Palawan: Island-hopping in Honda Bay

Today I went island-hopping in Honda Bay, which consists of several islets that have become popular swimming, snorkeling and diving destinations among visitors. Visiting the different beaches was a great way to celebrate my 28th. Located in Sta. Lourdes, Puerto Princesa City about 12 kilometers east of the town proper. In the wharf, pump boats could be hired to the different islands. Some islands require entrance fees. And there are others which are privately owned. So you have to ask for permission to visit. The package tour (PHP1000) is inclusive of hotel pick-up, pump boat to the different islands, entrance fees and donations, and lunch.

Our first stop was Pandan Island. There are several huts and cottages on the island which visitors could use. You could also ask caretakers to get some coconuts to quench your thirst. Snorkeling was great around Pandan Island. And it was fun feeding the fish since they all swam towards you as you hold a piece of bread.

After an hour or two, we moved to Snake Island which was a two-kilometer sandbar shaped like a snake. It would have been fun to walk up to the end of the sandbar, but half way there, we started to get hungry. And high tide was setting in with parts of the sandbar starting to get submerged under water. So we decided to walk back to the huts where our tour operators served lunch.

Our last stop was Starfish Island. We got there just in time since it started to rain really hard and the winds started bring in strong waves. Starfish is known for its fine white sand and clear water that teems with starfish. The island had a sandbar encircling a lagoon which was a good thing since we were able to enjoy the warm water sans the strong waves.

Other islets in Honda include Cannon (Cowrie) Island, Bat Island, Lu-Ii Island (from "lulubog-lilitaw"), Meara Marina, and Senorita Island (the breeding site of lapu-lapu fish).

For dinner, we ate at Rene's Saigon Restaurant for some great Vietnamese food. It was a distance from the city center, past the airport in fact. But people frequented it despite its distance. When you take a tricycle, tell them you want to go to the chawlungan since they are not familiar with the restaurant name. I had my favorite bánh mì sandwiches and braised beef noodle soup. Thanks again to Rolly and Gigi for treating us out to dinner.

After dinner, we trooped to Legend Hotel where Rolly and Gigi were staying. We stayed at the lobby to chat and have some snacks when Mayor Hagedorn passed by. Anyway, we have another trip tomorrow and have to get up early. More photos in Multiply.

Technorati Tags: puerto princesa, palawan, philippines, beach, travel, travel blog, food, honda bay, island

Palawan: Around Puerto Princesa City, Palawan

This trip had been in the works since I purchased my Cebu Pacific PHP1 tickets. It's day 1 of my birthday trip to Palawan. The last time I was in Puerto Princesa was in 1997, exactly ten years ago. At the Manila Domestic Airport Terminal (I hope they replace this ageing airport soon), the line for the flight to Puerto Princesa was quite long already. Then I noticed an Express Counter for passengers without check-in luggage. I usually travel with my backpack only and it was just now that I noticed that counter. Anyway, there was no line so I got my boarding pass easily.

When I arrived in Puerto Princesa, I was picked up at the airport by the staff of Puerto Pension. I had asked the help of the DOT Regional Office to help me find a decent budget hotel. And from the list they sent me, I decided to stay there since they were the cheapest on the list, had airport transfers, free breakfast, and accepted credit cards. When I arrived in the hotel, I found out they also booked tours for you. So I decided to join the City Tour (PHP600) in the afternoon, the Honda Bay Island-hopping Tour (PHP1000) the next day, and the Underground River Tour (PHP1300) on Saturday. Lunch was included in the last two tours.

The van passed by for me at 1:30 p.m. The group first passed by the Plaza Cuartel and the Immaculate Conception Cathedral before proceeding to the Palawan Museum. The exhibits were what one would expect from a provincial government museum. I hope they get rid of these boring ways of presenting important artifacts by investing in world-class exhibits such as that of the National Museum in Manila. From there, we proceeded to the Butterfly Garden, a great place to view butterflies up close.

