Semarang, Indonesia

Borobudur was the reason for this stop in Semarang Indonesia on the island of Java. The city was mainly just a large modern city but we were able to take a bus trip up into the mountains to a restored Buddist temple called Borobudur. It is huge and was built in the 700-800 AD but abandoned and found under volcanic ash and jungle in the 1800's. It was restored by essentially taking every one of the 1.6 million stones apart and putting them back together over a concrete foundation with good drainage. Each of the intricate bas relief panels tells a story of the search for Nirvana as you ascend the levels of the temple. It is quite remarkable and we were really glad we made the pilgrimage to see it.
Java is not quite as populated as Bali, at least not in the rural areas but there are still a lot of people for the little island to support. There is a big push toward family planning and it seems to be making some headway but it does bump up against the more conservative Muslim elements of the society. The area is also poorer then Bali and the homes not as elaborate but they benefit from the relatively wonderful weather and a better road system. Most people on both of the islands we have seen drive motorcycles/mopeds. Even one delivering furniture with a chest loaded on the back of the bike and driving swerving in and out of traffic. It would not be good for a western driver to rent a car in either country and take off. We had to just shut our eyes on the bus at times as both lanes and the center line were used for traffic. :-)
See the next footprint with pics of the temple itself.Read more