Hanuman Statue on Jalan Dr Sutomo, Singaraja Bali – Indonesia.
Fishing Boats, Lovina Bali – Indonesia
Fishing boats on Kalibukbuk Beach in Lovina, Bali – Indonesia. Lovina is in the North of Bali, has black beaches and few visitors compared to Kuta in the South.
Bathing Pools, Tirta Empul Bali – Indonesia
Bathing Pools at Tirta Empul, Bali – Indonesia.
Bale Kambang (Floating House), Semarapura Bali – Indonesia
Bale Kambang (Floating House), Semarapura Bali – Indonesia.
Pura Besakih Complex, Bali – Indonesia
Pura Besakih Complex, Bali – Indonesia.
Monkey Forest Road, Ubud Bali – Indonesia
Monkey Forest Road, Ubud – Bali. It’s a road that goes through a forest, with monkeys on it.
Kuta Beach Bikes, Kuta Bali – Indonesia
Ubud Monkey Forest – Bali
The Sacred Monkey Forest Ubud Sanctuary is a great place to see monkeys in a natural environment. The sanctuary is south of the town at the end of the Monkey Forest Rd (Jl Wanara Wana).
[Monkeys At Steps]
The sanctuary is set in a lush forest with temples, stone statues and hundreds of monkeys (Long-tailed Macaque, or Crab-eating Macaque as they are properly known).
[Sitting Monkey]
The monkeys are so accustomed to humans thats they generally ignore you when you walk by. The best way to get up close to the monkeys is with bananas, which are sold at the entry gate.
[Monkey Huddle]
The monkeys are not shy in accepting bananas and they will go for your bag if they think you are hiding bananas from them. Make sure you are holding onto anything loose as they may take off with that as well.
[Monkey Forest Rules]
The Tall and Beautiful Prambanan Temple Complex
Prambanan is a complex of Hindu temples near Yogyakarta in central Java. It is the largest Hindu remnant in Java and it is billed as “the Tallest and Most Beautiful, Largest Hindus Temple in the World”.
While I haven’t been to enough Hindu temples to vouch for it’s most beautiful claim, it certainly is grand in its size and detail.
[Prambanan Temple Complex]
The temple grounds is made up of around 50 temple sites. Many of the temples were damaged by an earthquake in 2006, but the site is still open to visitors.
[Prambanan Viewing Area]
The main temple complex is fenced off due to the restoration and possibility of loose stonework. Despite this it is still possible to view the temples close enough to see the detailed carvings. It just means you can’t climb the stairs of the main temples.
[Brahma Temple]
Away from the main temple complex there are smaller ruined temples with the grounds. About 1km north is Candi Sewu, which consists of a large central Buddhist temple surrounded by smaller temples. This temple site is in a poor state compared to the main temple complex.
[Candi Sewu]
The temples were built between the 8th and 10th century. At the time Java was made up of a Hindu empire in the north and Buddhist in the south.
A marraige between the the two cultures is a possible explanation for the blend Hinduism and Buddism in some of the temples.
Getting to Prambanan Temple Complex
Prambanan is about 20 minutes east of Yogyakarta, so basing yourself there is the easiest way to get there. There are plenty of day trip tours available from Yogya that will combine a trip to Prambanan and Borobudur in the one trip, otherwise you can get a local bus from Yogya.
Yogyakarta Resources
Tourism Indonesia: Visit Indonesia.
Grand Quality Hotel Yogyakarta: Hotel in Yogyakarta.
Borobudur – The biggest Buddhist temple in the world
Borobudur Temple
Borobudur Temple is the biggest Buddhist temple in the world, which is impressive considering that it’s not in a Buddhist country but in Central Java, Indonesia.
[Borobudur Temple]
It’s a temple that ranks with Cambodia’s Angkor Wat and Myanmar’s Bagan as one of the great religious monuments of Southeast Asia.
What is more remarkable is that it doesn’t seem to rank highly on the things to see in Southeast Asia. You’ll always meet someone in a guesthouse in Thailand who has been or is going to Angkor. Less people make the journey to Java.
The temple is estimated to be built around 750-850 AD. It was eventualy abandoned as Islam spread through Java and then it was buried under volcanic ash.
It was not until 1815, when Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles was Governor of Java, that the site was cleared. Restoration began in the time of Dutch rule in the early 20th century, and a full restoration was undertaken from 1973 to 1983.
The temple sits on a 123m x 123m base and consists of 6 square terraces and 3 circular ones, rising up like a pyramid.
When I arrived at the temple I wasn’t expecting it to be so big. Once you get up close to the temple it’s the detail of the carvings that overwhelms. After walking the first level, taking in both the size and attention to detail in all the carved panels, you really understand that this is one of the worlds great temples.
[Fifth Level Third Gallery]
You enter the temple from the east gate and walk around each terrace in a clockwise direction (as you do in a Buddhist temple). Each terrace is lined with carved galleries of fantastic detail.
[Second Gallery Relief]
Upon completing the 6 square terraces you ascend to the first of the 3 circular terraces, where you will find over 500 Buddha images. There are 72 Buddha images contained inside latticed stupa’s, and some of the stupa’s are exposed to reveal the Buddha within.
[Exposed Buddha in Lattice Dagob]
The temple is capped with one large stupa, bringing the temple to a height of 35 metres.
[Main Stupa and Smaller Stupas]
At the top you can comtemplate the valley below and the volcanoes Sundoro Sumbing and Merbabu Merapi in the distance.
[Lattice Dagobs]
Getting To Borobudur
The most convenient way to visit Borobudur is by a day tour from Yogyakarta, which is 42km away. A day tour will also include other activities, such as a visit to the Prambanan Temple complex. If you wish to make your own way, there is a local bus from Yogyakarta which takes 90 minutes.
It is also possible to stay at Borobudur town at guesthouses nearby the temple.
Another popular way to get to Borobudur is via a tour arranged from Bali. seeing that Bali gets more visitors than anywhere in Indonesia, there of plenty of tour companies offering air or bus tours from Bali to Java. If you are planning a trip to Bali it would be worth considering putting aside a few days to do a side trip to Yogyakarta.
Yogyakarta Resources
Tourism Indonesia: Visit Indonesia.
Grand Quality Hotel Yogyakarta: Hotel in Yogyakarta.