Java is the largest island in the Indonesian archipelaego, and also home to the capital Jakarta. This is where we started our trip although our stay there was only a few hours - long enough to arrange transport out of the city. We headed for Yogyakarta in central Java, a popular base for tourists due to it's proximity to two of the most impressive temples in Asia - Borobodur and Prambanan. Ancient temples, active volcanoes, massage courses, and traditional dance performances all made it into our one week stay. Borobodur is often referred to as one of the most spectacular temples in SE Asia. Sited 42km from Yogya it was built between 750 and 850AD, slightly earlier than the Ankor temples in Cambodia. Some people have speculated that the same people could be behind both achievements, but no evidence confirms this. The temple is a pyramid built literally on top of a hill, the base measuring 118m square. Similar to the Ankor temples, Borobodur was built to represent the Buddhist vision of the cosmos, starting in the everyday world and spiralling up to nirvana, the Buddhist heaven. Six terraces lead up to three circular levels containing 72 Buddha images in latticed stupas, while 432 Buddha's stare out from the lower six levels. Another site often mentioned in the same breath as Borobodur is Prambanan. Built around the same era (8th to 10th century AD) and even in the same locality, it is a collection of 250 temples, the single largest of which is the main drawcard for tourists. This temple is 47m high but only the lower levels are accessible, due to the design. The main tower contains four statues from Hinduism, each with their own history and legends. East is Shiva the Destroyer, south contains Agastya (an incarnation of Shiva as teacher), west the elephant headed Ganesha (Shiva's son) and north Durga, Shiva's consort. The students who showed us around the temples believed Durga to be Loro Jonggrang, the 'Slender Virgin' and stopped Sarah and I from seeing the statue at the same time - apparently it brings bad luck for couples. The Ramayana Ballet is a huge tourist draw, but the main outdoor dance only takes place during the dry season from May to October. Arriving in November we didn't get a chance to see this, but we did see the indoor version which is performed all year long. There are numerous performances held at venues throughout Yogyakarta, but we opted for the one held at the Prambanan temple's indoor arena. The cast of this show only numbers around 15 instead of the colossal 300 or so for the outdoor version, but has the advantage of only lasting two hours instead of two full evenings. Many of the characters wear masks so cannot convey expression - it's all shown with movement and it's very impressive. Accompanied by the easily identifiable gamelan music, the troupe tell the story of Rama and his wife Sita who is abducted by Rawana. It's interesting to note that story is told all over Asia with minor variations - in Thailand for example, Rama does not believe Sita has been true to him, so she burns herself to prove her purity. The same happens in the Indonesian version, but Sita does not die in the flames - she lives happily ever after with Rama. Much happier! The name of this national park derives from the ancient Tengger crater and the volcanoes in and around it. Gunung Bromo is the best known and often climbed peak in the crater itself, while Gunung Semeru is the skyline dominating peak just over 15km away. The Tengger crater is over 10km across and presents one of the most spectacular landscapes in Indonesia. Both of these volcanoes are still active, with billowing smoke a constant reminder. At 2932m Bromo is dwarfed by Semeru at 3676m, the highest mountain on Java and one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Climbing Semeru is possible but takes three days, time we didn't have. The climb up Bromo from the Tengger crater is only 246 steps and not difficult, although the sulphur from the crater increases the effort required.
