GARGANTUAN steps

Amidst an identity crisis at work after moving on from Infectious Diseases to Microbiology (two sides of the same coin), I found myself lacking inspiration at work, and the wife decided to intervene and buy this book for my 36th birthday. Always a welcome gift, a good book. And so, after arduous journey of the previous book just completed, this was a welcome respite, and it did give some semblance of purpose to my work. One must wonder, in my profession as a doctor, I am about as close to doing God's work as possible in terms of healing the sick, and so why the need for such a book? Shouldn't I already feel inspired by my day to day work? In truth, it was the sedentary setting and the lack of active intervention in Microbiology that spurred the current crisis, and coupled with the need to prepare for yet another exam (and the thought of having to do another two more of the same after), just made me question whether I had made the right move more regularly. 

In truth, this book is written by a banker, and it would be of equal irony that he could find God at work. But that's what he did, and he writes about how he practices this attitude of finding God in his day to day work. One thing that stood out was the fact that we are all put where we are by God, to do the work that He has given us, and therefore, it doesn't make our work (in the secular world), less sacred compared to those carrying religious and missionary work. He also speaks about how we should live our lives - that every day should be a religious day - there shouldn't be a separation of the week into days that are secular, and days that are religious. His advice is that, the more we focus on God in our daily lives, and with Him taking centre stage in everything we do, then everything we do will start to be more meaningful and worthwhile.

On God and the workplace He has placed us within - 

"The workplace is a tough place but I have been encouraged by the belief that God has called us to be strengthened in the world for the world. This means embracing the challenges of a competitive world and growing through them in order to help others do the same. Knowing that each one of us has been placed in the world not by random accident but by God's design for a distinct purpose has carried me through many a difficult day."

On how we have to meld together God and work - 

"We are to be fruitful as well as faithful. We need growth in all areas of life - there is no steady state. Our talents, money, time, and resources are all God's gift to us and should be used well. Making the most of them will involve risk. The key point of this parable (Parable of the Talents, Matthew 25:14-30) is that the hand of fruitfulness needs the glove of faithfulness in order to grasp the opportunities that we are given. We cannot merely be faithful, simply taking what God has given us, preserving it, pickling it, and then producing it upon his return. Equally, we cannot merely be fruitful, simply adding to the resources he has given, without recognizing at the same time that we are servants awaiting the return of our master. As Paul instructs us all, the purpose of our work and our lives is to 'make the most of every opportunity' (Colossians 4:5)"

Labels: Books, Religion

This was a really tough book to stomach, both from the writing and the content. Love and responsibility, from a Christian perspective, written with a philosophical slant, translated into the English language from Polish. Recommended a long time ago by Fr Jude David, who was the priest who officiated at our wedding, I have stalled on reading it for the longest time till now. His other recommendation was 'Man and Woman He Created Them' by the same author, Pope John Paul II, though at twice the length of this one, I think it may be another decade before I pick that one up!

There were lots of insights into the Catholic demands of love and responsibility, focusing on topics such different types of love, as well as love in a Christian sense - that love is ultimately about self-giving, procreation as the first and ultimate goal of sexuality (which I found particularly unpalatable) but of which the necessity for chastity and abstinence branches out from, as well as parenting matters. 

On the topic of Christian love - firstly, man is a being unto his own and of self-determination. He cannot be owned (by anyone else other than God), nor can he be given out of his own free will. Hence, in love between a man and a woman that leads on to marriage, love is self-giving. It is the free will of the person, giving up himself or herself for the other person, and it is received and accepted with responsibility by the other person. And hence a Christian marriage maintains this two way passage of love and responsibility. A quote from the book about this - 

"By nature, due to what being he is, the person is a master of himself (sui iuris), and cannot be imparted to the other or substituted by the other (alteri incommunicabilis) when the participation of his own will and the commitment of his personal freedom are required. But love, so to speak, snatches the person from this natural inviolability and incommunicability. For love makes the person want precisely to give himself to another person - to the one he loves. He wants to, so to speak, to stop being his own exclusion possession and to become the possession of the other. It signifies a certain relinquishing of that sui iuris and of that alteri incommunicabilis. Love goes through such relinquishing, being guided, however, by the profound belief that this relinquishment leads not to diminishing and impoverishing the existence of the person, but on the contrary to its expansion and enrichment. That is, so to speak, the law of 'ecstasy', of going out of oneself in order to exist more fully in the other. In no other form of love is this law realised so clearly as in spousal love."

On the ultimate goal of a Christian marriage - 

"This is a 'divine' feature of love. Indeed, when he wants the good 'without limits' for her, then properly speaking he wants God for her: God alone is the objective fullness of the good, and only He can satisfy every man with this fullness. Man's love through its relation to happiness, that is, to the fullness of the good, in a sense passes as close to God as possible."

On the topic of sexuality - 

"The church teaches consistently that the primary end of marriage is procreatio, whereas the secondary end is what in the Latin terminology has been defined as mutuum adiutorium. Besides these, there is a tertiary end listed - remedium concupiscentiae. Objectively speaking, marriage is above all to serve existence, then the relationship between a man and a woman, and finally the correct direction of concupiscence. The ends of marriage ordered in this way oppose any subjectivistic interpretation of the sexual drive, and accordingly they demand from man as person objectivity in thinking about sexual themes and above all in conduct. This objectivity is the foundation of conjugal morality."

