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Hi there fellow gardeners. I'm glad so many people are enjoying the travel diary. It's great to get such positive feedback.
Now it's time to reveal just why we were in Jogya. SUNRISE OVER BOROBUDUR!
We were told by expats. in Jakarta that it would be an enlightening experience in more ways than one and, indeed it was.
Borobudur is an ancient Buddhist temple in central Java and it is believed to mean "Complex of Temples on the Hill". This massive monument was ordered to be constructed around 750 A.D. by a powerful and wealthy ruler of the Cailendra dynasty and was largely completed around 919 A.D.
The enormous dimensions of this extraordinary structure make Borobudur one of the largest Buddhist Temples outside India and is closely related to other Buddhist temples in Cambodia.
I can tell you it's an experience not to be missed. The only downside was having to get up at 3am for the one hour drive. We set off with very little knowledge of what to expect; after all, another temple in ruins, more of the same old, same old, surely?
Couldn't be further from the truth. You arrive with your own tour guide (we had the most delightful chap who was a mine of information), check in to the tourist centre at a small hotel and then begin the 20 minute trek to the temple site.
As we approached our destination, it suddenly dawned on me (no pun intended) that the towering, 10 level monolith rising out of the jungle in front of me was about to challenge every ounce of my intestinal fortitude.
My son-in-law had gallantly bought along for my use, the collapsable trekking walking stick he had used to walk the Kokoda track but I politely declined the offer. "I'm not ready for a walking stick, thankyou Craig".
I did my best to keep the look of consternation off my face as I gazed ever-upwards. Can't keep a good old Aussie girl down and certainly you must never, ever give up (even though you might die trying).
* See this week's Free Press for full article.