Indonesia - Traveling Thru History

Things to Do in Indonesia

Erin — Sat, 23 May 2020 07:34:03 +0000

Looking for things to do on your next trip to Indonesia? Check out the activities recommended by travel bloggers for the best things to do in Indonesia. #TBIN

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Top 10 Ruins of Southeast Asia

Erin — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 01:51:31 +0000

One of my most favorite things in the world would be ruins. I just love them. There’s such a sense of mystery to ancient structures that makes them so incredibly fascinating. What did they actually look like when they were first built? What did they look like all decked out for the rituals and ceremonies that were held there? How long did the ancient inhabitants plan the structures before building them? Why did they stop using these structures? What would they say now, if they could see the hundreds of thousands of people who come to gawk at the ruins now? With all of the amazing ruins around Asia, I decided to narrow it down to Southeast Asia, since that is where I spent most of my time, and to pick the best ruin from each country. Some countries have soooooooooo many to choose from and some are limited in their offerings. That doesn’t make the ruin any less intriguing. Andaman and Nicobar Islands Courtesy of Flickr Site: Ross Island Church Location: Ross Island, Port Blair Built: Late 1700s or mid-1800s Restored: No Cambodia Site: Angkor Wat Location: Siem Reap Built: 12th Century Restored: Partially Indonesia Site: Borobudur Location: Yogyakarta, Central Java Built: 750-825 AD Restored: Yes Laos Courtesy of Flickr Site: Buddha Park Location: 15.5 miles (25 km) southeast of Vientiane Built: 1958 Restored: Maintained Malaysia Courtesy of Flickr Site: Bujang Valley Location: Merbok, Kedah State Built: 6th century Restored: Excavation and restoration underway Myanmar Site: Bagan Location: Bagan Archaeological Zone Built: 11th-13th centuries Restored: Some of the temples have been restored while some don’t need to be and others are waiting to be restored Philippines Courtesy of Flickr Site: Paoay Church Location: Marcos Ave, Paoay, Ilocos Norte Built: 1694-1710 Restored: Partially Singapore Courtesy of Flickr Site: Fort Canning Location: Fort Canning Hill Built: 1859 Restored: Partially Thailand Site: Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon Location: Ayutthaya Built: 1357 AD Restored: Partially Vietnam Courtesy of Flickr Site: Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary Location: Duy Phú, Duy Xuyên, Quảng Nam Province Built: 4th-14th centuries Restored: Partially

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20 Amazing Sunsets at UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Erin — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 21:47:27 +0000

Sunsets are already magical, but when paired with the ruins or landscape of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the results are breathtaking.

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Photo Essay: The Terraced Rice Fields of Bali

Erin — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 14:00:55 +0000

I’m sure most people have heard of Indonesia and have epic fantasies about the exotic beauties to be found on the island of Bali. You’ve probably imagined lush greenery, exotic dances, vast landscapes and beautiful beaches. Well, your fantasies are correct. Bali is an island that is believed to have been settled in the early 8th century. Hindu priest Rsi Marhandya came to Bali from Java and founded a colony at the confluence of the two Wos rivers at Campuan, just west of the city of Ubud. It was there that Rsi Marhandya also developed the traditional Balinese cooperative irrigation system that is known as the Subak System. While the terraced rice fields can be found all over the island, the main areas where the terraced landscape is most visited are around the villages of Tegallalang, Pejeng and Campuhan. In 2012 the Subak System of Bali was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. The subak site we visited was quite on accident. We were under the impression that there was only one area where the terraced rice fields were and thought it was further away than it was. We were very surprised to find ourselves driving right past a terraced system our very first morning in Bali, shortly after leaving our hotel. I was so excited that I cried. lol. Our trip to Bali was a short one and Troy had said we may not make it to the side of the island we thought the terraces were on since everything else we wanted to do was on the opposite side. I was really disappointed, so finding the terraces that first morning made me so happy. And I cry pretty easily. lol. We thought we’d only spend an hour or so there, but we ended up spending almost three hours wandering up and down the terraces and all around the hillside. It was such a great place to visit. This guy was pretty awesome. When we walked past him, he chattered away in Indonesian and waved me over. When I got over to him, he popped the hat on my head, linked arms with me and pointed towards the camera. It was pretty funny. Of course, he wanted money before I walked away, but it was worth it. He was fun. To get to the other side of the little ravine in the middle of the rice field, we had to cross this bridge. It was a little rickety, but not too bad. I was nervous the first few steps, but it held up just fine. Once we got across the bridge, we met this sign. It cracked us up. We left a ‘donation’ and then continued on our way. We assume this little ‘cave’ is for the workers to rest during the day and store their gear at night. And, of course, we had to take a cute selfie while we were there. Troy was not thrilled. lol

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Candi Mendut

Erin — Mon, 06 Jul 2015 00:30:01 +0000

Candi Mendut is a 9th century Buddhist temple located in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It is one of three temples along a straight line that are of religious importance to the Javanese people, but the exact relationship between the three has been lost. All that is known now is that Candi Mendut, Borobudur and Pawon were all used for a combined religious ritual. Candi Mendut, more commonly known as Mendut, was built in the early 9th century, sometime before or around 824 AD. Dutch archaeologist JG de Casparis believes the temple mentioned in a Karangtengah inscription dated 824 AD is Mendut temple and has presented enough evidence to back up his claim that the archaeological community concurs. It is unknown how long Mendut was in use or what caused it to be abandoned, but in 1836 the temple ruins were discovered among an overgrowth of trees and bushes. Archaeologists began restoring the temple in 1897 after careful research and completed their restoration work in 1925. The stones used in the restored temple are mostly the same as were at the site when it was found, but there are not enough stones to complete the restoration. Off to the side of Mendut is a field of stones. These stones are those that remain of the rest of Mendut. The parts of the temple that are missing are the pinnacle on top, the walls of a front chamber and the roof of the front chamber. The stones are laid out in the positions they would be in had the remaining stones been on site. Mendut may be small and unassuming, but it has some beautiful bas-reliefs and stone carvings. These depict Boddhisattvas (Buddhist divinities) and other Buddhist figures. The Kejawen Buddhists of Central Java who practice mysticism or Buddhism believe that praying at Mendut will bring about the fulfillment of wishes. This bas-relief in particular is important to childless couples. They pray to this depiction of Hariti for children since Hariti is the symbol of fertility, the patroness of motherhood and protector of children. Inside the temple, you will be greeted by a small room filled with three figures. The central figure is Dhyani Buddha Vairocana. He represents liberation from bodily karma. To the left is Boddhisatva Avalokitesvara. She (some sects depict Avalokitesvara as male, others female) represents the liberation from the karma of speech. And the statue on the right is Boddhisatva Vajrapani. He represents liberation from the karma of thought. While Mendut is not a temple of popular use, it is once again being used for certain rituals. Aside from praying for certain wishes to be fulfilled, Buddhist devotees come to Mendut during the full moon of May or June to observe Vesak by walking from Mendut to Borobodur. Devotees take part in mass prayer while walking around the temples.

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