After a short walk inside, we were off to the Crocodile Farming Institute, now the Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center since the place not only conserved crocodile species. Displayed in the main lobby of the center is the skeleton of the longest crocodile ever caught in Palawan, about six meters, although a nine-meter croc had been spotted after it fed on a child but was not caught. When this croc died, they opened up its stomach and found the remains of a person inside confirming what had previously been known. We also walked around tanks of baby crocs which the center breeds for leather production. At the back is a mini-zoo which features some species endemic to Palawan.

Next on the list was the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm, the only prison in the country without walls, where inmates are rehabilitated through productive and money-making activities such as farming and handicraft-making.

Opened in 1904, this was among the first major projects of the American colonizers in the island of Palawan. They had been looking for a place to exile “unwanted” persons that included prisoners and lepers. And both groups were sent to Palawan, the latter being sent to the Culion Leper Colony.

We made a brief stopover at Mitra Ranch, the home of former Speaker Ramon Mitra, Jr. which has been opened to visitors, before making our way back to the downtown area. But we stopped by this place called Baker’s Hill which is known for its breads and hopia.

In the town proper, I bought some souvenirs in the market. Then it was dinner with my tour group in the highly-recommended, by-reservation only Ka Lui Restaurant. In fact, we could not get a booking earlier than 8:30 p.m. You can ask your hotel to book for you.

Our city tour group clicked especially since we found out we had booked the same tours for the next two days. Thanks to Rolly & Gigi Padilla from San Francisco, CA for the dinner. It was a coincidence that Linda is an avid reader of my blog. So she insisted that she treat me out. Thanks again! And to the rest of the gang, Em de Guzman, Rommel Cruz, and Richard & Agnes Cordero, thanks for the company!

Back to Ka Lui, I did not expect what I saw. It was a very cozy place, full of paintings, décor and other artsy stuff. The whole place was almost made of bamboo. Customers had to take off their shoes at the entrance and walked barefoot in the restaurant. It was an all-seafood menu which included shrimps halabos, seafood sisig, kilawin, and crabs, eel or sting ray in coco cream among many others. Among their cool shakes are CocoBanana and Mango Pomelo. Although I’m a meat person, I enjoyed the seafood sisig and stuffed squid.

We enjoyed the place so much, we stayed until it closed at 11 p.m. There are more photos in my Multiply.

Technorati Tags: puerto princesa, palawan, philippines, beach, travel, travel blog, food, heritage, historical sites, crocodile, butterfly

Batangas: Protect the Taal Volcano!

I've been forwarding articles about the ludicrous project being constructed in Talisay, Batangas since I first heard about it several days ago. It just shows how much brains (or the lack of it) some of our public officials have. Imagine constructing an elevator from the top of the crater down to the crater lake for the lazy tourists! How absurd can the mayor of Talisay get?! Our natural heritage has no price tag!

Here is the column of Gemma Cruz-Araneta (Manila Bulletin, Thursday, 28 July 2007). I'm posting it in full here for the benefit of all since she hit every point right on the dot:

Landscape: No pride of place
By Gemma Cruz Araneta

The bad news is that a Korean “health spa” and a Korean builder, Jung Ang Interventure Corporation are constructing a resort along the crater of the Taal Volcano. What is worse, according to news reports, is that the Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) pointed out that although Taal is a protected area, it is not entirely closed to “ecotourism” projects that do not harm the environment. However, a Department of Tourism (DOT) spokesperson was quick to affirm that the Korean project was never endorsed by them simply because the Taal Volcano area is considered a permanent danger zone and the DOT is not in the habit of risking the lives of tourists and investors. Worst of all is the revelation that thirteen mayors of the towns surrounding Taal Lake have no pride of place.

Diffidently, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology could only warn that permanent structures should not be built in permanent danger zones. That is why it was almost exhilarating to see (on television) newly-elected Batangas governor, Vilma Santos Recto denouncing the same Korean project. She said she would not allow it because Taal Lake and volcano are areas protected by law. That was probably her first official declaration after having been sworn in. I do hope she has enough political will to go against the tide of financial enticements, the ineptitude of bureaucratic Pontius Pilates, unscrupulous stationary bandits and assorted piranhas around who a provincial governor has to swim and survive.

