Rare Jewels!

The idea of seeing yet another set of ancient architectural wonders made me eventually decide to visit Indonesia, despite the very unfounded reasons I have enumerated in the immediately preceding entry.  The pictures of these magnificent temples alone are so unreal that I could not miss it for the world.

Next thing I knew, I was on a plane to Yogyakarta.

Yogyakarta officially introduced us to the wonderful Indonesian culture.  We came to this country with practically no knowledge of its culture and its people, albeit the mostly negative things we heard over the news and read on available articles.  We were surprised to be totally smitten by its very warm people that made us somehow question why we Filipinos think we're the most hospitable people on earth.

But to avoid inciting any debate, enough said about that subject matter.

Instead, let me share with you the photographs of two of the most fascinating jewels of Yogyakarta and, without a doubt, the world.

Prambanan, the magnificent.

A 9th century Hindu temple, this somehow resembles the famed towers of Angkor Wat, but it has no base structure where one can actually go in.

One of the great towers.  The details are astonishing!

They have successfully pieced the temple back together for us to marvel at ancient men's architectural superiority in the absence of technology.

I was surprised how sexual the depictions in the carvings are...

which shows how liberated their ancient culture was...

and how tolerant their society now despite being a predominantly Muslim country.

Borobudur, the majestic.

This on the other hand is a 9th century Buddhist temple.  The photo does not give justice to how massive this temple is...

that the tiny spikes that you see on top of the temple...

are actually stupas which are approximately 12 feet tall (I am 5'10")!

and they are all around the temple...

housing a buddha statue each...

which shows how devout the ancient men were to their religion, giving it all - materials and manpower resources - to build monuments to last over a thousand years!

At that moment, I believed in my heart that Borobodur toppled Angkor Wat in grandeur, even predating the latter by 300 years.  It is also widely believed that the descendants of the builders of Borobudur built its more renowned Cambodian counterpart.  The only advantage the Khmers has is that most of its temples are within one expansive complex, as opposed to Yogyakarta's which are scattered all around.

But I have no problem with that, a rare jewel is supposed to be "hard to find".

One more chance!

I have to admit, Indonesia was last in my list of places to see in South East Asia, mainly because I was dumb as 3825 to believe some of the bad things that have been written or I have been told about it.  You know, massive traffic jams, touts, terrorism and all.  Wait, did I just describe my own country? LOL!

Fortunately, my bosom buddy and default travel companion ETS, sparked the idea of going to Yogyakarta, a city Southeast of the capital Jakarta and which rightfully deserves a separate blog entry.  The lure of seeing yet another set of ancient temples was just too irresistible and the next thing we knew we were on a flight to Jakarta, having no direct flights from Manila.

Because of our initial misconceptions, we only intended to stay shortly in the capital city of Indonesia and there was no specific itinerary to follow.  For us, it was a necessary evil just to get to and from our intended destination.  And I must admit that I was so pleased to be proven wrong once again.  Disclaimer though, my observations are coming from a point of view of a person who lives in Manila.

The Soekarno-Hatta International Airport was HUGE, probably not the terminal itself, but the complex as a whole.

To some, the interior might be dated, but there's this certain character which I liked...

which differentiates it from better known airports I've been to which all look generic though modern.

Where's the legendary traffic jam?  And this was on a Friday nearing rush hour.

We asked our cab driver to bring us to the Museum Nasional, we were brought to Monumen Nasional (Monas).  We thought the museum galleries were underground.  Oh well, it was still good to see this landmark.

The Monas grounds.  It was clean despite the number of people around: vendors, homeless, tourists and bystanders alike.  I wish I could also say that of our parks here.

Streets were clean and traffic was orderly.

The elevated bus stops.

The skyscrapers.

The road that leads to...

the massive Hotel Indonesia Roundabout (Bundaran Hotel Indonesia).

This, I must say, was the biggest shock to a Filipino.  I swear I even saw one who had to back out for going past the line, and everyone behind him gave way.

This I swear, yet again, is never going to be our reality in Manila, or Ho Chi Minh for that matter!

I dare not to conclude that what I saw and experienced in Jakarta was what it is on a regular basis as I was only there for a very limited time.  But that left a very good impression enough to make me want to go back and really explore the city one more time.

Old Glory!

I was very thrilled to get a chance to visit one of my favorite cities again, Bangkok, Thailand.

I have always felt comfortable in the city that I could actually move there anytime, with the language difference as the only major adjustment.  What made the trip more exciting was that I had a side trip to another major tourist destination outside the present capital which I always wanted to see too, Ayutthaya.

