Well, I regret that I need once again to defend myself on this blog(see comment of 16th December re: batik)but.... I simply reminded Tom that many people see blogs as something to read not to write on and he shouldn't feel cross if there are too few comments to satisfy his sense of audience.
In any case , do I owe anything to someone who sent me practically to my death on the roads of Jogjakarta? He borrowed bikes for me and Anne so that we could cycle to the Prambanan temple complex.It is true he accompanied us for much of the way (before slipping off to see some sites he hadn't visited before) but he had the advantage of having done the trip before on a bicycle and Anne has the advantage of being a brilliant cyclist(and even she went pale once or twice.)The fact I am starting with the bike ride rather than the utter magnificence of 8th Century temples full of carvings should indicate the extent of my terror. So , rather in the spirit of survivor stories, I can say that it was absolutely brilliant and made me feel that there are few things I cannot now attempt.
Tom's version of Yogjakarta is the Full Metal Jacket one-so it was not until after he had marched me through the horror of the massive high street loud with traffic and crammed to suffocation with stalls selling batik and key rings, that he told me about the bookshop slightly off the main thoroughfare. There I went with Anne (who does not eschew The Lonely Planet and so had known about this area before arrival in Yogja)and it was cool and pleasant and full of western-friendly cafes . The Boomerang Bookshop -Tom's recommendation-was lovely but of course since I had already been fleeced by batik sellers I had no money for any of the lovely things there.
Borabudur-the Buddhist version of Prambaban's Hindu complex-is somewhere I have wanted to see since reading an essay of Tom's about temples in Java and it did not disappoint me. Just look at Tom's photographs again (and Anne's when she returns)and you will see why it was voted a top world heritage site.
Dieng was a great day out , too. I don't understand Indonesian of course so missed any references to bowels. I would not have enjoyed that. There were many more temples though. On the way home, I said to Anne and Tom "Oh look! Another ruined temple." They looked and pointed out that it was a pile of rock. The truth is that I have now seen so many temples carved out of 9th Century stone that any old rubble starts to take on a spiritual aspect.
About the hammer , Jill. I might have stolen it to hit Tom on the head with when he wasn't looking. Warned me about batik sellers? No he didn't! He set me up-I am simply good blog material.
Bloggers are dangerous people, I have decided.Happy Christmas to all my readers and absolute freedom to not write a comment. I will of course need psychotherapy if you don't respond but that, dear reader, is my problem.