Our first (very full) weekend of sightseeing

We are very fortunate to be stationed in Jogja - there is SO much to do here.  At some point I would like to check out other nearby towns, but this weekend our team spent exploring the area.  As part of our CSC experience, our volunteer coordinator organization (ABV) arranged one weekend trip for us.  The next two weekends we will be on our own to explore.  This weekend's adventure took us to several amazing temples, the Sultan's palace, and to Mt. Merapi, an active volcano just north of Jogja.  Pictures cannot do these places justice, but I will try.....

On Saturday morning we decided to take a walk from our hotel to the Sultan's Palace.  It was about 20 minutes and to get there we walked through the center of town. Houses are perched on high banks above the river that runs through the center of town.

For the afternoon, we went to a local resort that had a pool overlooking the Prambanan valley.  This last week and a half has been so hectic that it was a wonderful change of pace to take it easy and enjoy some relaxed time together as a team

You can see the temples of Prambanan poking up from the trees in the distance

After dinner at the resort, we went to see a performance of the Ramayana Ballet and to see the nearby Prambanan temples lit up at night. We didn't get a chance to visit the temples, but I have it on my list of must-sees in the coming weeks.  Prambanan is about 10 miles from Jogja and is a large Hindu temple complex.  It is also a Unesco World Heritage Site. 

We arrived back in the hotel around 10pm, just in time to get 3-4 hours of sleep so we could turn around and leave our hotel at 3am to drive to Borobudur to see the sunrise.  Sunrise in this part of the world is very early right now - around 5am - so we wanted to make sure we left enough time to get there, climb to the top & not miss it.   As the official park does not open until 6am, the only way in to see the sunrise was through a local hotel that offered flashlights and gave us the mandated sarongs to wear as we visited the temple.

Borobudur is the world's largest Buddhist monument, built between 778 and 856 AD.  Within 100 years of its completion, it, along with many other structures in central Java, were abandoned.  This was likely due to eruptions from the nearby volcano, Mt. Merapi.  Borobudur was restored by a team from the Dutch government in the early 1900s, and then Unesco was called in to stabilize the structure starting in 1975.  The restoration was beautifully done and this temple is awe inspiring.  Despite being exhausted, I'm happy I woke up at 2am so as not to miss this once in a lifetime sunrise from the top of the temple.  This was spectacular to see and will definitely be one of the highlights of my journey to Indonesia.

At 6am we headed down from the temple to have breakfast at a local hotel, and then continued our journey to the nearby lesser-known temple of Candi Mendut.  Unlike most other central Javanese monuments which face East, Mendut faces to the Northwest.  Inside, there were three gorgeous Buddha statues, each about 10' high.

      

Then it was time to head an hour and a half north to Mt. Merapi.  This active volcano is the nearest one to Jogja. It's still smoking a little bit.  Merapi last erupted in 2010, killing at least 300 people and displacing 500,000 more.  In 2004, the "danger zone" of the volcano was supposed to be evacuated but many local inhabitants did not want to relocate because their spiritual beliefs were intrinsically linked to the mountain.

We decided to take a lava tour, given by a local Jeep outfitter.  ABV arranged for a caravan of 5 Jeeps to take us through the area affected by the 2010 volcanic eruption.  My parents are avid Jeep off-roaders, having a Jeep Rubicon 4X4 themselves, and will appreciate the rickety vehicles that took us around the lava fields.  This tour was definitely not up to Western safety standards but it all went with the experience and we had a blast.  When we got into the Jeep we found WWII-era pith helmets.  They would have been of little use.  There were no liability waivers, only one roll bar, no seatbelts, and a crazy but fun driver who made the most of the experience.  About 20 minutes into the very bumpy ride, my Jeepmate Jay told the driver that he wished he had used the restroom before we departed.  We didn't think the driver understood but all of a sudden our Jeep took off up the mountain in, let's call it, a very spirited way.  A few minutes later we arrived at a makeshift toilet area.  Our driver was very pleased that he delivered Jay to the facilities.

Standing in front of Mt. Merapi

Me, Jay & Claudia. Windshield up for the picture......

.....and windshield down for the ride

I could see the road whizzing by through the bottom floorboards underneath the shifter

One of the things that struck me the most was the complete re-birth of the area that was affected by the eruption.  I've always heard that volcanic soil is very fertile, and this was a perfect example.  Through the dark volcanic fields, sprouts of lush greenery were everywhere, with more planted and staked by human hands.  Now if I only had some of this soil for my garden I'd be all set!

    

Some artifacts left behind from the 2010 volcanic eruption

We got back to the hotel around 3pm and retreated to our rooms for some rest before dinner.  I think it's going to be an early night for me - I'm exhausted after this wonderful non-stop weekend.