Borobudor
Almost everyone knows about Borobudor so I won't describe much about it. The journey to the actual monument though is lesser known and *excuse my Hokkien" sibeh xian.
The moment you step out of your van your swarmed with people pushing mini-stupas, coke cans and other useless souvenirs at you. The key to not buying that Japanese/English/French guide to "The Wonders of Borobudor" my friends and fellow cheesy tourist is to avoid eye contact with any of those peddlers. No eye contact equals not being ripped off, trust me on the fact that everything is being jacked up there even after you bargain whatever it is your buying to half the price. It's like a scene from some horror show but now only with smiles and shouts of "borobudor statue? coke? pocari sweat?"
But* you'll manage to walk away and head straight to the complex of which is still magical. Magical is a good word to describe it because it still looks great with all the visitors walking around it with their mother huge rainbow coloured umbrellas.
the word "but" despite only three lettered is a long word here because the "but" lasted a 30 minute walk thru tourist hell
Mind you those hideous umbrellas with their myriad of colours really stand out from the pristine stone grey of Borobudor. Magical that it still looks good, magical for photographers cuz if you get the angle right you can actually block out all the umbrellas with the huge stupas, yes all 72 Stupas and maybe the 504 Buddha statues blocking the would be smudges of human marks for you.
Luck wasn't on our side since we went there on a school holiday. So as you try to make your first clockwise ambulation around the the world of desire you constantly have to pause while kids pose with their camera phones and parents haplessly try to snap family portrait. And if you think its gets better on the higher levels then when you'll be pretty disappointed with the World of Formlessness. There's this disturbing practice of people throwing coins into the Stupas or shafting their hands into the holes of stupas to touch the Buddha Statue, supposed for good luck. blerghhh.
Anyhoo its kinda like a disnleyland now with elephants rides and ferris wheels nearby (and lets not get into the Indonesian Museum of Records near the exit)
I shall not spoil that pristine image you still have in your mind. Borobudor is still very magnificent in stature, still revered by many... so here's a little photoset for all to enjoy...carefully composed (with blocked tourist and handpicked photos that don't have any sign of the rainbow umbrella)
The moment you step out of your van your swarmed with people pushing mini-stupas, coke cans and other useless souvenirs at you. The key to not buying that Japanese/English/French guide to "The Wonders of Borobudor" my friends and fellow cheesy tourist is to avoid eye contact with any of those peddlers. No eye contact equals not being ripped off, trust me on the fact that everything is being jacked up there even after you bargain whatever it is your buying to half the price. It's like a scene from some horror show but now only with smiles and shouts of "borobudor statue? coke? pocari sweat?"
But* you'll manage to walk away and head straight to the complex of which is still magical. Magical is a good word to describe it because it still looks great with all the visitors walking around it with their mother huge rainbow coloured umbrellas.
the word "but" despite only three lettered is a long word here because the "but" lasted a 30 minute walk thru tourist hell
Mind you those hideous umbrellas with their myriad of colours really stand out from the pristine stone grey of Borobudor. Magical that it still looks good, magical for photographers cuz if you get the angle right you can actually block out all the umbrellas with the huge stupas, yes all 72 Stupas and maybe the 504 Buddha statues blocking the would be smudges of human marks for you.
Luck wasn't on our side since we went there on a school holiday. So as you try to make your first clockwise ambulation around the the world of desire you constantly have to pause while kids pose with their camera phones and parents haplessly try to snap family portrait. And if you think its gets better on the higher levels then when you'll be pretty disappointed with the World of Formlessness. There's this disturbing practice of people throwing coins into the Stupas or shafting their hands into the holes of stupas to touch the Buddha Statue, supposed for good luck. blerghhh.
Anyhoo its kinda like a disnleyland now with elephants rides and ferris wheels nearby (and lets not get into the Indonesian Museum of Records near the exit)
I shall not spoil that pristine image you still have in your mind. Borobudor is still very magnificent in stature, still revered by many... so here's a little photoset for all to enjoy...carefully composed (with blocked tourist and handpicked photos that don't have any sign of the rainbow umbrella)
posted by Jon at 9:16 PM
1 Comments:
I was there 12 years ago and am sad to learn that it is a tourist trap now. My early morning experience of peace and quiet only added to the serene beauty of the place. Thank you so much for your beautiful photos to bring me back to a truly breathtaking moment in my life.
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