Prambanan, Java, Indonesia

After a much needed nap, we departed on our second tour of the day. We mini-bused to the Hindu monument of Prambanan. Prambanan is one of the largest Hindu temples in Southeast Asia, and was built in 850AD.
We lucked out for once and got a knowledgeable guide, with mostly understandable English. Prambanan is massive and interesting. I'd recommend viewing it before Borobudur though, as it pales by comparison. It was less crowded than Borobudur, and we could walk unbothered around the main temples through grassy fields.

Even a UNESCO World Heritage Site has to share its grounds with the local farmers. Click PLAY below to see a lamb try to escape its herder.

After Prambanan we rode the tour bus up hill to Boku Kraton; which is billed in Lonely Planet as "a stunning view of the Prambanan plain, best seen during the magnificent sunset." What we found were unrecognizable ruins of a 9th century castle on a hill with a view limited to just a couple miles visibility due to the choking smog that blankets most of Java. The sun disappeared into this band of smog long before it set. After a sub par "dinner included in the tour" (read: rice and tea), it was back down to Prambanan for the marquee cultural performance in all of Java, the Ramayana Ballet at Prambanan.

Two hours of over two hundred performers in costume and gamelan music, with the softly lit Prambana temples setting a timeless backdrop. It was a great show, with a portion of the stage actually burned down during the climax of the story. Half of the audience were the afore mentioned schoolchildren from Borobudur, the boys seated separately from the girls.

A word on Indonesian religion: While Bali is a Hindu island, the rest of Indonesia, including Java, is 95% Muslim. While I have only travelled to five Muslim countries, I can see that there are many different interpretations of the religion between countries, or even within a country. In Malaysia and Indonesia we've seen a lot of women in headscarves, and equal number without, and even one women in the full black chador, covered head to toe with only the eyes showing. Sitting motionless in a dark shop, we could have easily mistaken her for furniture.