Feb 24, 2025
Our 9 hour excursion to Borobodur began with a police escort.
This is not the first time we've had protection. When we visited St. Catherine's Monastery on the Sinai Penninsula in 2022, we had armed guards and a spare bus. But today, the police escort of our multibus convoy wasn't for our safety from people with violent intent.
It was the only way to get through the traffic. Without our polisi, the three hour drive to Borobudur from the port in Semarang, would have taken FIVE hours. One way. I feel I need to apologize to Balinese. Their traffic is a breeze compared to the mayhem coming through Semarang. Our thoughtful tour operators gave us a "comfort stop" about midway through the three hours complete with an asian snack served up by friendly young people.
I'd been looking forward to seeing Borobodur since 2022 when we were supposed to be cruising there before the whole world cruise itinerary was stood on its head. It's a very old sacred site. Who knows exactly when this largest Buddhist monument in the world was completed? Like Angkor Wat, it lay hidden for centuries and has now been excavated and restored. Situated on a high hill for maximum effect, the first glimpse of it is inspiring.
Whenever the human race decides to join together to create something so monumental, it's important. And as it's dedicated to seeking the Eternal, it's doubly so. It's about one culture's understanding of the nature of reality, human beings' place in it and how we are to make our way through this life. Borobudur is a series of sermons in stone--all the teachings of Buddha chiseled out in the bas relief statues along each of the exposed sides of the step pyramid. Adherents are intended to make an ascent of the structure in clockwise motion, past all the carvings, considering each teaching as they walk the path.
I'm kind of relieved that we were there on a day when no one except restoration workers can ascend the stairs and make a circuit of all the levels. Just walking around the base was exertion enough for me in the tropical heat and humidity. (My step counter pegged out at over 9100 steps!)
There are over 500 larger statues of a seated Buddha on the monument. One of the things our guide pointed out was the hand position of these statues on each of the four cardinal sides. All had the left hand, palm up at waist height. The difference was in the right hand and stood for four cardinal virtues. Right palm downward over the right knee meant "Responsibility." Right hand palm up signified "Helpfulness." Right palm down hovering over the left upraised palm stood for "Meditation." And finally, right hand with palm facing outward toward the onlooker meant "Fearless," specifically being unafraid of death.
After we trekked around the entire pyramid, we hiked down the steep hill through the deep forest back to an outdoor venue. Fortunately our seating was covered since the sky opened just as we arrived and we huddled under the tented dining area while a frog-strangling downpour pounded around us. We enjoyed an Indonesian lunch while puddles crept in around the edges of the tent.
Then it was back on the bus and our three hour trip over hill and dale and to the ship...
Along the way, our guide shared the five things an Indonesian man must have to be considered "a perfect man." Here they are:
- A Job
- A Wife
- A House
- A means of transportation (usually starting with a scooter or motorcycle)
- And finally....he must keep a bird!
I told the DH, "Four out of five ain't bad!"
(I apologize for the lack of photographs. I'm still not sure why I can't seem to get them downloaded from my Apple phone to my Microsoft Surface. Oh... maybe that's it. Some operating systems don't like to work and play well with others... Hope you enjoy the DH's montages. His devices all like each other.)
