Java (Indonesia)

22nd Jan 2011

Java island is located west of Indonesia. It has 40 volcanos and 2 of the most important Temples in the world: Borobudur and Prambanan both close to the city of Yogyakarta.
We arrived by boat at Ketapang from Bali and took a public bus to Probolingo to see one of the main active volcanos: Gunung Bromo, 2329 m.

Mount Bromo.

Unfortunately the visibility wasn't great because of the weather.  

 The volcano erupted while we were there so we couldn't climb to the top and we were only allowed to see Bromo from a viewing point 5 km east.

There are 2 other unactive volcanos around Bromo.

 

Catching a breath after reaching the top of the viewing point. 5km of hill treck.

The view was amazing. We could hear the sounds of the volcano and feel the earth moving.

 In Yogyakarta the rain didn't stop but I was well equipped :-)

Yellow watermelon.. tastes exactly the same as the red stuff!  

 "Warong" street restaurant: the best!

Take away coffee. In Asia they give it to you in a plastic bag.  

 Borobudur. Ranking with Bagan and Angkor Wat as one of the greatest Southeast Asian monuments. The Temple consists of 6 square bases followed by 3 circular ones and topped by the largest "stupa" in the world.

 The walls were covered by carvings, each one telling a different story.

 A lively Buddha.

The Temple is surrounded by hectares of garden. 

The top of the Temple with the stupa in the middle.



Richard and Elena, a couple that we met in Java and travelled with for a few days.  

After the 2006 earthquake, workers are still restoring the Temple.