“…what thrills me about trains is not their size or their equipment but the fact that they are moving, that they embody a connection between unseen places.” ― Marianne Wiggins

We could have boarded on a plane instead and it could have taken us just an hour and a half; but Love, Ric and I chose to travel from Jakarta to Yogyakarta via an 8-hour train ride. For experience’s sake, yes. It was the longest train ride I’ve ever experienced—so far. And I don’t know, but it felt like traveling from Manila to Naga via bus (which reminded me of the Caramoan trip we had back then). Probably because of the long travel hours.

8 hours it was! And then we met with our tour guide/driver, Mas Dwi, when we got out of Yogyakarta train station. We were supposed to fetch 2 other friends (Aina and Rose) at the airport, only to find out they weren’t able to take their scheduled flight due to some changes in boarding gate, which they weren’t made aware of. (Tsk! Lion Air!!!) Anyway, so it was just the three of us touring around Yogya during the first day.

Prambanan Temple

Our first stop, before we even checked in at our villa.

Built in the 10th century, this is the largest temple compound dedicated to Shiva in Indonesia. Rising above the centre of the last of these concentric squares are three temples decorated with reliefs illustrating the epic of the Ramayana, dedicated to the three great Hindu divinities (Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma) and three temples dedicated to the animals who serve them.

The massive structures of the temple made us feel so small as we roam around the compound. It’s an amazing and interesting artwork, I must say.

I just wish somebody was there to at least educate us about the place. :) Because this is equally beautiful as the famous Borobudur! :)

Borobudur Temple

After taking our lunch at a nearby eatery outside of Borobudur, we started off our hike from the gate towards the temple. It was quite a long way to walk—under the scorching heat of the midday sun!

But it was all worth the walk!!!

Ah the famous Borobudur! This is the main reason why we visited Yogyakarta—so see this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Borobudur Temple Compounds is one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in the world, and was built in the 8th and 9th centuries AD during the reign of the Syailendra Dynasty. The Borobudur Temple Compounds consist of three monuments: namely the Borobudur Temple and two smaller temples situated at the east on a straight axis to Borobudur.

Borobudur was used as a Buddhist temple from its construction until sometime between the 10th and 15th centuries when it was abandoned. Since its re-discovery in the 19th century and restoration in the 20th century, it has been brought back into a Buddhist archaeological site. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/592

We had to take rests in between—it was a long way to get to the temple and it’s a long way up to get to the top! :)

And finally we were on top!!!

And we spent quite a few hours taking photos of and with the structure. Ah finally a closer look of the statue. Most of these bell-shaped structures actually have statues inside, but I couldn’t take good shots of them.. :)

After enjoying the view, we decided to go down and back to our tour guide/driver. It had been a long and tiring but insightful day; made me appreciate the Indonesian culture better. :)

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