I hope that, in these frightful days of killings and disappearances, the PAMALAKAYA and the Samahan ng mga Mamamayan sa Lawa ng Taal (Samataal) do not lose courage nor steam. Already, they are being called “leftist” which, in the Philippine context, is tantamount to destroying the credibility of these advocates. The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), associated with the Left since martial law days are resolutely supporting the Taal Lake farmers in their struggle against the Korean health spa.

Doesn’t this give you a nasty feeling that the country is being sold bit by bit to the highest bidder? One might wake up, on a sunny morning, only to find out that while we were asleep, our national territory had been parceled and fragmented by assorted developers. . I am beginning to think a conspiracy has been going on right under our noses. Could it be mere coincidence that more and more Filipinos have forgotten, or have been conditioned to doubt and question that we ever declared ourselves an independent republic? This year, the nation did not stop to celebrate Independence Day with the usual reverence, pomp and grandeur. On Rizal’s birthday, the Chief Executive merely sent a wreath to the hero’s, monument. Next week, the anniversary of the Katipunan will most probably pass unnoticed. Is there a concerted effort to make us forget what and who we are?

The National Anthem is no longer Marcha Nacional Filipina but soul and blues; advertisement is stamped on the national flag; historical landmarks are demolished to give way to shopping malls. Alarmingly, there was a request to include the Philippines in China’s master plan and an unsolicited bid to reserve millions of hectares of our national territory for Chinese farmers to cultivate rice, corn and whatever else the once Sleeping Giant needs to sustain its robust growth. The USA which has coveted Mindanao since Pershing and Kudarat clashed swords, will finally gets its wish-- MINSUPALA-- with a new Mutual Defense Treaty as an added bonus. Is it true that Sec. Condoleeza Rice is scheduled to come for an ocular inspection? Lamentably, for those who have no sense of nation and no pride of place, everything is for sale.

* * *

Save the Rizal Shrine!
While the spa issue in Taal has been raging, PTA GM Dean Barbers has silently but blatantly continued construction in Intramuros! If the sports complex is completed, it will damage the area around the Rizal Shrine, blocking the view from the walls. Calling all lovers of Rizal and concerned citizens of the Philippines, let's continue our fight to protect the Rizal Shrine and the walls of Intramuros!

Here is an older post about it: Save the walls of Intramuros!

Related articles
Ugly side of Tourism Authority revealedFormer PTA heads want Gen. Mgr. Barbers chargedWhat is behind Barbers’ insistence on this project?Ex-PTA chiefs want Barbers sued for Intramuros projectFormer PTA heads demand Barbers’ resignationIntramuros a warehouse?PTA’s illegal designs on Intramuros
Technorati Tags: talisay, batangas, taal volcano, heritage, conservation, travel, travel blog

Indonesia: Indonesian food trip

Every time I visit a Southeast Asian country, the variety of food choices never fails to amaze me. Indonesia was no exception. And thanks to my SSEAYP friends, I had an unforgettable food adventure that undoubtedly left my palate yearning for more.

On top of that list is the sate ayam or grilled chicken skewers in Jalan Sabang, Jakarta. What makes this dish a winner, given that there are sate or satay is found around the Malay region, is the saos kacang or peanut sauce which tastes like heaven! I also had sate babi or grilled pork skewers in Kelapa Gading, but the accompanying sauce was the regular barbeque sauce we have here in the Philippines.

Of course, there are the nasi or rice dishes. I enjoyed the really sweet nasi gudeg in Yogyakarta. This dish is actually several dishes put together. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I got to visit the kitchen to see it being made. The first component dish, duck eggs are first hard-boiled, then shelled, then re-boiled again with different ingredients and spices until it reaches a dark brown color. Another component is the chicken dish. They were also grating coconuts and chopping some young jackfruit at the back for another dish. There was also a tofu and cow skin dish. The last component was white rice. They prepared large servings beginning the night before for sales the next day.

