They say that it's better to travel than to arrive.
However, when they came up with that phrase, they weren't thinking about cruise passengers taking the long coach journey to Borobudur from Semarang. Because, the contrast between the discomfort of the journey and the magnificence of the end destination couldn't really be any greater.
The coach ride takes you on a bumpy, slightly cramped journey through incredibly chaotic traffic, as you scarcely want to keep your eyes open as your police escort takes you on the wrong side of the road, through countless red lights and various near death experiences on the way. And then you arrive at one of the greatest architectural set-pieces in South East Asia – the superb temple of Borobudur. A place that's as serene as the traffic is chaotic, as magnificent as the towns we pass through are mundane, as awe-inspiring as the journey is yawn-inspiring.
The wonderful thing is that the stresses of the journey just melt away, the instant that you get your first glimpse of the temple, the coach ride forgotten as soon as you start your journey to nirvana up and around this incredible piece of stone artwork.
We've only just been to Borobudur (in November), but without doubt it was still worth the trip back here. So, I won't go into detail about the temple again – check out my last blog entry on Borobudur - http://blog.jonfleming.co.uk/2017/11/november-20th-tourist-nirvana-in.html.
A small amount of pain (in that long journey), was most certainly worth the gain of seeing one of the world's great historical sights.
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