Police escort in Java

We’re in for another long day, and if Bali is any indication, half of that time will be spent in traffic. 

We’re going to Borobudur, about 60 miles out of the Port of Semarang in Java, Indonesia.  Much to our surprise, our convoy of buses was escorted out of the port by police, one leading the way and one bringing up the rear.  Streets were flooded from the overnight rain and I expected that the police would drop off once they guided us through the standing water and around the detours.  Instead, they were with us the entire trip to Borobudur and remained with us all day to escort us back to the ship. Consequently, we were rarely stalled in traffic and my photos were all taken from the window of a speeding bus.  Surprisingly, I was able to get a few good ones of the rice fields along the way.

We had the usual refreshment/shopping break along the way.  The ship would be having an Indonesian night the following night and guests were encouraged to dress in native attire.  Indonesia is known for its batiks and there were shopping opportunities in both Bali and Java to purchase batik sarongs.  The fabrics were varied and lovely but I’m not a good shopper under pressure.  I like a leisurely browse, so this kind of shopping is not for me. 

Borobudur is the single largest Buddhist structure anywhere on earth. 

It was likely founded as a religious site in the 8^th century, serving the Javanese Buddhist community which at that time is strongly influenced by Hinduism.  It is believed to have taken 75 years to complete.  Abandoned in the 14^th century following the decline of the Hindu kingdom and the Indonesian conversion to Islam, it lay hidden for centuries under layers of volcanic ash and jungle vegetation.  It was rediscovered in 1814 when Java was under British administration and is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Once at the site, we followed our guide to climb to the top of the structure in the prescribed clockwise route.  Along the way the guide described the life of Buddha as depicted in the 1400+ reliefs set into the walls. 

He even sat down on the ground and demonstrated some of the mudra, or hand gestures, seen in the 432 Buddha statutes at Borobudur. 

During the bus ride the guide had explained about the architecture and the significance of the 4:6:9 ratio in the dimensions and in the decoration.  (For example:  432-the number of Buddha statues 4+3+2=9; 504-the total number of Buddha’s 5+0+4, etc.)

Many of the Buddha’s are missing limbs.  Heads especially, have found their way into museums around the world.

Along the clockwise route and at the top is a proliferation of bell-like features called stupas.  In fact, the entire structure which was constructed around an existed hill, is in the shape of a stupa.  The stupas at the top contain Buddha statues.

We broke away from our slow moving group, climbed to the top, enjoyed the view and got our photos.

Then we descended and grabbed a bit of shade on the way to the Indonesian buffet lunch, just missing the downpour. 

Back on board, and with the police escort having waited for us, we settled in for the return trip.  The shopping (of course) stop on the way back was in the guise of a shadow puppet performance, Wayang Kulit which is uniquely Javanese or Balinese.  The performance takes place behind a lit screen, the performers seated behind the screen and the audience in front.

 The performer is generally a single narrator who operates the numerous puppets while narrating the story, sometimes for as long as nine hours.  In addition to the narrator there are singers and other musicians.  This medium is so much a part of the culture that the story is often used to convey a message from the government to the people.  One such message is the promotion of birth control to young married couples. 

Back on the bus our guide miscounted our numbers a couple of times before he realized we were all accounted for.  The police escort waited for us and caught us up with the rest of the convoy.  This was the hair-raising part of the trip while we wove in and out of oncoming traffic, making our own lane.

Finally back to the comforts of cabin #3061.