The moonlight over Borobudur temple
reveals
a vision of the cosmos in
stone
a world
dominated
by actions
of passion and desire
the glorious past
is celebrated 6
with ships
elephants
musicians,
dancing girls
warriors and kings
the pilgrim's walk
prepares us for the
practice of
detachment
Look out across the valley
ponder upon Nothingness
Reaching through the stupa
to touch the finger or foot
of the
Buddha
inside will surely direct
our thoughts
and motivate us
to take steps
away from conflict
taken from http://www.poemhunter.com/
Up to the time we landed in Indonesia, I was set on seeing Borobudur
from afar. I didn’t want to put so much
pressure on my left leg. I had an
accident six months before that trip that severely fractured my left leg and I was
still using crutches to walk. I still was not fit for stressful travel so I was
taking everything slow but I just really had to join our annual ASEAN
backpacking trip.
Journey to Borobudur
Our first stop was Jakarta. After
a day of gallivanting in Jakarta, we took a train to Yogyakarta. It was an 8-hour trip. We stayed at Edu Hostel and spent our first
night in Yogyakarta fitting traditional Indonesian costumes.
We wanted to make it a tradition to have our photos taken donning or
posing with traditional costumes. We did
that at Siem Reap in Cambodia in 2012 and Wat Arun in Thailand in 2013. Anyway, too much excitement and not enough
coordination caused us to divert a lot from our itinerary.
We initially planned a visit of Prabanan but we had to forego and we had
to rush to Borobudur.
After Sunset
We reached Burobudur after sunset and we got our sunset pass for
380,000 Indonesian Rupiah. We were given
less than an hour to see the temple.
Borobudur is the world’s largest and one of the greatest Buddhist
monuments. It consists of six square
platforms topped by three circular platforms, with a main dome at the center of
the top platform. The most enchanting are the 72 stupas that surround the main dome. This is located 35 meters or 115 feet above
ground level.
The fee included rental of sarong and flashlights. It was supposed to also include some refreshments and souvenirs but we were not able to get those
because our driver got cranky.
Anyway, seeing my condition, the receptionists were kind enough to allow
our van to take us to the gate and the guide allowed me to back ride in his
motorcycle up to the temple grounds.
When I reached the temple grounds, my friends were already having their
photos taken with Borobudor as the background.
It was spectacular and we just had to have our photos taken,
especially with the waxing moon over the temple.
Reaching the Main Dome
A few of my friends were already making their way up the temple while my
photograph was taken. I didn’t think and
started making my way up. Maybe it was
all the adrenaline or the glow of the moonlight or the desire to see what was
up there. I focused on climbing.
The steps were high. There were
handrails and these helped me a lot.
But, a lot of times, I had to use both my hands to help me up. It was difficult but I made it on top, of
course, with my friends’ assistance. The guide didn’t think I could but I did.
The stupas were stunning and I spent a moment alone admiring each one.
The light from the moon was not enough to emphasize the details of the temple
but it was enough for us to appreciate its magnitude and splendor.
Yes, we missed the sunset but we had a beautiful waxing moon. Yes, it
was also magical. Yes, I was happy I
exerted effort to climb up.
Leaving Borobudor
After a solo shot beside a stupa, we started our descent. Going down was
as difficult but it came with the happy feeling of knowing we were able to see
what we came there for. It also came
with a hope that we can all come back and experience Borobudor once more.
Hope to see you again Borobudur!
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