Nasi liwet is boiled rice with sambal goreng labu siam which is fried labu siam or chayote with chili and coconut milk. The dish is also served with chicken also boiled in coconut milk and a hard-boiled egg. I had this dish in Kelapa Gading and it was quite tasty. I also had ayam goreng (fried chicken) with nasi putih (white rice), lalap (vegetables) and sambal (chili) at a warung in Yogyakarta. They say the chicken is marinated in coconut milk.

The most popular rice dish is nasi goreng which is literally fried rice. The rice is fried in kecap manis or soy sauce and is often accompanied by additional items such as a fried egg, fried chicken, sate or krupuk (fried crackers made of shrimp or vegetables).

Then there are the salads. Gado-gado is a vegetable salad served with a peanut sauce dressing. The vegetables, which may include shredded or chopped green vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, green beans, watercress, and bean sprouts; carrots, cucumber, peas and tomatoes, are either served raw or blanched.

Sliced boiled potatoes and boiled eggs are sometimes added. This whole mixture is topped with the peanut sauce and krupuk.

Ketoprak is another Indonesian salad which is noodles, tofu, bean sprouts and vegetables topped with peanut sauce and served with krupuk. Then there is the tahu goreng medan which is tofu, bean sprouts, vegetables, topped with peanuts, fried garlic and a sweet soy and chili sauce.

A favorite fruit salad is the rujak. The typical Indonesian fruit rujak consists of slices of assorted tropical fruits such as jambu air (water apple or macopa), pineapple, raw mangoes, bangkoang (jicama or singkamas), cucumber, kedondong (great hog plum or hevi) and raw red ubi jalar (sweet potato). Sometimes Malang variants of green apple, belimbing (star fruit or balimbing), and jeruk bali (grapefruit) are added.

But what made this fruit salad really tasty was the peanut sauce. The sweet and spicy-hot bumbu rujak (dressing) is usually made up of water, gula jawa (coconut sugar), asem jawa (tamarind), grinded sauted peanuts, terasi (shrimp paste), salt, and cabe rawit (red chilli). But the one we tried at Plaza Indonesia had rumba, an Acehnese fruit, instead of tamarind to make the sauce sour.

Lumpia semarang is like the regular lumpia we have here. It’s filled with bamboo shoots, dried shrimp (ebi in Indonesian) chicken or prawn. It's named after the capital city of Central Java in Indonesia, Semarang where it was created by Chinese immigrants.

Roti cane, which comes from Aceh, is just like roti canai of Malaysia or roti prata of Singapore. It’s the curry sauce which makes it different since its redder than the others mentioned.

I also had martabak telur sapi, which is thin dough filled with minced beef, garlic and onion, and vegetables, and fried on a griddle until it turns golden brown. In Indonesia, it is served with a sauce made of vinegar and palm sugar. It’s similar to the murtabak in Malaysia.

Pempek, a specialty from Palembang, are large fish balls or fish cakes with an egg inside. They are deep fried and served with a spicy vinegar sauce. It was sold with another dish called tekwan which is pempek with soup if I'm not mistaken. This is a tasty snack.

For dessert, I had es campur, which literally means iced mix. In other words, it’s the Indonesian halo-halo. They put in kelapa muda (young coconut), avocado, cincau, jackfruit, kelapa kopyor (kaong), and tape (fermented cassava). It is then topped with shaved ice, condensed milk and pisang ambon (banana) syrup.

In Kota, we bought cincau from one of the street hawkers. It’s a cold drink of cincau (grass jelly) with ice and pandan syrup. Anyway, that was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to Indonesian dishes. But it kept me busy eating the whole time I was there!

Indonesia: Halo-halo Bandung!

I finally arrived in Bandung after an eight hour train ride from Yogyakarta. If Yogya is the cradle of Javanese culture, Bandung is said to be the cradle of Sundanese culture. The weather was a bit cooler since Indonesia's fourth largest city is 2,520 feet above sea level. And because it's closer to the equator, average temperatures don't vary much from a low of 22.9 C in July to a high of 24.2 C in May. The city is known for its large collection of Dutch colonial and tropical Art Deco structures. And thus, I decided to take a walk around Bandung even just for a few hours to check them out.

