Borobudur (Java tour 2)

To see the sunrise at Borobudur Temple, we woke up at 4 o'clock and drove to the temple in the dark. There were already a lot of tourists who wanted to witness this spectacle. Unfortunately, it was cloudy and we couldn't see a spectacular sunrise.

In the daylight, we explored the temple which is actually a large monument that explains the teachings of Buddhism. It is considered the largest Buddhist sanctuary in the world.

Surrounding a large stupa, there are 72 small miniature stupas on three terraces, each containing a Buddha figure.

Beneath these round terraces, there are square terraces with reliefs that describe, among other things, the life of Siddhartha Gautama who becomes Buddha.

After the visit, we went back to the hotel and had breakfast to energize ourselves.

Then we visited two smaller temples: Mendut and Pawon Temple.

Next to Mendut Temple, there is a ficus tree that is over a thousand years old, just like the temple itself.

Near Pawon Temple, there is a cafe where you can drink the famous Mungo 'cat coffee'. The coffee beans are eaten by this civet cat species, then excreted and processed into coffee.

To get an impression of village life in Indonesia, we took a horse-drawn carriage ride through Canderejo village. We were accompanied by a local guide who showed us, among other things, a kitchen where cassava chips were made for the market. Afterwards, we were allowed to try playing the typical Indonesian gamelan music with her, but we only succeeded to some extent.

During the rest of the journey to Yogyakarta, we drove through rice fields and could observe the rice farmers during their harvest.