Gedong Songo: Temples on Horseback
Numbers: Indonesia is the fourth largest country in the world, after China, India and the U.S. I’ve already mentioned it’s the world’s largest island nation, with 17,000+/- islands when the tide is out, 13,000+/- when the tide is in. Of these, only 6,000+/- — or maybe it’s 8,000+/- — are inhabited. No one knows exact numbers in this, the world’s largest archipelago. Last June, Newsweek ran an article: ‘Indonesia Is Counting All Of Its Islands To Make Sure It Hasn’t Forgotten Any.’
Leaving wonderful Bali we spent one day navigating the South China Sea (one third of all commercial shipping passes through it) to reach Semarang on predominantly Muslim Java, our third and final Indonesian island. Many Vikings went to the spectacular Borobodor; this UNESCO site from the 9th century is the largest Buddhist temple in the world and considered one of the 7 Wonders. I opted out of that 9-hour journey and chose a 6+ hour trek to Gedong Songo and its 9 Hindu temples, accessible on foot or on horseback. I chose the latter, and it was quite the adventure.
I took this photo on the pier in Semarang on the way out to my excursion. These are the only Indonesian dancers/musicians I saw since I missed (long story) the local on-ship performance. Several times, in French Polynesia and Southeast Asia, locals have been on the pier in the early morning to greet the ship’s arrival and perform for the Viking groups that disembark for excursions.
On the Road, Again
The temple complex at Gedong Songo was about 29 miles from port. A regular size bus took us from Semarang into the countryside, then we transferred to four smaller vans that could fit on the narrow roads. We had great glimpses of local life, local architecture, local color.
Lots and lots of nurseries, raising plants for locals and export.
Note this hotel’s infinity pool. We were getting close to the top...
The small vans took us a bit further, at which point we dismounted the vans — and mounted our horses. We didn’t ride, we sat astride while the horses’ owners led their steeds — lean way forward to go up up up steep hills and lean way back to go down down down steep descents. I was too busy holding on to take photos of the more athletic aspects. I call this first one Horsepower vs. Horsepower.
There were originally nine small temples in the Gedong Songo complex among these hills, 4000 feet above sea level — it was blissfully cool and breezy. Built in the 9th century, these excellent examples of classic Javanese temple architecture were discovered in 1804 by Sir Stamford Raffles (British administrator and founder of Singapore). The main temple is dedicated to Shiva. ‘The Great Trinity‘ of Hinduism is Brahma the creator, Vishnu the maintainer or preserver, and Shiva the destroyer or transformer. The close-up of the side of a temple below shows Ganesh, ‘widely revered as the remover of obstacles, the patron of arts and sciences and the deva of intellect and wisdom’ [wiki].
Most of the temples had crumbled over the centuries and several are now rebuilt or in the process. The 21st century reared its ugly head in this sacred place: a hotel nearby was blasting the hills with western rock music. We survived the ascent, the descent, and the music. My steed is named Nonny (sp?).
While vanning up to the top we had passed a very colorful street and indoor market and, after our pony trek, our guide took us back there to walk around.
The brown half globes in the lower right are compressed palm sugar, which is grated into sauce, or wherever it’s called for. Judging by the sounds coming from his phone, this little boy was playing a video game.
Below: The infamous durian fruit... smells like s**t and tastes
1) divine, if you like it or 2) like s**t. Viking will positively not allow it to be brought on the ship. It’s that bad. Yet… it’s for sale everywhere.
The excursion ended with yet another elegant buffet lunch, this time at the Bandungan Resort and Spa. It featured an aviary, a wedding chapel, and complimentary 3-minute massages; I managed to have two.
The ride back to the ship produced more stand-out architecture… kids just let out of school (swarms of girls in white hijabs)… and a peaceful placid paddy picture to end on. #
