We just got back from 10 days in Jogjakarta where we went to language school for a week, and also had plenty of time to enjoy the sights. Jogja is a very nice city – unlike Bogor it has pavements, and the lack of angkots means the roads are not totally choked with traffic! The language school was really good, we learned a lot and have also hired a tutor back in Bogor to help us continue. There are two world heritage sites nearby, Borobudur Buddhist temple and Prambanan Hindu temple. The thing to do for Borobudur is to arrive at sunrise (5 am) which we did, but unfortunately we chose a foggy day so didn’t quite get the benefit of the 4 am start! Prambanan is also an amazing place, although it was damaged in an earthquake in 2006 and is still being rebuilt. Jogja is an interesting place as it is an independent area which is still ruled by a Sultan, who lives in the Kraton (palace) in the centre of the city. You can visit as it also serves as a museum – unfortunately we did not get the chance as it was closed because the Sultan’s daughter was getting married when we were there. We did visit the royal mausoleum at Imogiri though, which is at the top of a hill outside Jogja, up 400 steps. You can visit the tombs but you have to be in traditional Javanese court dress – for women this is a sarong and a top that leaves the shoulders bare, for men is a sarong, shirt and hat. Then you go up to the tombs where there is a ceremony with incense and prayers and then the tombs in opened and you can enter and make your offerings. The tomb is a room that is decorated like a bedroom with lots of long curtains with the stone coffin in the middle. People revere the Sultan almost as a God and many people make a pilgrimage here. It was great to be welcomed and encouraged to take part. We also went to a small town just north of Jogja to view Gunung (Mount) Merapi which is a very active volcano. You are not allowed to climb near it at the moment as they are expecting an eruption any time as the cone collapsed in this year’s wet season and the lava pressure is building inside. In 2006 there was a major eruption with lava flowing several km from the volcano and everyone from the surrounding countryside evacuated for 3 months. The Sultan comes every year to make an offering to the spirit in the volcano, and likewise goes to the sea about an hour south of Jogja to make an offering to the Queen of the South Seas.
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