So from the Bandung Train Station, itself an Art Deco structure, I walked towards Jalan Asia Afrika where many of the buildings could be found. Since it was still early, I waited at the steps of the Gedung Merdeka for the Museum of the Asian-African Conference to open.

The museum chronicles the events of the 1955 conference which has been Bandung's claim to fame. Twenty-nine young (and old) nations from Asia and Africa met in order to build solidarity with the continuous fall of colonialism. I was able to see the hall where the conference was held. There are two rows of flags, the first with those of the 29 countries which participated in the 1955 conference; and the second, the countries of Asia and Africa during the 50th anniversary in 2005, obviously a much larger group since most countries in the region gained their independence after 1955. One thing it chronicled as well was the change in the blue field of the Philippine flag which was much lighter in 1955.

Close to the Gedung Merdeka is another Art Deco gem of Bandung, the Savoy Homann Hotel, its new design completed in 1938.

After about four hours in Bandung, I decided to make my way back to the train station for my trip back to Jakarta. I had been told that the views along the way would be refreshing. And I was not disappointed. They also had rice terraces. And the thing I liked about the rice terraces there was the houses blended well with their surroundings since they all had clay tile roofs. I hope they cover the galvanized iron roofs in Banaue and other Cordillera towns with cogon grass or nipa so that they don't look like eyesores amidst our grander and more majestic rice terraces.

Bandung is also known for its shopping. But I didn't get a chance to shop. Maybe next time. It's best if you shop with friends and many locals say Bandung is a group destination. And if you're wondering about the title, "Halo-halo Bandung" is a popular revolutionary song which was inspired by the 1946 Bandung Lautan Api (Bandung Sea of Fire) where the residents and combatants, as a sign of defiance to the Dutch who demanded the surrender of the Indonesians, deliberately burned the southern part of the city. More photos in Multiply.

Technorati Tags: bandung, west java, indonesia, travel, travel blog, art deco, heritage

Indonesia: Yogyakarta, cradle of Javanese culture

I arrived in Yogyakarta early in the morning of June 5. The train station was a heritage building, as it is with most of the major train stations in Java. My batchmates in Jakarta had made arrangements for Dimas, a PY in 2004, to meet me at the station. Since I was starving after that long trip, he took me to this Nasi Gudeg place for breakfast.

As with most Central Javanese dishes, Nasi Gudeg was a bit sweet. It’s actually a complex dish composed of several component dishes. I appreciated it more after I visited their kitchen, learning about the overnight cooking process. The first component dish, duck eggs are first hard-boiled, then shelled, then re-boiled again with different ingredients and spices until it reaches a dark brown color. Another component is the chicken dish. They were also grating coconuts and chopping some young jackfruit at the back for another dish. There was also a tofu and cow skin dish. The last component was white rice. They prepared large servings beginning the night before for sales the next day.

We met up with Happy, a PY in 2005, and proceeded to the Kraton, the historic palace complex of the Sultan. Yogyakarta is actually a special region in Indonesia since its top officials are not elected. Rather, the reigning Sultan of Yogyakarta and Prince of Pakualaman are governor and vice-governor respectively. This resulted from a statement by the rulers of both principalities during the declaration of Indonesian independence that the Sultanate of Yogyakarta and Regency of Pakualaman would be part of Indonesia. There have been issues though, with the Indonesian central government failing to honor the agreement in 1988. But to make the long story short, the current sultan is also governor of Yogya.

Among the places we visited were the coronation hall and a part of the main palace. You could see the servants of the sultan in traditional Javanese attire walking around the palace barefoot since they are not allowed to put on footwear. And male servants have a kris knife tucked behind them.

In one of the halls, there was a gamelan performance. It was lucky there was one that day since they don’t perform every day. In another hall was a museum dedicated to the life of the previous sultan, Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX, who even became vice-president of Indonesia from 1973 to 1978. After the touring the palace, I took a bus to Borobudur.

I arrived back in Yogya late afternoon June 6, after visiting Borobudur and Prambanan. I first looked for a place to stay for the night in the Jalan Sosrowijayan area where most of the budget hotels can be located; then took a stroll around the Jalan Marlioboro area to do some souvenir shopping. I got myself a pair of wayang golek (puppets) and masks among others.

