We flew from Bali to Java. The airport had a great dragon mural, temple and flowers everywhere. We arranged a driver to pick us up and do a quick tour of Semarang in Central Java.
Our first stop was Lawang Sewu or “a thousand doors.” The building technically has 928 doors and was built by the Dutch between 1904 and 1907 as the head office for the Dutch East Indies Railway Company until 1942. It was then used at the Japanese Military headquarters during World War II. Today this abandoned building is a popular site during the day and night. The streets nearby were busy with traffic-a mix of cars, buses, trucks and many mopeds.
Old Netherlands was our second stop. The area in the middle of regentrification. There were old abandoned building next to new cafes, shops and galleries. It was once a vibrant trading district in the early 19th century until the early 20th century.
Our third stop was Sam Poo Kong or Gedung Bantu Temple. It is the oldest Chinese temple in Semarang. Unlike most temples, the buildings are a place of worship for multiple ethnic and religious groups and not just one religion. The temple foundation was first built by Admiral Cheng Ho (aka Zheng He), a Muslim explorer from mainland China during the late 14th century/early 15th century.
After a few hours of driving, we arrived to Mesa Stila in Magelang. The twenty-two hectares property is a working coffee plantation originally started by the Dutch. The villas are relocated homes from all over the country filled with antiques. The grounds have everything including a double layered pool, the green jungle overview of the yoga studio and the original club house.
They also offered daily walks, cultural lessons like batik, Javanese dance, and a tour of the coffee plantation.
We left the grounds for a trek to Sekar Langit Waterfalls. Along the way we stopped at two schools. The first group of sixth graders sitting outside reading. We chatted with the teacher and were allowed to take a few photos. The second school was down the road. We met another group of fifth/sixth graders in their classroom. It was fun to see they were learning greatest common factor. No photos allowed.
We walked on through rice fields, villages and a bamboo forest. We stopped to admire the views as were hiked up the hillside.
The waterfall is a popular site for locals and tourists. It was named after the legend of Jaka Tarub and the angels who came down to earth to the bath in the waterfall. Because it was a place for the angels, the water is thought to be curative and holy. The water was cold and refreshing.
Every May there is the Waisak (Vesak) festival at Borobudur. The festival celebrates the birth, death and moment when Siddhartha Gautama became Buddha Shakyamuni. The monks dress in saffron ropes and walk for 3.5km from the Mendut Temple to Pawan Temple to Borobudur with candles and orange flowers as offerings. We toured all three temples starting at the Mendut Temple and Buddhist Monastery. Inside was a 3m figure of Buddha flanked by Lokesvara and Vairapana. Unusual to the area, the Buddha is sitting in a Western-style position with both feet on the ground. Next door was an Buddhist Monastery that is open to the public.
We then stopped at Pawan or Barajanalan Temple. It was referred to as a kitchen, an oven and a grave by the guides. From what we read online, it is believed to be where King Indra’s ashes were stored. It is a Buddha temple but was built in a style similar to the Javanese Hindu temples.
The area is most famous for the Borobudur. The world heritage site attracts millions from around the world to see the 9th century Buddhist temple. It has nine platforms, seventy-two small and one large stupa. There are 2672 reliefs carved into its wall. It is most popular at sunrise, however the hotel suggested we go for sunset because the weather has been cloudy in the mornings. We got a few streaks of orange skies before the clouds returned. It was very peaceful to watch and there were less than twenty other tourists.
Afterwards we went to the opening of the show ‘Art for a Peaceful World.’ We met the artists, saw traditional dancers, listened to music and ate dessert. There was food but we had already eaten dinner when we arrived. It was a blast!
Not as impressive as Borobudur but very interesting was Bandungan and Gedong Songo Temple. Gedong Songo (nine buildings) are a group of small 8th century Hindu Javanese temples 900m above see level on the slopes of Mount Ungaran. The site is impressive because it is nestled amount terraced hillsides, sulfur springs and surrounded by active volcanos. There are five groups of temples that have been restored and another one we called Gedong IVb that was recently discovered. The name is a misnomer and does not refer to the number of structures but references the importance of the number nine in the Javanese culture.
