travels. I always like to leave myself something to look forward to near the end of my trip and I also like to build up to the thing that I think will be the most spectacular or memorable.
There have certainly been elements of that on my trip so far as on my last day in Bali, I visited the sea temple and on my last day in Baguio I went to Mines View Park. Today I was following that pattern by visiting one of Java's most spectacular sights which is Borobudur Temple, a notable religious monument dedicated to the Buddhist faith:
A bit like when I was looking up the information on Prambanan yesterday, many of the travel advice sites suggested setting off early to get to Borobudur as not only is it a bit of a distance from Yogyakarta, it tends to get pretty busy.
A brief background into Borobudur for anybody who is unfamiliar with the place. It is perhaps Indonesia's most recognisable landmark, and is a Buddhist Temple which is believed to have been constructed around 850 AD. It was lost underneath the wilderness of the jungle and the volcanic ash of Mount Merapi for centuries before being renovated, and eventually turned into a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1991.
It is a fairly massive structure, and one of the few places I've ever been where I've struggled to get a full photo of the place in one shot.
I had to board the bus again in order to get there, however as I discovered, I was heading in the opposite direction to the one I took to the temple yesterday. My route was slightly more complicated, but staying in a guest house rather than a hotel, there weren't any tours I could join, and I have always been a bit of an adventurer anyway.
Once I'd had breakfast and got my stuff ready, I boarded the Transjogja bus in the direction of the Jomba Terminal which took about ten minutes to reach. Once there I then looked around to find one of the many buses which was heading in the direction of Borobudur. I'd read that the journey was quite long, between 60-90 minutes depending on traffic, so I prepared myself to get comfortable for the ride.
I remember thinking to myself at some point in Kuching that I felt like I was riding on the world's first bus, but I think the one I'd hopped onto might have actually been a distant ancestor as it was almost in as rickety condition.
I think it took us about an hour to get to the Borobudur terminal, with a stop of about ten minutes just after the mid-point of the journey. The bus driver seemed to be taking a few liberties with his driving, and I didn't feel entirely confident putting my life in his hands as he overtook mopeds galore on our side of the road in on-coming traffic.... but having made it safely, I couldn't complain too much.
I'm not quite sure what it is about Javanese tourist attractions, but they don't seem to want to drop you off right at the gates of the place your visiting, it's almost like they want to make you work for it. When I got off the bus I was greeted by a fury of touts who were offering me lifts, food and guidance to get to Borobudur. Thankfully, one who was clearly trying to get my business, but failing at the same time, pointed me in the direction of the temple entrance allowing me to spend five minutes walking there, and discovering that it really wasn't far at all.
Borobudur is the biggest Buddhist temple in the world, and one of the country's most visited sights by international tourists. In recognition of this, it seemed to be almost impossible to escape from people trying to offer you umbrellas, tickets, drinks and souvenirs. In fairness, shouldn't the souvenirs come at the end of the visit, not the beginning....
Once again there were an international visitors entrance to get into the temple, but as I already had a ticket from yesterday's visit to Prambanan it wasn't quite so complicated today. As a 'foreigner' for the extra price you pay to enter, there is the offer of tea, coffee and bottle water which is very generous so I got my ticket stamped, let the lady tie a sarong around my waist and headed into the park...
Unlike in Prambanan there was only one major candi, or temple to see today, so I didn't have to worry too much about looking at the map. I picked one up anyway to go with the rest of the souvenirs I have been keeping and walked the path towards the entrance.
The park itself was beautiful, there were hills on both sides as well as the looming shadow of the volcano behind me, and it was a bit of a sight to behind as I eventually came upon the main steps towards the temple...
I had to fight my way through more people trying to sell me an umbrella, another group of touts offering to be my tour guide, and even one guy selling hats (clearly he didn't notice I was already wearing one) before I eventually managed to make my way up the stairs to the base of the temple.The basic structure of Borobudur is like a pyramid. It is set up in three levels with six square platforms making up the lower two areas and three circular ones making up the top section...
