My full moon temple experience

Three temples, an ancient spirit and poop coffee

I know, I know, Asia is full of temples and yes, at some point everyone gets sick of it and doesn’t want to hear or see about any more temples, but this one is my probably most intense temple story, I promise.

I went to see the sunrise at Borobudur, the biggest Buddhist temple in the world, placed in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Therefore, I had to get up at 2:30 am. Gladly we had our own driver for the 2h ride, so we got there slightly before all the other tourist buses. Equipped with my camera, my little tripod, and a flashlight I made my way towards the temple.

To get to the top, we had to climb hundreds of little stairs. Something in me made me go a bit faster, to be the first one up there. And what happened when I reached the top was indescribable.

So yeah, I went there to see the sunrise, but no one told me that it was full moon that night. So, as I took the last step, the bright moon glimpsed through the clouds and its golden light hit me. I was petrified. I took a deep breath, filled my lunges with the cold fresh air and enjoyed every bit of that wondrous moment. Fu**, it felt like some ancient spirit went right through me. And I really don’t believe in superstition! But in that moment, being on top of the world’s biggest Buddhist temple, seeing all these stupas and statues in the splendid moonlight. That feeling was just Fucking Amazing! I still get goose bumps when I tell that story.

So, guys if you ever have the chance to visit Borobudur, do the sunrise tour, and if possible do it around full moon! The sunrise afterwards was by far not as impressive, as that first moment, when I reached the top, but still nice. I mean, who am I kidding, it’s a sunrise behind a volcano while staying on a temple… and the fog added a certain mystical flair.

After all the Buddhism, we needed some counterpart, so we visited Prambanan, the largest Hindu temple site of Indonesia, and the second-largest of Southeast Asia, after Angkor Wat (The sunrise there is a different story to tell). So, to be honest, Prambanan was nice, but couldn’t compete with the experience I had at Borobudur. Well, maybe the midday heat also played a part in it.

We finished our temple tour in the temple site of Candi Sambisari. It looks like they build the temple 5-10 meters deep in the ground, but in the contrary, central Java was covered by a huge layer of volcanic ash a thousand years ago. So, all the new buildings are built on the “new” ground level.

But enough of temples for now. Have you guys heard about Kopi Luwak, the so called best and most expensive coffee? Yep, I’m talking about that stuff where they turn cat feces into a hot, nice smelling cup of coffee. Well traveling is all about trying new stuff, right? And as Indonesia is famous for that type of coffee, I checked it out and got myself a little fresh brewed espresso. Well, maybe I’m not enough of a coffee fan, to appreciate that type of coffee, but I really didn’t taste much of a difference, sorry.