This was our first tour (read my review here), and both of us were really excited. We went down to the lobby at 3:25 and our tour guide / driver was already there waiting for us. "I love it when they're punctual" I said to myself, "no wonder they have the best reviews on tripadvisor".
As we drove towards Borobudur we passed by a few traditional markets that were packed full of people. Our driver explained that it's common for people to buy groceries from these "early morning" markets. Some might start as early as 2:00 am, and the market usually closes before 10:00am.
The air smelled fresh and humid as we pulled up to the Manohara Resort - a hotel that is given exclusive rights to provide sunrise tours. I thought we were joining a tour group, but to my surprise, our driver had booked us a private guide - Fatah, just for Borobudur.
It was still pitch black when we started our walk, and it was surreal. Like going through a mystic garden that would've been exploding with colours except, now, the trees and flowers quietly stare at us from the distant darkness. I couldn't help being reminded of my childhood. I grew up in a garden not unlike this one. It was filled with tall trees, especially back then, when the campus wasn't as developed as it is now. You can smell the saps drifting down from the trees, watch the flowers that have temporarily gone to bed, and the mist that touches your face while you walk. It was beautiful, even in the dark. Then I felt sorrow as I remembered the serenity from my childhood that I can no longer experience, and this walk, was just a temporary reminder of the stillness I had lost.
As we entered the gates there were nothing but stairs that I could see. It was majestic, and for a second I wondered if I could actually conquer all these steps and make it to the top. The stairs were narrow and steep, and half way up they became so steep it became easier to crawl. Our guide had been generous about sharing his story, about how his family was driven away from the very garden we walked through as the government expanded the area to made Borobudur more "tourist friendly".
He reserved his favorite spot for us while we walked around that tier. I felt like I was dreaming as everything seemed too beautiful to be true. Nothing puts you in perspective like a 1,200 year old temple, right? Could I be traveling through time? Imagine the number of hands that glided by these rocks that I am touching now. I wonder who they were, where they were from and when in the past they were from?
As we gazed into the sunrise, reality started setting back in. Keith, having gone to many UNESCO heritage sites before, was very impressed with the up keeping of this one. The stones were so polished they didn't have any sharp edges, some statues had been so worn down because too many people touched them for good luck. The nearby volcano had actually just irrupted 2 months before we arrived, but there wasn't even dust on any of the steps.
The details of the stones shown as the sun grew larger. The familiar heat started sneaking up on us. Ah, yes, that's right, we are in a tropical country now. Our guide walked us through each of the tiers and told us all the stories he knew about. Each of them were carved into the stone, and we remained mesmerized by the entire experience until we started walking back down to the hotel.
Our guide found us his favorite spot again in the "bale" (Indonesian gazebo), somewhere we can enjoy the scenery of Borobudur while we drank our morning coffee and ate our deep fried bananas. We were so moved that we couldn't stop staring at it. Like in a trance, I sat there and wondered if what we had gone through was real.
The truth is, this trip would've been worth it even with just this.
To be continued...
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