Prambanan to Tawangmanggu

Back on the bus for another long day’s drive. Our first stop was Prambanan, the largest Hindu temple complex on Java. All of the temples here were built between the 8th and 10th Century AD when Java was ruled by the Buddhist Sailendras in the south and the Hindu Sanjayas in the North. They were abandoned when the Hindu Javanese kings moved to East Java.

We actually drove through Solo (Surakarta) and stopped only long enough to get some bread (at the Holland Bakery) and some fruit for our “picnic” lunch. We looked longingly at Solo—what a fascinating city- and it was treated as just a pass through to Candi Sukuh. This involved a bus and transfer to a mini-bus to drive on some very steep roads to get to the ruins.

They were some of the only “erotic” ruins in Indonesia. The group was supposed to continue on for a 3-hour walk to a waterfall - until the daily torrents of rain arrived. So, we all headed back on the bus for our drive to Tawangmangu, our evening stop. Tawangmangu was yet another one street town with very little to do. The group headed off to see a waterfall and John, Drew and I headed to the local market.

Drew with the locals
The market was filled with veggies and fruits (we just couldn’t figure out where they use all these great veggies. They just didn’t seem to make it into any of their food.). Joking with the locals was so much fun. We stopped to buy a “ding-dong” (not the right word, but it’s the closest thing we could make of the word)….a soybean paste deep-fried and served with hot sauce. They were excellent and the hot sauce was fiery. After a wander through the market, we “chartered” a bemo to get us back up the hill towards the hotel (5500 rupees if you want to wait until it’s full, 7500 for a private charter!). The town was not awash in restaurants. We finally found one that has beer “yang dingen” and settled in for the night.

Drew was definitely on our frequency. We had some great talks. A few years ago, he had a bout with cancer and decided to buy his own biodegradable coffin for 30 pounds. Since he fortunately didn’t have to use it, he propped it up in his bathroom and put in a store dummy. It serves several purposes- the cat sleeps in it and it’s definitely a conversation piece (as well as a quick way to check out his date’s sense of humor- she either comes out laughing or runs out of his flat in horror!)
Once again, the skies opened up and we managed to get back to the hotel, a bit wet.