Borobudur, Prambanan and Yogyakarta - cultural heritages of Indonesia

This will be the last blog entry of this trip as I am catching my plane this afternoon and I will be back tomorrow noon.
After I had taken the train from Solo to Yogyakarta I just checked into my hostel and went to bed very early as I had to get up the following day quite early, 4.45 am. I had booked a half day tour that was taking me to Borobudur (famous Buddhist stupa from the 9th century) and Prambanan (Hindu temple complex).
It was intended to be a sunrise tour of the Borobudur monument, but by the time we got there the sun had already risen. It was still spectacular, as there was still mist surrounding the monument.

Borobudur just after sunrise

Buddha statue hidden underneath those giant bells

After that we headed to Prambanan, which in my opinion is the more spectacular tourist sight. Unfortunately you can only go inside of 2 temples, as after the 2006 earthquake quite a lot has been damaged. In reality we (me and a couple of Germans) were the real attraction at Prambanan, as a bunch of schoolkids always wanted to take pictures with us (quite a funny experience).

The Prambanan complex partly under restoration

After getting back from this tour I spent the afternoon doing absolutely nothing as the weather wasn't as pleasant and I had a long day in front of me.

The next and last travel day I spent exploring Yogyakarta. I started my day at the Kraton, the royal palace of Yogya, where I could watch a classical dance performance (stunning!!!) after that I ended up going not only to a wayang factory (where shadow-puppets are made) but also to a batic gallery. I was warned before, but since both were inside the Kraton, the people working, were still working for the Sultan and I was not even pushed into buying anything. The people spent actually time explaining the meanings of those artistic creations. And just because of that I had the urge of buying something as I knew there intention was not business in the first place. Thats at least what I tell myself!!!

Royal wayang factory

Classical dance performance inside the Kraton

View of the old center of Yogya

After exploring a full day of Yogya I went back to my hostel and started packing up my things. My luggage has actually decreased as I have left most of my stuff behind along the way.
So this is the end of my trip, and I am very excited of going back home now, as a new chapter will start for me next year. So hope you enjoyed!