Pic by: Marcello and Anita TranchiniLast July, I went to Yogya with a few friends of mine and finally got the chance to see the Borobudur temple. Declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, going to this 9th century Buddhist temple has always been on my Must-Do list.
My friends had already gone to Borobudur when they were little, so when we saw a bike rental not far after entering the main gate, we thought it would be a different experience than just walking to the temple. Not too mention the day was quite hot so we didn't feel like walking.
There was also the option of taking the park train (those small trains on wheels which you often find in amusement parks). However, the train didn't have a fix schedule. When we asked one of the men near the train when it would depart, he answered "Just in a minute, when there are more people". Being Indonesians, we know better that "Just in a minute" might mean half an hour :)
Even though the bike ride was an enjoyable experience, I don't think I would recommend it to foreign tourists, since the guys renting the bike couldn't speak any english and even we were confused with the rules for renting them, such as where to leave the bike once we got to the temple etc. But eventually, we made it and it was lots of fun.
Btw, my Borobudur experience was made more memorable because I got a heavy sunburn afterwards.
Another famous temple near Yogya which I got to see on this trip, is the Hindu temple: Prambanan which lies in the Prambanan temple compound. We passed by this temple on our way to Solo.
A shame that our schedule was so tight, because at night, the Prambanan temple becomes the back-drop of the Ramayana performance where the epic story of Ramayana is told through Javanese dances.
