'Wow its huge!' I think to myself as I drive down the highway towards Borobudur, only to realise a minute later that it was actually a shop sign silhouetting against the sky.
It's still about 10km away which means probably around 20-30 minutes. This is Indonesia, you gotta take into account those cars and busses pulling over to the side of the road, taking an entire lane out of action, reducing your speed down to about 15kmph.
Borobudur is a hotspot in a part of Java where there is really nothing much else to see. In my opinion it is responsible for 90% of the international tourists in Yogyakarta. The rest are just here to pass through or see the half dozen temples and ruins on the east side of the city.
My decision to rent a scooter for the day and drive there was a brilliant idea. Not only did it work out about half the price of a tour but I don't have to catch four busses and I can take detours along the way to explore the area and buy stuff.
Which is how I stumbled across a display of Indonesian gravel excavation techniques. Things probably haven't changed in this industry for centuries (the truck being the exception). Basically they hire a dozen guys with pickaxes to dig at rocks in a riverbed and load them into the back of a truck, one wicker basket at a time. Labour is cheap and so are their spines it seems.
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| These guys won't be sinking Bintangs in Bali during their time off |
As I approach the Borobudur site, I'm guided towards some guys vehicle workshop right across the road where he has parking space available for 5000rp (0.50 NZD*). I later on realise how good this is when I pass through the vehicle parking gates and see a 10,000rp entry fee for scooters.
I've barely taken five steps into the gated compound when a guy walks up to me wielding three mini Borobudur souvineers in one hand
"Entry is this way sir, would you like to buy a souvineer!"
Luckily this is the only guy trying to sell me shit and I manage to make it to the racially segregated ticket booths.
'Foreigner Entry'
I pay 8x the price (360,000rp $36 NZD*) what an Indonesian citizen would pay but at least there's a guy to open the door for me.
'It's not as tall as I thought it would be' I think to myself as I walk down the road towards the Buddhist Stupa. I had grand visions of some kind of ziggurat, peaking 100m into the sky. At the end of the day, it was constructed by piling huge rocks on top of one another by hand so you can't get too picky.
The ancient stone stairs have a rise far exceeding the run and would be deemed illegal in certain parts of the world. Unfit sightseers cling to the handrails as they descent from the top, trying not to lose their footing and tumble down 5 flights of stairs to their death.
As I approach the top-most level I witness a contemporary ritual which modern people partake at almost every ancient monument. -The photography of oneself amongst giant bits of stone.
One cannot walk around freely around the top level without getting in the way of someone's photo.
People used to meditate up here. Now they make offerings to #CandiBorobudur & #Borobudur.
I walk around trying to take some unique photographs because God only knows how many people have taken a photo of the 'bells' at the top. I was that guy, leaning against the walls for stability, using manual focus and playing with the aperture like some kind of professional hitman trying to line up a shot.
Making my departure, I follow the Keluar 'exit' signs along a path leading towards battery of turnstiles. Beyond them a dark canopies maze of stallholders all trying to sell miniature Borobudur souvenirs and t-shirts with graphic prints of every variety. There are many different pathways to take; all of them zig zagging over what seems to be half a kilometer. Just like New Zealand, tourist attractions are often accompanies by a souvenir section which you must pass through before exiting the premises. The population is about 60x that of New Zealand so I guess it's safe to say that the souvenir section ought to be 60x the size. In fact it's so comprehensive it even includes beggars and dudes trying to sell you generic photographs of the temple which they probably found of google images. It's the hawker equivalent of Borobudur and might become a tourist attraction in itself if it continues long enough.
*IDR to NZD conversion July 2018
More photos here \/
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