On my second day in Yogyakarta, about 11 am, I decided to go for
a short trip to see the nearby Prambanan temples. To my surprise there were only
a few tourists there. I guess most of them come
for the sunrise/ sunset tours. I
actually also wanted to get such a tour,
but then started to talk with some people at my guesthouse and one of
them offered me a ride there for a reasonable
amount of money for the whole afternoon.
And so, I went there on a motorbike (not on a minibus or by car as most of the tourists do). The ride itself was fun, he was speeding about 100km/h on a tiny bike which looked more like a scooter than actual motorbike. I spent long hours at the temples. It’s quite a big and interesting complex of temples. These are Hindu and Buddhist temples, but symbols or characteristics that are typical for Hindu temples were to be found at the Buddhist ones and vice versa. I found it remarkable. For instance, often I see a carved ‘symbol’ which I personally nickname ‘the Garfield’ (and I’m not referring to the president ;). It looks like a smiley face of a cat. Of course, no offense - I realize that I might have just compared a religiously significant symbol to a cartoon... It’s just me – the ignorant – speaking. I’ve seen already seen it in Sri Lanka, in India, somewhere in South-East Asia as well. One of my friends, who’s been to China also saw it. Who’s this mysterious “Garfield” I have no clue. Interesting is that the “Garfield” appears in different geographical regions and on temples of different religions built in different times (BC – AD).
And so, I went there on a motorbike (not on a minibus or by car as most of the tourists do). The ride itself was fun, he was speeding about 100km/h on a tiny bike which looked more like a scooter than actual motorbike. I spent long hours at the temples. It’s quite a big and interesting complex of temples. These are Hindu and Buddhist temples, but symbols or characteristics that are typical for Hindu temples were to be found at the Buddhist ones and vice versa. I found it remarkable. For instance, often I see a carved ‘symbol’ which I personally nickname ‘the Garfield’ (and I’m not referring to the president ;). It looks like a smiley face of a cat. Of course, no offense - I realize that I might have just compared a religiously significant symbol to a cartoon... It’s just me – the ignorant – speaking. I’ve seen already seen it in Sri Lanka, in India, somewhere in South-East Asia as well. One of my friends, who’s been to China also saw it. Who’s this mysterious “Garfield” I have no clue. Interesting is that the “Garfield” appears in different geographical regions and on temples of different religions built in different times (BC – AD).
Just take a look. Doesn’t it remind you of Garfield? ;)
Anyways, I was exploring the temples during the
day. In the heat (it's over 30 degrees Celsius here). After a few hours my skin already got some color (sunburn I
mean, I totally forgot to take sunblock…). At least I already look like I’ve
been on vacation for a while ;)
The temples are magnificent. Though some of them were heavily damaged by an earthquake. But still. They remind me of Angkor and Khajuraho, and Bagan – all in one. It’s because of the mixture of architectural styles I guess. As I've already mentioned, they have motives that could be taken right out of India, Sri Lanka or Bagan. Some of them look like Hindu temples but have a roof in form of a stupa. Maybe that is why the country is called Indonesia – as it combines influences from India and Asia.
That’s an amazing feeling when you out of sudden ‘connect the dots’ - without having studied any architecture or history of the region you realize that you already know something about it, can recognize the religion, estimate the age of temples and where the carved motives come from (or where they are also to be found at). I must say, in those moments my “I-should-have-become-an-archeologist” part comes to life ;) I know I said it before but I absolutely love exploring old temples! Especially those with interesting carvings like the ones in Prambanan – the carvings depict not only gods, mythological creatures (like half birds- half women), animals, but also daily life scenes. It’s most interesting - it gives you a glimpse into the life of the people who were here centuries ago.
I like it here. Cheap beer, geckos (even a cute
gecko in my room), good music, and all those magnificent temples. I will be
exploring more of them tomorrow.
To conclude this part of my story – the mandi, Indonesian bathroom. My guesthouse is really nice, my room has an attached bathroom (cold water). It really is an environmental friendly solution although at first I was a little surprised… (btw, I don't know why, but I can't rotate the picture, it keeps appearing this way - sorry for that...)
To conclude this part of my story – the mandi, Indonesian bathroom. My guesthouse is really nice, my room has an attached bathroom (cold water). It really is an environmental friendly solution although at first I was a little surprised… (btw, I don't know why, but I can't rotate the picture, it keeps appearing this way - sorry for that...)
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