borobodur
i thought angkor wat had ruined temples for me, but the old south east asian dynasties continue to delight. borobodur is a huge buddhist stupa, set on about five levels, each draped in intricate carvings and covered in mini stupas. dominant from a distance, staggeringly beautiful close up, it is stunning whichever way you approach it.the same cannot be said for the public buses of java. most people get the ac tourist coaches, but i thought i'd save the $2 and go native. certainly an experience, and one that i'll be repeating pretty regularly here, but basically just frustrating and hot. the driver will literally crawl the entire way in the hope of picking up extra passengers, so your average speed is about 0km/h. add to that vegetables, chickens (i stayed well away) and, apparently, pickpockets, and it's a couple of hours of fun all round. more of the same tomorrow i think.
posted by bicrom @ 1:00 pm
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