Then for dinner, I went to one of the warungs which appear along Marlioboro every evening. You sit on woven mats while eating dinner. One of the favorites is the ayam goreng (fried chicken) which they say is marinated in coconut milk. I also had lalap (fresh vegetables) and sambal (chili) to accompany the dish.

The next morning, after purchasing my ticket to Bandung at the train station, I took a walk around Yogya. First stop was Vredeburg Fort which is located in an area of fine colonial buildings. The fort was built by the Dutch in 1765 to protect the governor. From Vredeburg, I walked to the Kraton then to Taman Sari or the Water Castle, a pleasure place for the royal family, with bathing pools where the sultan relaxed with a bevy of beautiful women. It was quite a walk and the hotel was a bit far. So I decided to take a becak (rickshaw) back to the hotel.

In the afternoon, I took a one-hour train to Solo which cost me Rp7,000. It was a big risk since I might miss my train to Bandung, but I had wanted to visit the Sangiran Early Man Site, which is the third UNESCO site in Central Java. From the Solobalapan Station, I took a becak to the Solo Bus Station. My plan was to take a Purowadadi-bound bus and get off at the junction to Sangiran. But good thing I asked for some advice at the tourist information counter.

They offered that I take an ojek (motorcycle) straight to Sangiran for Rp35,000 (US$4) which sounded expensive at first. But they explained that the bus would cost Rp5,000 one-way and when I got down at the junction, I’d have to haggle with an ojek for the four-kilometer trip to the museum which could amount to Rp15,000 or even more since I was a foreigner. Add the time factor and uncertainty since the bus was slower and finding an ojek to take me to the museum might have been a hassle. So this turned out to be a good deal.

Few people actually visit the place because there’s nothing much to see except a few fossils and replicas of Java Man skulls. In fact, I was the only visitor at the museum that day. But for a UNESCO World Heritage addict like me, it was a must visit. I was back in Solo earlier than expected which meant I would be early in Yogya and had a lot of time to spare before boarding the train to Bandung.

More photos in 2007-06-06 Yogyakarta, Indonesia and 2007-06-07 Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Technorati Tags: yogyakarta, solo, sangiran, central java, indonesia, travel, travel blog, heritage, unesco, java man

Indonesia: The Hindu temples of Prambanan

Prambanan, another UNESCO World Heritage site in Central Java, is the largest Hindu temple compound in Indonesia. To get to Prambanan from Borobudur, I had to take a bus to the main bus terminal of Yogya, the Umbulharjo Bus Terminal, and transfer to a Solo-bound bus, getting off at the gates of the temple. I spent Rp3,000 for the trip to Prambanan from Yogya. You could easily finish the park in half a day which is composed of the main temple, Candi Rara Jonggrang (which is what most refer to when they say Prambanan), and three others namely Candi Lumbung, Candi Bubrah and Candi Sewu.

There are 224 temples in the Prambanan complex, which is named after the village where it is located. Three are main temples namely Brahma Temple in the north, Vishnu Temple in the south, and the biggest among the three which lies between Brahma and Vishnu temples, is the 47-meter high Shiva Temple.

Characterized by tall and pointed architecture typical of Hindu temples, the main temple incurred significant damage during the 2006 earthquake which hit Yoyga which is why it was fenced out and you could only view it from a safe distance.

Candi Sewu on the other hand, is actually a Buddhist temple and the second largest in Central Java after Borobudur. The fact that the Hindu Rara Jonggrang Temple and Buddhist Sewu Temple were built 800 meters apart indicated that Hindus and Buddhists lived in harmony with each other. The Sewu Temple complex has 249 temples, consisting of one main temple, eight apit temples and 240 perwara temples. The main temple forms a polygon of 20 corners with a diameter of 29 meters and a height of 30 meters.

After a late lunch at a warung along the road, I waited for a bus back to the Umbulharjo Terminal in Yogya and took bus no. 4 to the Jalan Marlioboro area.

