Java + Borobudur
Old Bali, the Bali that is unspoiled by tourism, clogged roads, shopping malls, beach shacks, rubbish, high-rise, over development- the Bali that grabbed our hearts and soul for many decades for its astounding beauty in every face and almost every vista, has all but disappeared, unless you go way out east or north west to the centre of the island or out to Lembongan.
This year I took the opportunity to return to Java, taking an easy afternoon flight from Denpasar to Yogyakarta (Jogja) to visit the astounding Borobudur.
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I have long yearned to connect all the great Buddhist sites as one journey from Java, through Cambodia Burma (Myanmar) ending Laos.
It was wonderful and more than spellbinding to see Borobudur for the first time, especially in the misty dawn. First step in this quest.
Borobudur temple is considered one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in the world and was built by Sailendra dynasty between 778 to 842 AD; 300 years before Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, and 400 years before work had begun on the great European cathedrals. Little is known about its early history except that a huge workforce - sculptors, artists, statue and carving experts - labored to move and carve over 55,000 cubic meters of stone. After centuries of neglect and exposure to volcanic eruption and other ravages of nature, the temple was not rediscovered until the 19th century. A first restoration campaign, supervised by Theodor van Erp, was undertaken shortly after the turn of the century. A second one was led more recently (1973-82). Today she stands hauntingly and magnificently so.
Being the major focus of the visit, I was naively unprepared for the other wonders in the area that include the remains of a once grand palace (kraton) Ratu Boko and the nearby UNESCO listed Prambanan. This is Indonesia's largest Hindu complex of 11 temples, dominated by the spires of Siva temple(Shiva) , flanked by temples honouring the gods Vishnu and Brahma. Three smaller temples sit in front of the larger temples and each of these is dedicated to the ‘vehicles’ or transportation of the gods represented: Nandi, the bull, for Siva; Hamsa, the sacred swan, for Brahma; and the eagle Garuda for Vishnu, and so special to see Java's connection to India, even though it is a reconstruction site since the 2006 earthquake devastation.
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Not all Amans are created equal and Amanbagh in the Alwar region of Rajasthan continues as my magical paradise.
However, arriving into the candle-lit gloam of Amanjiwo and greeted by her long serving and most genial of GM hosts, Sean Flakelar in a regal sarong, created a "frisson of expectation" quite beyond merely arriving at a destination hotel. The poolside suite onto the gardens was unsurprisingly gorgeous. It was waking at dawn that we knew we had arrived in a special place: a sung early morning call to prayer emanating from the tropical density, the haunting silhouette of the grand temple on the horizon almost surreally echoing the spiral mandala-like complex we were in that opened to a necklace of raw red mountains on one side and cultivated fields on the other.
During the blissful 3 days we also tootled through the glorious local countryside, where there was much traditional agricultural activity midst the Menoreh Hills rising gently behind, the Kedu Plain in front and four volcanoes on the horizon, trekking through glorious valleys and visiting the private Indonesian art collection accumulated the last 2 decades by Dr Oei Hong Djien, a retired physician.
For travellers without a lavish budget, but seeking charm and quiet, I can also recommend Warwick Purser's small d'Omah hotel located in the village of Tembi in rural Java - surrounded by rice fields and a charming village where Purser has established a commercial handicraft enterprise with the villagers.
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