Borobudur, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

"License" to enter

So...what is Borobudur? As the ticket rightfully says - the BIGGEST Buddhist Temple in the world. Wikipedia describes it best :

Borobudur, or Barabudur, is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist Temple in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The monument consists of six square platforms topped by three circular platforms and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues.^[1] A main dome, located at the center of the top platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues each of which is seated inside a perforated stupa. It is the world’s largest Buddhist temple,^[2][3] as well as one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in the world. 

To know more, click Borobudur

I have been wanting to visit this world heritage place for sometime now but it has always been shelved when other places of interest pops up. Finally, we made it! On Nov 29, we step foot into Borobudur. It was built in 750A.D using architecture of India. The architect's name was Gunadharma.

We chartered a car for our day's tour. We intend to visit all key places within a day and leave the next day free and easy to tour the town. 

Yogyakarta township

Enroute to Borobudur 

Our transporter bought the tickets for us

It was hot yet drizzling, hence the cap & umbrella

Majestic and so inviting. Yet I felt at peace.

Do's & Don't!!!

As we did not have any tour guide, we went at our own pace and saw what needed to be seen and took some photos to remind us. 

Here at Borobudur, every wall tells a story. If I were to read and understand each and every wall...well, I would have been a historian and not a blogger. Hehehehehe....

The drizzle made it cooling to walk around but had to be careful as the floors were wet and staircases a tad tricky to climb. Some had railings while others do not. So, do hold on to the walls as you climb, just to be safe.

Below are some pictures which I thought was good to share. Enjoy ya.

Such precision even back in 750A.D.

Peek-a-boo.....the chinese will say good "Feng Shui". 

The stupors...

I just had to do it. Felt great.

After seeing my feat, quite a handful of visitors imitated my move. Copy cats!!!. Rocker57 asked me to act my age....oh well, let's just say I never left Neverland and that Peter Pan comes to visit once awhile. What can I say??? I am a lunatic?? Naaaah...just living my life and enjoying what I can when I still can.

But you have to admit it right? At 51, I am ok, right? No? Shhhh....keep your thoughts to yourself ok? Wakakakaaka....

On the way out, most of the souvenir shops were closed as we were early.

Seriously if you were to ask me, was Borobudur mesmerising, enchanting or captivating? Well, it didn't move me like when I first saw the Coliseum in Rome back in 2009. That sent goose pimples all over me. This monument somehow was just normal. Perhaps it could be because I've seen just too many in recent years. 

Don't let me influence you. Why not you go there and check it out for yourself? Perhaps, it may give you goose pimples...who knows?

Like all the places we visited, we bought a miniature stupor for our travel collection.

Borobudur gets a tick in my bucket list. How about you? If you have not visited, plan it now. And if you have trouble finding accommodations, why not try Grand Aston Yogyakarta Hotel.

Catch my next jottings on Prambanan Temple & Mendut as well as some food we ate. Until then....

Live to ride, Ride to live. Vrrroooooom!!! 

Grand Aston Yogyakarta Hotel, Indonesia

Picture credit to the hotel's webpage

Rocker 57 and I stayed here from 28 Nov - 1 Dec 2013. We were visiting Borobudur, or Barabudur, is a 9th century Mahayana Buddhist Temple in Magelang, Central Jaya, Indonesia. More about our Borobudur trip in the next blog.

For more information on Borobudur, click here

Following our Phuket stay at the Ayara Hilltops Boutique Resort & Spa in late August 2013, this 5 star hotel is also worth a special mention. Why? Simply because the entire hotel is smoke free and provides excellent hospitality, similar to that of Ayara.  Smokers caught smoking in the premises will be asked to pay a substantial amount of fine.

Blogger & Rocker57 at entrance to Grand Aston.

We were pampered from the time we set foot into the hotel. Immediately upon arrival, we were given refreshments and attended to promptly.

The room was spacious, warm and cozy.

We ate most of our meals in the hotel as we weren't so comfortable with what we saw outside of the hotel.

We particularly liked the special touch added to the hotel. Four swings just outside the hotel's coffee house cum restaurant and a cosy corner.

Cosy corner where Rocker57 & I enjoyed a cuppa each & watched a musician played the grand piano as well as a 4 piece live band on different days.

The restaurant has a wide spread of food & drinks for breakfast. We liked the indoor as well as the outdoor theme.

Awesome view from inside the coffee house. You can choose to dine outside.

Night view

The waffle & pancake section on the left, juices straight ahead. 

Main course section.

Ever smiling host that serves freshly made locally blended drinks. She explains what each drink is good for our health.

Of course I had to try. Not one but two as Rocker57 doesn't like the smell nor taste of both. I liked both and had them for breakfast the next two days. The one on the left is Kunyit Asam and the one on the right was Brotowali. 

Just to appease many palates, they serve 4 different types of sambal or as wikipedia puts it : 

(in oriental cookery) hot relish made with vegetables or fruit and spices.

I was particularly drawn to this local dish : 

After a small sample trial, I was hooked! Had it daily together with the locally blended drink. And, yes....this dish is called Bubur ( congee or porridge) Gudeg. It is pronounced as "goo dirk". So, what actually is Gudeg?

Our handsome Bubur Gudeg server.

According to him, a normal Gudeg consists of jackfruit, tempeh or fermented soybean compressed into cake-like and then sliced into smaller pieces (optional), krecek (beef skin), coconut milk or santan, ayam opor (Opor chicken is braised chicken in coconut milk) and half boiled egg. It is really a delectable delight. LOVE it!. 

And for the rest of the hotel....

The lobby with the unique stone sofa seats. 

Lovely fresh welcoming sight as you enter the lobby.

The facade as you get down from your taxi ride.

The lap pool is on the same floor as the gym & the wellness spa

I had a wonderful spa in there. Aaaaahhhh...

Flight and accommodations for two persons with Air Asia was only RM1,563.87 or USD421.90 based on today's exchange rate. Breakfast inclusive. With the right ambiance and commendable hospitality, it is worth every sen. (as in Malaysian Ringgit and sen). Travel time is approximately 2 Hours and 25mins from LCCT (now moved to KLIA2).

Do check out this hotel and be pleasantly pampered.

Grand Aston Yogyakarta Hotel
Jl Urip Sumoharjo no 37
Kec. Gondokusuman
Kota Yogyakarta
Special Region 55222
Indonesia

Tel : +62 274 566999

Remember to log in again on our trip to Borobudur soon. Until then....

Live life full & stay happy always. Take care!