We spent a month in Indonesia and feel like we barely scratched the surface of all there is to see & experience, though what we did see made it one of our top spots in Southeast Asia! We flew into Yogyakarta on Java island where we did a day trip to visit two incredible old temples -
Borobudur, the largest Buddhist monument in the world &
Prambanan, one of the largest Hindu temples in SE Asia.
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| The view atop Borobudur; each bell-shape stupa houses a Buddha statue |
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| so fashionable in our mandatory sarongs |
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| one of the intricate temples at Prambanan |
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| Prambanan |
After the temples we stopped to see
Mount Merapi (aka Fire Mountain), the most active volcano in Indonesia erupting most recently in October 2010. It was mostly hidden by clouds but it was amazing to see the lava-carved landscape in the surrounding area where villages continue to be re-built after every devastation.
After a few days hanging out in and exploring Yogyakarta we headed east on Java to see smoking
Bromo volcano at sunrise; what a sight! We were awaken at 3am for a quick breakfast, jeep ride and hike up to the viewpoint on Mount Penanjakan looking out over the 'sea of sand' in the Tengger Caldera. Afterward we were able to walk up to the crater of Bromo and see deep inside this volcano which had erupted less than 2 years prior.
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| pretty chilly at sunrise |
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| a bit cloudy but there are 5 volcanoes in there! |
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| the landscape is almost other-worldly |
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| walking across the Tengger Sand Sea to reach Bromo Volcano |
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| locals offer horse rides up to the base of Bromo volcano |
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| looking into Bromo volcano from the edge of the crater |
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| Mount Batok |
From the volcanoes of Java we headed to the beaches of Bali to live out the end of our trip in complete relaxation mode. We bolted out of Aussie-overrun Kuta as soon as we could and spent a few days in Sanur at our $18/night double-decker, pool-side bungalow! We had a few laughs and great meals with a lovely British couple we'd met on Java who we later followed to our next destination, Nusa Lembongan off the southeast coast of Bali.
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| the beach at Sanur |
We rented bikes on Lembongan island and checked out all of the colourful seaweed harvest sites, beaches and mangroves. Once we were sufficiently drenched in sweat we dove into the wonderfully refreshing pool at our guesthouse and continued to swim when the daily hour of rain hit in the late afternoon.
In Part 2 of the Indonesia blog we head back to Bali then visit the three Gili's; stay tuned!
