Visit to Borobudur from Yogyakarta

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Day 5: YOGYAKARTA - BOROBUDUR - DIENG TABLE - SEMARANG

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Today we have to sound the alarm at 5 in the morning. As we did yesterday, we want to arrive early in the morning to Borobudur from Yogyakarta.
Today is a day we expected a long time ago, we will finally meet Borobudur.
But they call us at the reception before 5, to tell us that our driver is waiting for us, so we have to say that in 20 minutes we will be ready.
We already started the morning running, surely we arrived so we activated to climb the stairs that await us when we arrive at Borobudur from Yogyakarta.
We get off, say hello to the driver, who does not speak or sprinkle of English and see that he will not give us much conversation and without breakfast we set off, leaving the Phoenix Yogyakarta Hotel practically without a word. We have 1 hour trip until we reach the largest buddhist temple in the world.
A good option is to book this tour in advance with a guide in Spanish that includes sunrise or sunset in Borobudur, a small city tour and a visit to the Prambanan Temple in the afternoon. If you have already visited the Prambanan Temple you can book this tour with a guide in Spanish that includes watching the sunrise in Borobudur and the Dieng Plateau, then return to Yogyakarta.
As we did yesterday, as we get closer, I'm looking for some image of the Borobudur Buddhist Temple. I'm not lucky and I don't see anything, until suddenly, behind a signpost, I see the tip of the temple peeking through the vegetation.


I'm starting to get nervous, it's one of the places that makes me most excited. This journey to Borobudur from Yogyakarta It is making me eternal.
Today's planning is quite tight, we still have to reach the Dieng Plateau and from there to Semarang, we want to take time a little controlled, but at the same time we do not want to be overwhelmed by this at any time and we intend to enjoy the day to the fullest .
They leave us in the parking lot, it's 6 minutes to 6 and we repeat the same operation yesterday in Prambanan. We wait at the door until they open. But here is something different, we find more travelers / tourists at the door, which did not happen to us in Prambanan.
There we confirm again that you cannot climb to the top, because they are restoring it.
The truth is that it is a stick that this happens to us, since one of the illusions we had was to complete the complete “tour” of the Borobudur Buddhist Temple. Reach enlightenment ...
But hey, you have to think positive, and enjoy what we have, so we decided not to think about it anymore.
And thinking positive (for the record that since my suitcase appeared I am positive) we have an immense luck to be here!
They open the doors at 6 o'clock in the morning and this time we have 2 foreigners in front of us.
We show Roger's student card and without asking mine, they give us the 2 student tickets. We pay the change 16 dollars both.
Before entering and as we did in Prambanan, we had a cup of coffee, to tone the body a little and after they put on our first sarong, we set out to walk the path that takes us to the first views of the incredible Borobudur.
It takes us about 5 minutes to get to the first sight and it makes us stop dead and take off the tripod instantly.


First views of Borobudur from Yogyakarta

We have stunning views, we can only see a part, but we also find it impressive. We look from side to side, to see which perspective is the best, but we cannot decide.
After taking several photos, we set off to begin the ascent.
We see that almost without realizing it, we have already “advanced” enough people that we see that it does not make the complete route, but that it ascends directly by the stairs that we have right in front of the entrance road.
We weigh the situation a little and although we intuit that when we reach the top it will be full of people, we decide that we prefer to make the road calmly, as far as possible and in we will find what has to be once up.
So we go in search of the entrance door that we consider optimal for our ascent and we just found it in front.
Without knowing very well what we are going to find, we begin to ascend within this kind of mandala ... that almost without wanting it, forces us to travel it clockwise.
At the beginning we don't know what to do, if to look, to take pictures or to start running to get to the top as soon as possible ...

More practical information to prepare your trip to Indonesia

- 10 essential places to visit in Indonesia
- 10 essential tips for traveling to Indonesia

After a while, once settled and calm, we decided to continue walking, walking it little by little. Savoring it, as if it were a good Italian ice cream, of those who do not want it to never end.
Mmm ... what a comparison! Borobudur with an Italian ice cream ... but if we think about it, surely if we think about it carefully, we find more than one resemblance !!


Admiring Borobudur

Borobudur

After an hour traveling and ascending, we began to meet with many schools touring the Borobudur Buddhist Temple.
On this occasion, unlike Prambanan, we are not comfortable at any time. They don't stop laughing, screaming ... calling us out loud so we can turn and take pictures. There are times when they border on rudeness in some behaviors. And what makes us worse is that they do not stop climbing above the sizes.
We find it incredible that there is no teacher or guard who controls this issue.
Well, there are and we see them, most of them waiting for them at the bottom and the few that ascend with them, they don't say anything ...
Yesterday in Prambanan we felt a bit harassed, but at all we felt bad about that issue, the other way around. It even made us funny and we agreed to all the photos they asked for.
But here it has been different. In the end we have chosen to run a little more, to move on to the school groups we met.


