Merry Buddhist and Hindu Christmas

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We arrived...we finally arrived.

After our dreadful ride we were ready to collapse and that is what we did. Our exciting Christmas Eve consisted of waking up from a nap at 11:00pm, realizing all the restaurants were closed, and going back to bed. We left Santa a nice cold Bintang (Indonesian beer) and some mie gorengs (fried noodles)...lol.

We woke up refreshed and ready for a Christmas day expedition to a Hindu temple in the morning, and a Buddhist temple in the afternoon. After stocking up on water and tim-tams (Australian cookies, probably the best in the world!) we plunged head first into ancient Indonesia and Prambanan, the Hindu temples from the 9th century.

Unfortunately the temple had been damaged in a May earthquake and wasn't fully opened to the public (you can see it partitioned off, and one tip dangerously leaning). We could still walk around the grounds to see the lovely peaks that had been constructed. Prambanan is absolutely gorgeous and wasn't too busy. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Before going to Borobudur we stopped for lunch at a local joint. Not really sure what was happening, the waiter brought over dish after dish for us to eat. Several were quite tasty, while others looked very South-East Asian looking (as in, what in the world is that...I've definitely never seen anything like that). One dish I decided to try (which I posted a picture) was quite tasty, but a very strange texture. I told Miranda I thought it was a vegetable, as it seemed similar to broccoli with the furry feel. I tried it only because Miranda agreed she would also follow suit. We decided to ask the waiter what it was...though his english was pretty much non-existent. Asking him, he spit out the words cow stomach. This didn't seem too bad to me, so I decided to eat another bite. When we finished and another waitress came (who's English was perfect) we asked her what the dish was again. This time, her response was Cow Testicles. Yum! Delicious indeed. Of course Miranda had copped out on her end of the deal (though, I guess I was wrong guessing it was a vegetable...hahaha).

In the afternoon we crossed the town (stomach's nice and full!) and headed to Borobudur, a monolithic Buddhist structure which is the largest Buddhist monument on the planet. It was also built in the 9th century, and the history between Prambanan and Borobudur is quite fascinating. Though Borobudur was originally going to be a Hindu temple, Buddhists took over the region and continued building on the already made base. But, what historians agree is special about the region is that both Buddhists and Hindus were living in extremely close quarters and both built gigantic temples to worship at, in the same timeframe. This is against most of history where clashes of religion have led to massacres and forcing out of people in the region. And obviously, this is still a global problem which continues to plague us.

Borobudur is just absolutely stunning. Uplifting the monument and placing it amongst the temples in Angkor, Cambodia, Borobudur would remain fascinating. There are 5 levels to it, and you are supposed to circle around each level, until you reach the top level which is symbolically reaching enlightenment. Walking around each level, you will have walked over 5 km. The top level is beautiful with 50 or so stupas each containing a carved Buddha. The Buddha's facing different directions are also different (placement of hands etc.) Perched on the top level overlooking the surroundings, you can't help but feel lucky.

Your view:

• Looming mountains
  
• Gorgeous palm trees
  
• Gunung Merapi (the 6th most active volcano in the world)
  

all while standing on a 1200 year old temple in the middle of Indonesia. Looking out in any direction you got the feeling that the view was almost the exact same 1000 years ago. As very few buildings had been built that were above the palm trees. Such a cool feeling. Again, the pictures will try and do the talking.

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Photos

Borobudur
Just amazing.

Prambanan
The entrance to the Hindu temple Prambanan.

Prambanan
This is the area that has been fenced off, hence no people.

Prambanan
This is the area that has been fenced off, hence no people.

Prambanan Rubble
Some rubble still is laying in the grounds, not cleaned up from the earthquake yet

Prambanan
This area was absolutely silent behind the temple, lovely flowers and statues. Great find.

Delicious
It DOES look hairy

Borobudur
Look at all the buddhas!

Borobudur
My what a small head you have...

Stupas
These are the stupas at the top. Each stupa contains a buddha inside. Reaching in and touching them is considered good luck.

See..
A buddha inside

The Whole Thing
I love the spiky look