Ayutthaya was ancient Thailand's second capital after Sukhothai.  Sadly, the glorious city was burned to the ground by the Burmese army in 1767.  I have always been a fan of ancient ruins, so the city fits right into my to-see list.

I was warned by a friend, however, that I, having seen Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia, might be in for a huge disappointment.

I have never listened to my friends.

So, on with the trip!

The tour started with a bus ride to Ayutthaya that gave me an opportunity to see more of the city...

and the beautiful countryside.

First stop was the Bang Pa In Palace...

which is very evidently well maintained.

I don't exactly know what this is, but I'm certain it is revered with all the burned incense and garlands in front.

In front of the Chinese palace with my gorgeous friend.

Wat Maha That, remnants of a glorious past.  Once the residence of the supreme patriarch.

Sitting with Buddha.

One of the many stupas in the area.

A Buddha head entangled in the roots of a very old tree.  You cannot be photographed with your head higher than Buddha's.

Wat Na Phramane, the only temple that was not sacked by the invading Burmese army during the ancient war.

The giant reclining Buddha at Wat Lokayasutha.  There's unfortunately no historical account of its background.

The tour culminated with a buffet lunch in a ferry that cruised along the Chao Phraya river...

which was again an opportunity for me and my lovely friends...

to see the unique cityscape of Bangkok

with its massive bridges,

and another,

the smaller ferries that ply the vibrant river,

a view of the Grand Palace,

and the Wat Arun.

Yes, Ayutthaya may not compare to Angkor Complex, but the mere fact that I was standing on ancient grounds of utmost historical importance not only to the Thais but to all mankind being a testament of ancient men's architectural superiority was more than enough reason for me to go see and experience it for myself.

Phuket me wrong, but I love it!

Coming from the Philippines, I say that it would be very hard to please me, or any Filipino for that matter, when it comes to beaches.  We have 7107 islands, so there's always a nearby beach anywhere you are.  Although I have only been to a few, I could safely say that they belong to the very best, namely the ones in Bohol, Palawan, Ilocos Norte and of course, the world renowed Boracay Island.

So a couple of my friends were rather puzzled why I was very eager to go to Phuket in Thailand.  They claimed that there's nothing extraordinary there, and the sand can never measure up against even our third rate beaches here.

But I know me, I had to see it for myself.  After all, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.  And I was so glad I did go, because I definitely love it!

And here's why...


1. Thai food is the best and is very cheap.  And there's a lot of restaurants that you'll never know where to start.  I hate it when you can't find a decent place to eat in, and luckily, the places we tried in Patong were great, and yes, that includes the resort restaurant.

The best we've tried, we're even given complimentary dish and sliced pineapple.

We were like the only people there at that time because it is located quite far from the main road.

Eat here for the ambiance.

From the hotel restaurant.  Our very first meal in Phuket.

Very simple dessert (local crepe) but surprisingly yummy!

2. This resort is awesome and very cheap.  I don't think you can ever find something like this for 2,200 baht (roughly 3,000 pesos) in any of our local beach destinations.

Great resort!

Fountain at the entrance.

Not bad at all.

My girls enjoying the resort pool.

3. I have always been a city boy and that is my comfort zone.  So it did not bother me at all that Bangla Road was full to the brim with tourists and locals alike.  The party from the discotheques, clubs and bars spilled over to the streets, all night long.  A warning though, it is not for kids.  Scantily clad go-go girls, Vegas-worthy lady boys flashing their surgically-attached boobies and what have you litter the streets.  For what it's worth, you'll never get bored.

Russian go-go dancer.

Literal sea of people.

Party animals.

Lady boys in action.

4. While it is true that the sand is not at all as white as that of Boracay's, I could say that it is powdery enough for me and without the pesky stones and sea shells.  The shore is long and wide for a good stroll.

Tourists came out after the rain.

Cloudy sky, I liked!

Right.

Left.  Rain was brewing again.

A little peace and quiet.

5. But what most impressed me was the city's waste management system, or at least the garbage collection.  You could never guess that a bazillion people partied all night along Bangla Road when you check it out in the early morning.  There was practically one garbage truck in every street corner collecting the debris of the mayhem the night before.  I could never say that for my own neighborhood.

The morning after.

No trace of the chaos the night before.

Sleepy by day, raucous at night.

So I guess in the end, the beauty of a place is a matter of preference.  Some people like it zen, I like in sensational!