Candi Borobudur

I woke at about 3:45, (yesterday) packed my things and put them aside ready for checkout. I was on the road by 4:20am. Took the main road as there wasn't much traffic and it had better lighting.

It was an easy ride sticking to the main road, but still took over an hour to get there.

The sun was already visible when I arrived and the gate was closed, I needed to be there earlier if I wanted to join the sunrise tour.

While I was waiting I got hoodwinked into following a local guy up the hill to a so-called viewing area. If you have the opportunity, Dont do it. It's a scam. You can't see a Damned thing from the hill!

Gave the guy the slip and went straight back to the entry gate, it had just opened.

Finally I am at Borobudur. It is just as I'd imagined. I was totally impressed. It's an awe inspiring monument to the Buddha, to nature, man's creativity and the elusive, divine middle path.

I went hoping for some kind of spiritual awakening, or connection. I needed desperately for something to happen. What happened, was nothing spectacular... just me being engulfed by the sheer magnitude of something so great. It is Great!

After about half an hour the number of people climbing over the site had increased considerably. Mostly school groups and a few families. Nearly everyone wanted a photo with the Bule. They were all very polite, some a bit shy to ask but all curious to talk with a foreigner. It was a weird experience.

The instruction is that visitors should walk around the monument three times in a clockwise direction. I don't think the kids were into that. There was a single monk fulfilling the clockwise prayers for us all.

My experience of this place was of great appreciation. The power it emitted was enormous. I sensed it wasn't a mystical power but power of the educational variety. The whole thing seemed like an instruction manual. Designed to teach people balance over ideology, mysticism, religion or any other non tangible belief. 

Really I don't know what it means. It's a giant pile of carved rocks. But being there certainly gave me a deep feeling of connection to whatever creative spirit motivates humans to reach for the heavens.