Wonderland Indonesia (Part 2): Yogyakarta and Indonesia's Largest Temples

- April 3-4, 2023, Monday to Tuesday.

- I waited 18 years before my trip to Yogyakarta finally became a reality. Not sure why, but perhaps the timing was just not right. I longed to visit Yogyakarta (also pronounced as "Jogjakarta") because of its proximity to two of its biggest temples: the Buddhist Borobudur Temple, and the Hindu Prambanan Temple. I've always seen them on TV, in books, and the internet, and knew that I had to visit them one day. I couldn't believe that I was finally doing it! 

- I flew to Yogyakarta on Monday, 3rd of April, and it was the perfect day to fly out. Most museums and historical landmarks in Indonesia are closed on Mondays, so I felt that I didn't miss out by flying out on a Monday. I flew with Garuda Airlines, the flag carrier of Indonesia. Although there are cheaper options available, Indonesia (as much as I love the country) has generally a bad aviation track record. Most people I know who live in Indonesia or who have Indonesian friends suggest that I fly with Garuda Airlines since it's their most trusted airline. 

- Yogyakarta, like Jakarta, is located on the island of Java. The trip from Jakarta to Yogyakarta is around an hour. Most planes these days will fly to the new Yogyakarta International Airport (YIA). This new airport is far from the city and the best way to reach Yogyakarta proper is by taking a train from the airport to the city (which takes around 30 minutes.) Because I read that there are times when there is no assurances of train tickets, I decided to book a Gojek from the airport to the city. The trip took maybe around an hour. In hindsight, I should've taken the train instead. It was cheaper, and I found out later on that usually there was a good chance of getting a train ticket to the city.

- The main street in Yogyakarta is Malioboro Street, and while there are cheaper hostels outside Malioboro Street, staying along the street is most convenient. I chose to stay in Amaris Hotel Malioboro, which is a small but good hotel along Malioboro Street (click here). I spent the rest of the afternoon walking along Malioboro street, and passing by the Tugu Monument north of Malioboro.

My room. I love how hotels are generally very cheap in Indonesia (as someone coming from the Philippines.)

Tugu Monument. It was originally built in the 1700s to symbolize the unity of Yogyakarta's people.

- On my first evening in Yogyakarta, I met my grad-school friend Sheryl who's now based in Indonesia. She invited me to her couchsurfing group's weekly meetup. This week, the host opened her house to the couchsurfing group (and friends) for a casual iftar/bukber. I had fun eating all the Indonesian finger foods, and meeting people from all over the world.       

Thank you for inviting me Sheryl!

- The following day was the day I had waited for the most - my day trip to Borobudur and Prambanan Temples. I booked a sunrise tour via Klook, which took care of everything. The tour would start in the morning, and end in the early afternoon. I booked a private tour for myself; needed to shell out a bit more money but it was totally worth it. My driver Andi picked me up from my hotel at 3:45AM, since it was going to be a bit of a drive all the way to Magelang, where Borobudur is.

- I arrived at Punthuk Setumbu at almost 5 in the morning. Punthuk Setumbu is a hill not long away from Borobudur Temple. The hike wasn't too long, and the path was cemented. There were also not too steep stairs for easy access to the viewing area. Unfortunately it was a very foggy morning and my hopes of seeing Borobudur during the sunrise was going down the drain. Thankfully the fog sort of eased up and I was able to see a glimpse of Borobudur. Unlike what you'd expect, the temple was so tiny and off center. Honestly, I didn't think it was worth it even on a clear day. It was a nice experience though and at least I was able to see the temple from afar.

Now that I look at this photo, I appreciate the mysterious look a lot. But I hate that it was difficult to find the temple in the fog. (Look towards the right, try to look for a structure with a pointed top.)

Close-up. See it now?

- Upon arrival at Borobudur Temple, I took some photos around the temple (Andi took really nice photos of me) before the main yard opened. Before the pandemic, everyone could go up until the very top. Since it reopened during the pandemic, most visitors could only enter until the yard. HOWEVER, just recently, the temple is doing a test-run of its 1200-people-per-day limit for the upper levels of the temple. Moreover, no more than 150 people at a time can be at the higher levels at a time. To get to the upper levels, visitors are allowed to upgrade their ticket. This includes a guide and special traditional slippers (similar to India's "paduka" slippers) that the temple will give to visitors as a souvenir after the tour. - Of course I chose to upgrade my ticket!  

I can't believe I'm really here.

At the lower yard.

The largest Buddhist temple (upper yard).

With my driver and impromptu photographer, Andi!

This Buddhist temple's architecture is a mix of local Javanese and medieval Indian architecture. From the top, the whole temple looks like a "mandala," which symbolizes the universe.

I look like a walking ad for an Indonesian batik shop.

