Weekending

One of my good friends here in town has some out of town visitors this month! Her mom and one of her best friends were able to come spend some time with her on this side of the world. I love it when guests come, whether they’re mine or not, because it gives us a good excuse for lots of awesome adventures!

Take this weekend for example. We traveled an hour away to visit some ancient temples that I’ve always heard about but never actually been to. They are called Gedong Songo. They are all on one complex, but there are 9 separate small temples that make up the entire thing. Sadly, only 7 of the temples remain. Our friend who drove us there said that the temples were discovered in 1742, but nobody really knows when they were built or who built them. They are built with a very Hindu style, and the way they are laid out is said to represent the various levels of Hindu spirituality, with the last one being nirvana. (I didn't research any of that, so I don't know if it is fact or local legend.) All of the buildings are at various altitudes, and it’s quite a hike to see all 7! In fact, due to time constraints, we only saw temples 1, 2, 3, and 5, but 5 is the one at the highest altitude, so I feel pretty good about myself for making it that far! Here are some pictures from that day.

My friend’s sweet baby, Amadea!

The view of temple 2

Gedong Songo sits in a horseshoe shaped curve of mountains facing out over a vast valley and the mountains on the far side of it. Here is some of the view.

Temple 2 again. It was hard to get nice pictures, because people were crawling all over the temples!

View of Temple 2 from afar.

Temple 2 close up. It is believed that the original builders used sharpened stones to cut these stones which were taken from the mountain. No mortar is used – all of the stones fit together like an elaborate puzzle!

People still use the inside of each temple as a place to pray and leave offerings.

Temple 5 – the highest temple.

There are both hot and cold springs located on the temple complex.

The view of Temple 5 (left) and Temple 4 (right) from Temple 3.

You can rent horses to ride!!

Temple 3 is comprised of 3 separate structures.

The view of Temple 3 (left) and Temple 2 (right) from Temple 5.

The view of Temple 3 from Temple 5.

We were worried that it would start pouring down rain on us! But the weather held out, thank goodness!

On Sunday, we went the opposite direction – almost all the way to the south coast of Java – to go spelunking! Did you watch the Amazing Race last season? Did you see the cave that the contestants had to rappel down into while they were in Jogjakarta? Well, I didn’t go into that one. But the one we went in was part of the same cave system! It is called Goa Cerme (Cerme Cave), and it is about a 3 kilometer long underground river. So basically, we were walking through a cave in waist deep water for 2 hours. It was more fun that it might sound. We encountered lots of bats and bugs I’ve never seen. We were told we would encounter eels, but that never happened, no complaints from me… It was awesome to see another aspect of creation – underground! Unfortunately, because I knew we would be wading and swimming the entire time, I didn’t take my camera with me - for its own good. However, when we came out the other end and hiked back to the car, we found a place where we could shower for 10 cents. So while I showered, the two guys wanted to explore, so I sent them with my camera. Most of the pictures below were taken by Yohanes or Paul, just for the record.

The six of us back at the car – hot, muddy, and wet.

We all went out the day before the trip and bought the cheapest shoes we could find since we knew they would probably get ruined. These were Valerie’s by the end of the trip! Mine held up a little better. Definitely worth the six dollars I paid for them!

We showered in that little cement cube. It had no roof, so anyone higher up on the mountain could see down in! Yikes!

Paul, one of my students, and outdoor adventure guide extraordinaire!! This was his fourth time to this particular cave, and he helped us get equipment and navigate.

Bad, bad picture, but you can see where we descended into the mouth of the cave and then the river flowing at the bottom.

The river is fed by a natural spring located at the other mouth of the cave, which was where we came out. It is considerably higher up the mountain than where we started, which made the hike back to the car nice and downhill. At this end of the cave, lots of local farmers from down the mountain have irrigation lines run.

The view from our starting point.

The mouth of the cave.

I definitely got my fill of exercise this weekend. I’m so thankful to live in such a beautiful place with so many wonders of nature and so much history. Even after 4 years, it amazes me!