Persecuted

After an hour and a half, we arrive at the part that they are restoring and we take a couple of turns, to admire, before going down, the immensity of Borobudur.
A mandala in its purest form.
I don't know how many pictures we will have taken, but surely we have “burned” the camera !!


For a few meters we have not reached the lighting

It has been a shame not to be able to reach the end, to our particular lighting and perhaps this is the sensation with which we decided that being already at 8 in the morning, it is time to start going down.
We do this quickly, almost without looking back, for not having the temptation to go back up to admire this incredible work a little more.
Once "outside" we look for a place a little further away, to see and take a picture of Borobudur full size
It doesn't stop impressing us. It is amazing that it exists. It is incredible that it is not one of the wonders of the world.
We sat on one of the benches, to drink some water and have our last moment with the mandala.


Borobudur from a distance

We have not reached enlightenment (they were restoring it). But we will return. Surely we will return someday, to get there. And then we can say that we have known samsara.
After this, we slowly walk through the market until we reach the entrance, they sell all kinds of souvenirs, but incredible as it may seem, we don't feel like buying. We still have no spirit of consumption!
We only take the opportunity to buy fresh water, since at this time the heat begins to be felt.
We found our car and told him that we want to make a couple of stops before getting on the way to the Dieng Plateau, one in the Mendut Temple and another in Candi Pawon.
It took about 10 minutes to reach Candi Pawon, which is 1.5km east of Borobudur.
We paid 2000 rupees per person and 2000 parking, more or less what we paid yesterday in all the temples we went to.
Here we already meet some more tourists, which reminds us that we are in one of the most visited areas of Java.
We are struck by the figures of dwarves at the entrance, pouring wealth. This suggests that this temple is dedicated to Kubera, the Buddhist god of wealth.


Cadi Pawon

After a while admiring this little temple, we go to the Temple of Mendut.
Here we stop a little longer. Not only because of the Temple itself, but because of the surrounding landscape, which is incredibly peaceful.
We enter the temple when we see that all tourists have left and we find a statue of Buddha, 3 meters high, with a western posture, that is, with both feet on the ground.
Is awesome. We could say that it makes the competition to Borobudur, not for big, if not for pretty, elegant ... perfect.
In one of the corners stands an impressive tree, which is still the focus of the eyes of those who are approaching there.


Mendut Temple

Here we see some more tourists, but nothing bought with Borobudur.
The truth is that until today, we are rarely encountering foreigners.
It is 9.30 and we decided that it is time to set off for the Dieng Plateau.
We know it will be about 3-4 hours on the way, depending on how we are on the road.
We have to say that although we have arrived at 12.30, so it has been about 3 hours on the way, these have been flown.
We have not stopped going through some film landscapes. We cross each moment through villages where we want to stop and visit.
As I said at some point, we see everything as something unreal. It looks like a movie and we don't want it to end!
Almost without realizing it, we will meet at Wonosobo, Dieng's gateway.
From here the landscapes, if possible, are much better. We do not know which side to look at and being all sloping and going very slowly, it gives us time to look at almost every detail.
Here I make a small observation. We had been told that driving here is reckless. We disagree. It is not reckless, it is more than that !! But destiny definitely exists. These days we have been here, we have realized that it was not "our time". But despite this, there is something incredible. We have not seen any accident or mishap. They drive fatal, but compared to how we drive! They make it phenomenal. They are potential drivers! Each time they pass, which is at any moment, no one moves away from the other lane, the horn is touched and passed. Directly, without more.
That said, we can continue with the diary of the day: we are already in the village of Dieng, where we hope to eat after seeing the whole list of things we have.
The first thing we do is go to the Arjuna Complex, the entrance includes the visit of this temple and the Kawah Sikidang area.
There we find 5 temples that await us, lonely, surrounded by fields.


Arjuna Complex

There are no more tourists than us, so we took the opportunity to take a short tour, which almost without realizing it leads to Candi Gatutkaca.


Candi Gatutkaca

There we are for a while, then return on our steps to the car.
If we had more time, we would definitely do this walking tour. But as time is pressing, we have to choose to get back in the car and head towards Candi Bima.
We are little time, because despite being a unique temple in Java, for having sculpted heads (kudu) in the windows that look like spectators, it is small.
From here and beginning to notice and hungry, we decided that it is best to go see what we need and once we finish going straight to eat at Dieng.

