A 1-2 hour public bus ride north of Yogyakarta, brings you to one of the most popular destinations on Java, the Borobudur temple complex. For some unknown reason, I became transfixed to Borobudur long before we started our trip. Climbing the stuppas and sitting atop the encased buddhas was something I just had to experience. You journey to these temples to find an oasis, an inspirational bath for your parched soul, something you hope moves you, the experience burned into your reflective memory. I wasn’t disappointed.
The setting for such a beautifully crafted temple or candi could not have been more idyllic, bordered to the south by soft rolling mountains and surrounded by a perimeter blanket of lush tree forests woven through with the morning mist.
Apparently he best views are beheld either at sunset or sunrise, and we chose the latter, setting the alarm for an early morning. Sunrise and sunset tickets, cost a hefty 300,000 Rupia ($30 USD), allowing you in earlier or later as it may be than the general ticket. The only option for securing your ticketing is through the Manohara Hotel, located within the park grounds that surround Borobudur.
Only four other people decided to get up for the early sunrise, and we all set off through the park grounds towards the temple, and passed through the temple gates by 5:00AM. Unfortunately, the sunrise was not as magnificent as it could have been, tempered by a thick morning cloud cover. Despite the dull sunrise, the experience was still remarkable, as you could not help to ponder the dedication of people past to construct something so beautiful.
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