What runs through my decision-making process especially when it comes to choosing a holiday destination is, or course, it must be a place where I really wanted to go. Then comes the rational part of analysing the accessability, cost, safety, etc in making the holiday, a reality. I always wanted to visit Borobudur ever since I first heard of it from my dearest cousin, the Flamboyant Maestro. Because of the 2004 earthquake in Yogyakarta, I did my pilgrimage to Angkor Wat instead.
Late last month, one of my travel wishlist finally came true, thanks to my Hubby. We boarded an Air Asia flight that flew direct from Singapore to Yogyakarta. Having done my research for the past few weeks, I was quite sure what to expect for the trip. Well, not exactly, when I first laid my eyes on the few tall volcanic mountains while still in the air. I felt like this place spells terror everywhere, what if the mountains are still active and erupt, all at the same time?
After landed, we walked from the tarmac and into the small terminal. Our first task or rather the immigration's was to sanitize our whole body as H1N1 was still one of the hottest topic then. We walked through something like the metal detector in any regular airports but this one, we had to pause our movement for the machine to spray disinfectant towards us. Quite high-tech for a place like this. Well, what do we know...
After a short walk, from the disinfectant machine, which made me feel clean but weaken a little, we walked about 5 steps to collect our luggage from the only carousel spotted. Then 2 steps away, we cleared the custom and another 2 more steps, we were on our way to negotiate for a cab to the city centre, Jalan Malioboro.
We boarded the cab and I began to realise there are many versions to spell Jogya and I was happy to know that the official one is the one I use most often, Yogyakarta. I spotted the spelling in a police station, from a distance, looking outward from our cab along our way to Malioboro. My introduction to Jogya is somewhat, familiar yet exciting while we were travelling along Adisucipto Street.
It did not sink in directly to me that I was in Indonesia, Central Java to be exact. I find the culture and language similar to Malaysia. The people here are most friendly and somewhat, trustworthy like the Nepalese. I am not sure whether religion plays a role but they are truly polite (berbudi bahasa).
Once we reached Malioboro, we headed to the Tourist Information Centre to get a map. It is located next to Mutiara Hotel, we were told but we detoured when we saw a mall. We did some shopping in Polo, which is not quite typical of us to begin our adventure like this, but since it is conveniently in front of us and many birthdays ahead, we threw our one bagpack and wrestled through the clothing line. Then we break for lunch at a local fast food chain where we saw only a few tables occupied, because of the Ramadhan.
Then we were back on our feet again to Malioboro Street where we spotted a cab. We wanted to go to Borobudur where we had our hotel reservation there. We asked the price for the 45-minute journey and the honest cab driver pulled out a price list and showed us the price. We agreed as it is the price range that we expected and we know from his gesture, he is a reliable man. Our cab driver is Yulianto, a kind, knowledgeable and honest gentleman. Along the journey, he explained patiently of what we saw and asked, although I felt bad as he was fasting then. He is proud of his city and told us he is from Kotagede where it is famous for its silver industry.
45-minute is not long with superb road condition outside, and inside, a very clean and comfortable air-conditioned Toyota. I did not once, close my eyes as I wanted to witness everything along the way, along Jalan Magelang where many familiar sculptures where made, like the ones we usually see in a Sundanese restaurant or a Balinese spa.
In a blink, we reached Saraswati Borobudur, a boutique hotel of 18 rooms in a colonial-like bungalow. We parted with Yulianto but told him to pick us up in 2 days time. The hotel staff there offers very personalised service and checking-in made us feel like royals. We were then, ushered to our room, 207 with a view of Mount Merapi. The place is quiet and private and it reminds me of Raffles Singapore, a small one. We quickly unload and took a walk outside the area. We walked towards Borobudur park to find out about the entrance fee or the famous sunrise tour. We were directed to Manohara Hotel where it is the only place that will conduct the sunrise tour for visitors.
We made our bookings and took a walk to see the souvenirs shops, where I bought a small replica of a stupa, went into local restaurants, horse-carts, trishaws and visited the many stalls selling food and fireworks for Ramadhan. We also saw a Catholic Church just a few steps away from our hotel.
The sun began to set quite early and the street began to quiet down with only the sound of the Azan. We walked back to our hotel and we had our first meal of local dishes in our hotel restaurant. There, we saw the other guests and there were only 5 rooms occupied.