On the information at the bottom it said to walk round the temple in an anti-clockwise direction, and whilst most people seemed to ignore that information and instead head to the summit, I spiralled my way up going around each of the six levels clockwise before climbing up a few stairs and doing the same until I reached the top.
Like yesterday I was a bit lost in the architecture. The stone carvings were pretty meticulous, and I especially liked a few of the carvings shown below which I spotted on my way around...
There were stone carvings like in the last picture all throughout the temple, and they depicted several Buddhist stories and were in remarkable condition considering their age.
Winding my way around the temple levels I found that the views of the rest of the park were getting increasingly better, and the surrounding area was looking almost as incredible as the temple structure I had paid to see...
After some walking, I eventually made it to the circular areas of the temple. These were covered in stupas which look like great big bells, and inside each one of them was a statue of Buddha. Overall the temple has over 250 images of Buddha on it, and these account for a large number of them...
Eventually I reached the top where was was one last large dome shape...
I stood at the top for a while, taking in all that was around me, and all that I had seen. Just like at Prambanan, it was easy to overlook the little things which make the temple special. The pieces of stonework here and there, or the position of the Buddha statues was clearly no accident, and it's amazing to think that nobody has even been officially credited with the creation of this fantastic structure.
Although the heat was in full effect I decided to take a walk back down the temple the opposite way I had come up it, so I walked down each level anti-clockwise to reach the bottom.
I love how the walls on each side create a narrow corridor, and the almost mathematical accuracy and symmetry of each element really amazed me...
Once again I had to run the gauntlet to escape the park with about ten times more shops and touts than yesterday on my way to the 'exit'. Thankfully I managed to find a bit of an route away from everyone, but even then it wasn't over as there were more touts trying to force things into my hands and offering me tours of different temples.
I eventually found the way out, and asked a man at the tourist information place if he could point me in the direction of the bus terminal. He kindly pointed out where it was as it turned out to be in the opposite direction to the one I'd been travelling in, so I made an about turn and hoped I remembered the way.
When I got back to the bus terminal it was practically empty. There were a couple of people sitting on a bench, whether they were waiting for a bus or not, I have no idea. I was joined by a man who was sitting on the bench next to me, and kept looking over as if to initiate a conversation with me. Thankfully it didn't appear he spoke English so I was able to just play ignorant before he eventually asked me "Where are you going?". I tend not to engage with strangers too often - unless they offer me a lift to the airport of course....
But considering there was no bus timetable, I figured it would be good to have some piece of mind to make sure that there were still buses running.
I then discovered why I don't often speak to random people as he then called his two friends over who started trying to talk to me before offering me an alternative method of transport which would have cost me five times more than waiting for the bus.
Once I let them know that their little scheme wasn't going to work, they eventually left me alone, although one of them did usher me over when the bus eventually pulled up.
On the bus back to the terminal, the bus conductor tried to charge me a fare of 30,000 Rp instead of 20,000 Rp clearly not thinking that I knew the price, but eventually he gave in. I look forward to returning to England, and not having to barter with everyone or wondering if I'm actually getting a fair price!
I got the bus back to Marloloro again so that I could get some dinner in the comfort of the air-conditioned mall. I stopped at a Japanese restaurant and had some bento which included chicken katsu, coleslaw and chicken tofu soup before eventually making the walk back to my guesthouse.
Tomorrow morning I will be leaving Yogyakarta behind and heading for the Big Durian of Jakarta. I can't say I've really enjoyed the 'stay' part of being here. But it has been fun to go and see the temples, and I think my photos are a testament to what brilliant sights they really are. It's a shame that I have spent three nights in a cupboard for a room, but thankfully that experience is over now, and I have survived. If I were to return, I'd definitely use Yogyakarta as a hub to go to Prambanan and Borobudur as it is right in the middle of both and provides great access using the bus.
Anyone looking to come to Indonesia, and seeking an alternative to the beaches of Bali should definitely consider this a stop along their way.
Losing My Religion
R.E.M. (1991)
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