Book the best rated tours and excursions in Yogyakarta in Spanish by travelers:

- Tour of Yogyakarta and its great temples
- Excursion to Borobudur at dawn and Dieng Plateau
- Excursion to Surakarta and temples of Cetho and Sukuh

This decision is an act of rebellion, since our stomach is ringing, but we do not want to give it a truce ... and less on a day like today!
We go to Kawah Sikidang and there we walk a small path that culminates in a volcanic crater with fumaroles and with the characteristic smell.
We are about 20 minutes in the area and in honor of the truth, we have to say that it does not surprise us much.


Kawah Sikidang on the Dieng Plateau

A few years ago, on our trip along the West Coast of the United States, we were lucky to spend a few days touring Yellowstone (and no matter how much comparisons should be made) this phenomenon of nature, we have fallen a little "short."
But despite that, it is an area that if you have the opportunity, it has to be seen.
From here we set off to the last area to visit on the Dieng Plateau.
We park in the parking lot and go straight to the entrance, where we pay the entrance that gives access to this whole area. It's roughly 20,000 rupees.
This area includes Telaga Warna, Gua Serma and Telaga Pengilon.
Telaga means "lake" and Gua means "cave."
Here we are about an hour touring the different points and marveling at the turquoise water of Telaga Warna. We even met a newly married couple taking pictures.
It is incredible, it is a perfect framework for walking and having a good time.


Telaga Warna

For the hour that is we will not be able to go around the main lake, so we decided to do half and then go to Gua Serma, with the surprise of finding it closed!
Too bad it's almost 2 in the afternoon and our stomach asks us for food !!
So we go to the exit and tell the driver to take us to the Bu Jono restaurant, recommended in the guide.
Well, it should be clarified that the guide recommends it as the best option, within the only recommended !!
It is total, we will not deny it. Zero cleaning, but extreme attention.
There we eat a Nasi Goreng, Ayam Goreng, another Nasi Goreng for the guide. Coca cola, liter water and tea and banana pankake dessert (not eaten by 5 diners of how huge it was)
The total account is 5 euros. So you can imagine how happy we got out of there hahahaha.


Bu Jono restaurant, in Dieng

And there is something we cannot deny. Great food! And as we saw nothing "weird" ... recommended is the restaurant by Travelers Travelers.
After filling the stomach we set off towards Semarang, look at your watch before leaving and see that it is almost 3 in the afternoon.
Before leaving, we tell you that we want to stop at the viewpoint we saw on the climb to Dieng.
It is 5 km from Wonosobo and is a viewpoint from where you can see the volcano and a magnificent view of the entire valley.
The valley is flooded with terraced crops and lost villages.
Now it is all down, but the speed is almost the same, so it took about 30 minutes to reach the viewpoint.
When we got out of the car we were impressed. We expected to find it completely covered in fog, but to our amazement, it is completely clear. There are times when you don't have to ignore the guides 100% and get carried away by instinct!
It is one of the best views we have ever seen.
Awesome!!
We take lots of pictures and we stay a while to admire the gift they have given us today. Because without a doubt, being able to see this is a gift.


Landscapes of film on the lookout of the Wonosobo road

We spent there about 20 minutes and began to notice a little cold. The height shows. Although it is sunny, a few degrees have fallen and we begin to be a little uncomfortable.
We get back on track, still looking at the sides, so we don't miss the landscape details for a moment.
After 1 hour and peak in the car, we ask the driver when we will arrive in Semarang and when he tells us that around 7 pm, little more and gives us something!
We knew it was a few hours, but not so many!
So, as we can not do anything, we end up accommodating ourselves and enjoying the fantastic landscape !!
After a few "minutes", we look at the clock again and there are 5 minutes to 7 in the afternoon and "voilà" we are at the entrance door to our hotel, the Hotel Novotel Semarang.
We said goodbye to the driver, we paid him what was left of the trip, a tip and “pa inside” !!
We check in in less than 5 minutes and go straight to the room.
Roger lies down to rest for a while and I already prepare my small backpack for tomorrow: we are going to Borneo!
Again I feel those nerves that I have when we are going to start a trip.
After a while in the room and leaving things ready we went down to dinner.
We decided that we will do it at the Hotel Novotel Semarang, we do not feel like going out to “look for life”.
We had dinner Masi Goreng and Roger some ribs of something that I can not identify, but in the end they know a little a A couple of waters and for dessert a browni. All for about 25000 rupees. Carito ... but hey, what are we going to do. These whims are paid !!
After this we go to the room, with only one thought: Tomorrow we fly to Borneo!

Day 6
SEMARANG - PANGKALANBUN - TANJUNG PUTING

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