Detals of the statues.

Bas-reliefs. The carvings are so detailed! And they go around the various levels of the temple!

- The Borobudur Temple is the largest Buddhist temple in the world. It was built in the Sailendra Dynasty in the 9th century. The temple was abandoned in the 14th century as Islam arrived in medieval Indonesia. Borobudur has a total of 9 levels, with carvings of stories related to Buddha's life and teachings.

On the way to the top.

A bodhi tree, the same kind of tree that Buddha sat under and became enlightened.

I still cannot get over the details of the temple.

This is how the temple is cleaned everyday. The stones need to be as dry as possible since plants that grow between the cracks of the stones can destroy the temple.

Cannot believe that people made this temple ages ago, without the kind of technology we have today.

Buddha's life in endless panels.

Buddha.

The shape of this stone roof is Hindu inspired.

The details of this elephant!

Gate to the upper levels.

These stupas with the diamond holes are what Borobudur is known for.

Each stupa has a Buddha inside. This one lost the rest of its stupa.

See? People used to make a wish and attempt to touch the Buddhas inside. If they were able to touch, their wish would come true. However, this isn't allowed anymore to preserve the temple better.

I honestly thought I'd go to Borobudur without the chance to go up the higher levels. I'm glad I chanced upon its test run.

I mean.

It still feels surreal.

- After my visit to Borobudur, I had an hour and a half car ride to Prambanan Temple. Built in the 9th century during the Sanjaya Dynasty. It is the second largest Hindu temple in Southeast Asia (with Cambodia's Angkor Wat being the first,) and one of the top 10 largest temples in the world. It is also one of the rare temple complexes to have temples dedicated to each of the three gods of the Trimuti (that is, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.) Vaishnavite and Shaivite temples are often separate because of differences in worship rituals and focus of devotion. Brahma temples are usually rare anywhere in the world because of Shiva's curse that Brahma not be worshipped due to a wrongdoing by Brahma. However, the Prambanan Temple Complex remains mainly Shaivite as its main temple is dedicated to Shiva and and his family.

Prambanan Temple Complex. The Temple complex has three main temples, and five smaller temples facing the three main temples. 

Outfit change!

Brahma.

Walking through the corridors of the Brahma temple, overlooking the Shiva temple.

- The Durga statue in Shiva's temple is said to be made in the likeness of Roro Jonggrang, a medieval Javanese princess who was cursed to become a stone statue after deceiving a prince. This is perhaps the most intriguing statue among all the impressive statues. The carvings around the temples also tell many stories such as the Ramayana epic or Krishna's story. The temple complex doesn't seem big but there is definitely a lot to take in!

Shiva.

Shiva's child, Ganesh.

The highly detailed Durga statue, which is probably Roro Jonggrang.

Vishnu.

At the yard.

Details of the Vishnu temple.

Typical lion and kalpataru (sacred trees) carvings around the temple.

Temples from the side.

- I was driven back to my hotel after going around the Prambanan Temple. I rested for a bit, ate a late lunch, and walked along Malioboro Street. I passed by the Chinatown arch, and Pasar Beringharjo (Beringharjo Market). The big market was created in 1926, although the area being used for economic activity has been done since the 1700s.

Jalan Malioboro.

Chinatown arch.

Pasar Beringharjo.

Inside the market. It's so big and I wanted to buy everything!!

Jalan Malioboro at night.

- That night I was supposed to watch a Ramayana theater show in Prambanan. However, I received a notification from Klook in the afternoon that the show was cancelled due to a private event. While I was relieved that I was going to get my money back, I was disappointed since it was another experience that I had longed for. At the very least, I had some time to take it slowly for the rest of the evening. I just ended the day by finding myself some local Indonesian food. I eventually settled on Teras Malioboro I for dinner. Teras 1 is towards the south of Malioboro, and Teras II is towards the north of Malioboro; both are marketplaces for souvenirs and knicknacks. I tried "gudeg," which is a popular Yogyakartan dish made with young jackfruit cooked in coconut milk and sugar. It reminds me of "ginataang langka" in the Philippines; the tastes are a bit similar, although the colors are different. I liked it a lot!

Gudeg! (With iced jeruk. Jeruk is a kind of local citrus fruit.)

- I could not remove my smile after realizing that I finally visited Borobudur and Prambanan. It is always an experience to feel the energy of spiritual and historical places! Although I was ecstatic after finally visiting both temples, there was still a lot of places to explore in Yogyakarta - and visiting them was my next agenda! 

- Don't forget to check out my other adventures in Indonesia this trip!!

Part 1 (Jakarta - Kota Tua and MONAS area): here

Part 3 (Yogyakarta - Downtown): here

Part 4 (Jakarta - Glodok, Taman Mini): here