Blogs from Borobudur, Java, Indonesia, Asia - page 4

Por la mañana muy tempano nos fuimos a el aeropuerto de Denpasar para coger un avión a Joyakarta (que no es Jakarta, aunque esta en la misma isla de Java). Y hay unos templos ahí muy impresionantes. Nos vinieron a buscar a el aeropuerto y de ahí tuvimos nuestro conductor privado todo el día, cada templo que pasábamos teníamos también nuestro propio guiá, así da gusto viajar, porque nos enteramos de todo perfectamente y podíamos preguntar, nos explicaron cuando se hicieron como se hicieron. En Indonesia hay muchísimos volcanes a parte de muchísimos movimientos sísmicos, los pliegues de la tierra tienen distintos movimientos, pues casi cada una de las islas de Indonesia tiene cada uno el suyo por eso chocan y hay muchísimos terremotos (como el gran tsunami hace unos años). Por lo que los templos ... read more

Have you ever ridden a motorbike in a foreign land, densely populated, completely and utterly unlike your native country? Have you ever taken yourself to where the obscure organized tours only sometimes lead and beyond? Have you ever narrowly escaped death only to be stopped by the police without a valid license, asked to pay a small fine and sent on your way? Have you done all this on the last day of your vacation? gulp, gulp, gulp. It started with a trip to Jogja. A series of quick shots capture the scenery rolling past the train window: a sway of sugarcane, a small town station, the excitement of Prabamanan, a stack of temples zipping past, and the varied position of passengers, growing restless. I'm seated next to my friend Irwan. By friend, i mean lover ... read more

After being softly rocked to sleep in a wooden-panelled cabin while our train wound it's way through the mountains of Sapa last November, we decided that we would travel by night train whenever possible. Now, with Jakarta's Gambir train station a short walk from our front door and the bus stop far outside town, we figured this would be another perfect opportunity to spend the night on the train as we travelled the 10 hours East to Yogyakarta. Getting the train ticket turned out to be relatively hassle-free, so we were feeling pretty good when we arrived at the station later in the evening with our backpacks. We found space to stash our loads above our heads, and the train pulled off at exactly the predicted time. We had not paid for air-con, and we were ... read more

We continue to settle in to life in Semarang. Last night there was a colossal thunderstorm that rolled in after dark. We were on the top of our stairs listening to the echo of the evening prayer call and watching the lightning creep across the horizon. When it finally reached us the rain was tremendous, literally flooding the street in seconds. It was deafening. We were enjoying the action until a huge clap of thunder and blinding lightning broke over our heads and scared us inside. Probably the most intense storm I have ever seen. Last weekend we went to Barobudur, to see the famous temple. Supposedly, it is Java’s most visited tourist attraction; though on this particular weekend it was pretty quiet. The village of Barobudur is located about three hours from Semarang by bus. ... read more

Ich quälte mich heute bereits vor Sonnenaufgang aus dem Bett, um den Tempel von Borobodur möglichst vor dem großen Touristenansturm bewundern zu können. Die Anlage öffnet um 6 Uhr morgens und es waren durchaus schon ein Dutzend Touristen, überwiegend einheimische, um diese Uhrzeit auf den Beinen. Ich hatte heute leider einen schlechten Tag erwischt Javas größte Touristenattraktion zu besuchen. Das Wetter war bescheiden, was die ansonsten traumhaften Ausblicke etwas trübte, und aufgrund des Wochenendes und des chinesischen Neujahrsfestes war ab 8 Uhr auf dem Gelände die Hölle los. Westliche Tourgruppen sind in Indonesien kaum mehr ein Grund einen Ort zu bestimmten Zeiten zu meiden, es sind die einheimischen Touristen, die lärmend durch ihr Land ziehen und die Atmosphäre eines altehrwürdigen Tempels genauso ruinieren können, wie ihre europäischen Artgenossen. Wie dem auch sei, Borobodur i... read more