We retired early for a very early sunrise tour the next day, which begins at 4:30am. We roamed the dark street again towards Manohara. We made payment for the tour which costs us Rp600,000. The many zeroes don't help when you try to convert them to your currency, especially at this kind of wee hours. Anyway, we were on a holiday.
In the dark, we were given a torchlight each, a brand new one, and we made our way to the private entrance to Borobudur from Manohara. It is the entrance where they charge you extra for the exclusiveness and opens 1.5 hours earlier before the public could access. With just a few spotlights, shining the vast area of the temple, I saw the silhouette of the magnificent Borobudur right in front of me after my entrance ticket was checked.
The sight was unforgettable and I could not have imagined the size of the whole temple when I was standing at the base of it. We climbed the steep stairs to reach the main stupa. When we reached there, everyone was just admiring the dark view around, with stupas everywhere. We stood still and sat down at the spot where the sun will rise shortly. The silence was deafening, something that I could get use to quite easily. The calmness was abound and I began to wait patiently for the first glimpse of the sun between the two peaks of Merapi and Merbau in front of us.
While waiting, I overheard a conversation between a quide and his clients. They spoke about Buddhism although he is a Muslim man. The first spark finally came out and everyone begin to aim their lenses towards the sun. How beautiful, the sight was!
Soon after a short while, the fog began to blanket the view. It was chilly and we walked around to see the many stupas and the Buddha statues. Inside each stupa lies a statue of Buddha that had eroded. The arrangement of the stupas is incredibly in perfect alignment and all the four main directions look almost identical. We begin to explore the entire temple by descending slowly to each level and we took some photos, of course.
When our stomachs began growling, we decided to head back to Manohara to redeem our free refreshment. The coffee served was perfect to my liking. And the light snack was substantial enough. We walked back to Borobudur and then, we visited the museum.
In the museum, which is often missed by tourists, is one of the best place to be. The guide there, not only offered us information about the temple, but also shared with us about the locals here whom he claimed, are very peaceful people in a multi-religious community with Muslims, Christians, Hindus and Buddhists living together.
According to him, Borobudur is most happening during the Wesak in the month of May. While the Buddhists celebrate, the Muslims guard the place. How cordial it is for such an arrangement, with respect for each others customs. It is enlightening to know. At the museum, I was told by the guide that I could pour water over the Buddha statue (which is originally found in the Borobudur complex) for 7 times and what I wished for will come true. Knowing me, I did not wish for anything but did it just for the experience.
Before the heat of the afternoon punctures our skin, we hired a trishaw to see the smaller temples called, Candi Mendut and Candi Pawon. The trishaw guy was quite an elderly man and when the journey was going uphill, Hubby got down and helped the guy to push the trishaw. We paid him Rp 60,000, which is more than 10 times the market rate. I supposed the amount justified the great physical effort he put in.
We returned to our hotel to relax by the pool. Before sunset, we began to venture out again and this time, we wanted to try the horse cart. We just wanted to see the village and how the local people live. After that, we packed some satay back and enjoyed it by the pool.
Our final day at Borobudur, we had another sumptuous breakfast at the hotel. I grabbed my favaourite book from the hotel's book shelf, titled Indonesia. It was written in the mid-eighties and the content is excellent! As I turn the pages, I fell in love with the country.
Our cab driver Yulianto finally came. Before he drove us to Malioboro, we made a pit stop at Ketep Pass to see Mount Merapi. He appeared fresh as it was his off day, the day before. Taxi drivers there work in a 24hr shift and get the next day off. We wonder how they can stand driving for 24 hrs and isn't it a safety hazard?
In Malioboro, we checked in to a backpackers inn. It was really basic with only SGD 25 a night, plus breakfast! We hired a trishaw and he took us to Kraton, Taman Sari,an underground mosque, a batik shop, and to see some local arts and crafts. I felt really bad as it was still Ramadhan and everyone was still working as hard.
Finally, after 2 nights of luxury and the final night in a backpackers inn, we called it off. Our experience and encounters had been great so far especially with the people we met. We love the city and the peacefulness of Borobudur. We booked for an early morning flight and once again, faithful Yulianto came to send us off.
Our flight took off and I guess, it is back to reality again...