Technorati Tags: yogyakarta, central java, indonesia, travel, travel blog, heritage, unesco, prambanan

Indonesia: Sunrise on top of Borobudur

When I arrived in Jakarta, the city had several greeting arches which read "Hari Raya Waisak." It was obviously a big festival. Little did I know that it was a holiday the day before I arrived. Although majority of its citizens are Muslim, Indonesia also declares holidays on important Christian, Hindu, Chinese and Buddhist days.

June 1st this year was Waisak in Indonesia, a festival which commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and demise of Buddha. The celebrations center around the largest man-made structure in the Southern Hemisphere, the Buddhist temple of Borobudur in Central Java.

After a nine-hour train ride from Jakarta, I arrived in Yogyakarta (pronounced Jogjakarta) at about 6 a.m. I'll write more about Yoyga when I get back and continue exploring this Javanese city. But I'll go fast forward and talk about my surreal experience in Borobudur, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Friends in Manila had tipped me that there was a hotel within the grounds of the park itself and that by staying there, I would be able to explore the temple long before the crowds were allowed in. So after doing some research, I finally found the Manohara Hotel's contact numbers and asked my friends in Jakarta to book a room for me. It was good that the Waisak was over since that meant rooms would be easily available.

I took a one-hour bus from the Jombor Bus Station to Borobudur which cost me Rp10,000 (US$1.15). The good thing about booking in Manohara was that the entrance to the park was free for two days. That meant close to Rp200,000 (US$24) in savings since foreigners paid hefty amounts to enter. All I had to say at the gate was that I was booked at Manohara and my reservation number.

Manohara Hotel was a sprawling complex of guest rooms, conference rooms and restaurants that followed a distinctly Javanese architectural style which blended well with the surroundings. From the hotel, I could see Borobudur perched on top of a hill. Before climbing up the temple, I checked-in to drop off my bags. The room was Rp351,000 (US$41) a night. While you had to pay an extra Rp102,500 (US$12) per person to be able to enter the temple at 4:45 a.m. the next day. It was most definitely worth it. I didn't take too long in the room since I was raring to climb up this gargantuan structure which, together with Angkor Wat and Bagan, ranks among the great monuments of Southeast Asia.

Sometimes, I ponder how man was able to construct these masterpieces with the little technology they had at that time. Decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 statues of Buddha, this great temple, when viewed from the top, takes the form of a tantric Buddhist mandala, and is thus said to be the biggest mandala in the world. If we Catholics have the Fourteen Stations of the Cross, Buddhists who made the pilgrimage to Borobudur were said to reflect on each of the 1,460 narrative panels which depicted various scenes from the life of Buddha and his teachings. I finally reached the top after several rounds appreciating the reliefs at various levels.

Since Borobudur is the only temple inside the park, I decided to make my way back to the hotel to take a nap, waking up just in time for an early dinner. This was one of the few legs of my journey where I really made sure I maximized my vacation. Later in the evening, I watched an educational video about Borobudur in the hotel audio-visual room. I guess I was just too excited to climb up early the next morning so I had a difficult time sleeping. But I was able to get up thanks to the 4 a.m. wake-up call.

A van took me and two other hotel guests to the back entrance. It was still dark when we got there and the entire temple was lit by strong spotlights on every side. I first took some photos from below then made my way up the stairs to the top of the temple to wait for the arrival of the sun.

It finally made its way up, slowly enveloping the sky and the surrounding mountains with its radiance. The experience was indeed one of a kind. As I absorbed this heavenly scene, the silence around me was broken as I heard the noise of school kids down below. The first regular visitors for the day were making their way up the temple. I had it all to myself, well almost. But it was now time to give way to the droves of tourists which were climbing up the stairs.

I started to walk back to the hotel for my complimentary breakfast. After a quick meal, I was back to bed to get more sleep. By 11 a.m., I was on my way back to the bus station to rush over to Prambanan, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. More photos in Central Java Indonesia 06/06 and Central Java, Indonesia 06/05.

Technorati Tags: yogyakarta, magelang, central java, indonesia, travel, travel blog, heritage, historical structures, architecture, unesco, borobudur