Indonesia:   Java

Indonesia

Central Java

I understand now why it's so difficult to capture Borobudur in images.  None of them do justice to the scale and number of sumptuous relief carvings along the walls, level after level, to be topped off by the famous Buddha-bell canopies that are usually shown on postcards.  Here,I try to convey the grandeur of the temple, along with its intricate artwork among thousands of images that I could have shown.  View looking up a portion of the terraces (top) and examples of art (middle and bottom).

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Dancers in the Ramayana ballet performed at the Prambanan Temple amphitheatre take a pause, while preparing to enter the stage from the right flank.

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The smoking volcanoes Mt. Semeru (top) and Bromo (bottom left) in East Java.  The famous sunrise point at the summit of Gunung Penanjaka loads up with tourists arriving in 4WD vehicles instead of hiking the 2 hrs from the nearest village Cemorolawang, but this stunning view provides ample compensation.  The sea of clouds below obscure a sea of sand, wihch is possible to cross on foot to climb up to the lip of Mt. Bromo.

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This miner takes a well-earned break from hauling sulfur on his back from the smoking source of Kawah Ijen volcano up to the crater lip, before he will continue carrying his payload on his back down the 3km trail to the nearest vehicle access.

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Inside the crater of Kawah Ijen volcano lies the source where the sulfur is extracted, using some machines but mostly manual labour.

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