Yogyakarta – the cultural heart of Java and a volcano
Back in Java and now in the city of Yogyakarta, the cultural centre of Java. We are here for a few events, the first of which was to go by jeep up Turgo Hill to watch Mount Merapi volcano erupt and see the lava flow at night. Mount Merapi is the most active volcano in Indonesia. The route was rugged and took us through rivers to a remote location. We sat there in the dark drinking hot coffee until 1am eagerly waiting for the eruptions, we were treated to several!
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We visited 2 special temples whilst in Yogyakarta. The first Prambanan, an impressive 9th century Hindu temple and the largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia. The second, Borobudur temple, the largest Buddhist temple in the world. The intention of this visit was to see the sunrise from the highest point allowed on the Borobudur temple, a supposedly serene and tranquil experience. In reality it was far from that expectation. Busy and noisy from the loud and incessant voices of a few people who really had no understanding of the reason why the majority had visited this special place and with total disregard to the overseeing Buddha. Anyway, sunrise was a total non event due to the mist and humidity but that took nothing away from the presence of the mighty Borobudur Temple.
Prambanan temple
Our time in Yogyakarta is done, apart from the big sites we visited outside of the city, Yogyakarta itself is an interesting place with its contrasts, Malioboro street is bustling and noisy, street food carts, batik shops and live street music throughout. On the quieter side you can wander around the narrow streets of Kotagede and Taman Sari which are old traditional villages within the city. The Sultans palace and the water castle are also worth a visit. During our time here there was also a music festival of traditional gamelan music. So now we have a 7 hour train journey to our next destination….. Malang
14 Comments
Eha Carr
This arrived ten minutes ago. I am still scrolling up-and-down, thrilled! BUT – all of this should be collected into a book and pay for your travel expenses plus! Cannot believe you sat there in the dark in the jeep on the off chance the blessed volcano would blow . . . am thrilled it did! Best and closest photos of Borobudur I have seen. Marvellous that some of your Prambanan photos were more from a distance so that the size of man could be compared to the size of edifice – impressive . . . You ARE having quite a trip aren’t you . . . and I doubt Phil has had time to write too many pages of his newest book . . . blessings and good wishes . . .
Phil & Michaela
Well, sitting in the dark up a mountain wasn’t actually that exciting, however the handful of times we saw an eruption made it worth while!
Toonsarah
This sounds like a great base for some interesting outings. I would have loved that volcano eruption, seeing the lava in the dark! And the temples look fascinating, Prambanan in particular (reminiscent of Angkor Wat but without the crowds). A shame about the noisy companions at the sunrise though.
Phil & Michaela
Prambanan was amazing however Angkor is more atmospheric as it is more rugged and part of the charm of that complex is finding hidden temples in the undergrowth and enveloped by tree roots. Prambanan is definitely worth a visit but it is has been reconstructed (from original materials) so a bit more pristine.
Steven Berger
Sorry you missed your sunrise. Failed expectations can be tough. But seeing the lava flow must have been great. We’ve tried a few times and still haven’t seen one.
The two complexes are so different, just like their religions. We enjoyed both and were lucky with very few visitors and good weather.
Thanks (as always) for the wonderful pictures. I could look at a hundred more!
Stay safe,
Steve
Phil & Michaela
Well we may have missed that sunrise but have been lucky since then, details in next post 😆
Lookoom
Borobudur was on my itinerary too; I hope the weather will be better on the day I get there.
Phil & Michaela
I hope so too, I imagine it would be quite spectacular 😄
WanderingCanadians
Such a cool experience to see the lava flow at night! Sorry to hear that what should have been a peaceful moment at the Borobudur temple was ruined by loud jabronies. And it’s too bad you didn’t see the sunrise either.
Phil & Michaela
Yes, however even with the disruption in it a beautiful complex 😃
Alison Hutt
Another amazing adventure. The mist over the temple looked very mystical. Sounds like you’re not a romantic Phil, being up a mountain with a lovely woman in the dark, would be a dream for most men! With or without a volcano. I’m following along with you both on Instagram too.
Phil & Michaela
Thanks Ali, Yogyakarta has so much to offer, and Phil does has his romantic moments 😉
grandmisadventures
What a thrill to see the lava flow like that! Those temples are really stunning- it is amazing how much detail they carved into the stone
Phil & Michaela
It is amazing to see the natural world in action and it is very active in this part of the world. There was a 7.7 earthquake on the Island of Flores yesterday, we have planned to be there in a couple of weeks but may have to change plans, we will see nearer the time 😊