What I've found difficult in understanding is the ultimate goal of sexuality being that for procreation, and if that is not THE goal, then a sexual encounter should be avoided, even in a marriage. In essence, it is true and agreeable that if you are to have sexual intercourse with your spouse, there should be within it the possibility of having a child (at least mentally). This in practice explains why the use of barrier contraception is disallowed in the church - because it is unnatural, and it goes against the main goal of a sexual encounter. The use of natural planning is considered natural (and allowed by the church), and it fundamentally allows for the possibility of a child, though through timing, possibly avoided. This therefore doesn't adhere to procreation as THE goal of a sexual encounter, and this is what I find troubling and difficult to understand. The author does attempt to explain why it is allowed (natural planning), but yet having the ultimate goal not sidelined, though I have to admit, I'm still not convinced.

On parenting - 

"What God gives in the supernatural order, i.e., in the order of grace, also belongs to the whole of this material. For he does not leave the work of education, which is in a sense a continuous creation of personhood, entirely and exclusively to parents, but he himself personally takes part in it as well. Not only did love of the parents stand at the beginning of the new human person, as they were only co-creators, but the Creator's love decided about a person's coming to be in the womb of the mother. Grace is, so to speak, the further continuation of this work. God himself takes the highest part in creation of human personhood in the spiritual, moral, and strictly supernatural sphere. And parents, if they are not to forgo their proper role, the role of co-creators, also should help in this."

Finally, on the thoughts of chastity and abstinence - 

"How enormous and in effect how positive a role abstinence fulfils here, for it liberates from that attitude and from egoism, and thereby indirectly forms love. The love of a woman and a man cannot be built otherwise than through a certain sacrifice and denial of oneself. We find the formula for this denial in the Gospel, in the words of Christ: " Whoever wishes to come after me, let him deny himself". The Gospel teaches abstinence as a way of loving."

Labels: Books, Relationships, Religion

Labels: Books, Religion

Amidst the hectic life of work and being a parent, I've finally finished reading another book! My first book on 'parenting'. And it isn't about the the steps needed to take to parent, of how to bath a baby, how to help them sleep through the night, how to prepare their food etc. It's about the bigger role of being a parent. And there are many important insights to be gained from reading this, and I highly recommend it for anyone who is going to embark on this new journey, or are already on the journey and want to understand what being a parent, or what being a Christian parent, means. It speaks about how parenting is a means of bring us, as parents, closer to God - 'how God uses these children to shape us, spiritually speaking' - rather than seeing it as a unidirectional way of us teaching our children the ways of life. It speaks about how parenting requires sacrifice, how we have to allow our children to fall and fail, so that they can rise to the challenges of this world, or else forever remain immature - 'If we protect our children from all risk, challenge, and possible rejection, they likely will become developmentally stunted and will therefore remain immature.'  'If God allowed his own Son to suffer - he is our model as a parent - we can expect times when we will have to watch our children suffer for a greater good.'

Similarly, our children help us to grow spiritually - ' When our children expose our impatience and self-centred frustration, they hold up a mirror to our hearts. Just as God's response to his children reveals his character, so parenting reveals our character. It exposes our sin and holds up to us a clear picture of what we feel most passionate about.' We are continually faced with our own dark side, our own failings, our own sins, and we can only realise that we are not perfect, that we need a saviour as well.

The book also gives great thought that we are but caregivers for our children in this life, on behalf of God. And everything that we do for 'the least of us', these little children, we do it for Him! And we have to learn how to let go! 'If he had been a fear-driven control freak, Jesus never would have gone to the cross; the disciples, you see, never would have been 'ready enough'. But Jesus let go. He trusted in the work of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to confirm the lessons he had taught - just as we have to trust the Holy Spirit to remind our children of the spiritual truths they have learned.' That 'in the process of caring and loving, (we) bring God great pleasure.'

My final takeaway is this - 'being a parent is a sacred calling'.

' What is the purpose of my life? The purpose of my life is to prepare my son for his death; and not just his death, but for the judgement he will encounter upon death...the most important task is to prepare my son for that day when he stands alone before God and answers to God.'

- Gary Thomas 

Labels: Books, Parenting, Religion

miserando atque eligendo

 "because he saw him through the eyes of mercy and chose him."

- Pope Francis' episcopal motto

' The first and only step required to experience mercy…is to acknowledge that we are in need of mercy'

- Pope Francis

Pope Francis delves deeply into the identity card of God - that of mercy. And though a simple book to read, it was profound. A few messages that I obtained from reading this book. Firstly, that mercy is God's form of justice. It is beyond our human interpretation of justice. It is God holding judgement over all of us, and then deciding to continue to love us still. God too is seeking avidly to find that small crack so that His mercy can be shone upon us, as long as we are willing to open up. In fact, God treasures our failures, because it would make us turn to Him, and He can use it to show us His infinite love and mercy, and to accept us despite our failures. God forgives us our sins, but that is just erasing it - He then goes one step further to show us mercy, to accept us for who we are. 

' Mercy will always be greater than any sin, no one can put a limit on the love of the all-forgiving God...Mercy - the bridge that connects God and man, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness.'

- Pope Francis

Labels: Books, Religion

And so I've finished reading another book just before the turn of the year. And it is a spectacular, reflective book to end the year with. And it is Henri Nouwen's reflective thoughts on the parable, and the painting, of the Return of the Prodigal Son. And I have gain many insights from this book. 

First of all, that the parable is more than just about the youngest son being welcomed back into the fold by the father, that all lost souls will have a chance at redemption at the end of the day, if you're willing to turn around and acknowledge your failings. It is more than that. It is about finding the elder brother within you, the jealous, cynical, judgemental, fault-finding person who feels that every thing should be fair. And it is trying to turn that all around, and being not such a person. And it is about reaching the ultimate goal - to be that of the father. We are not to always take the easy way out, to be like the sons, being the spoilt brat or the haughty one, but still able to always receive the father's love. Instead, we are called to take the bigger step, to be like the father. To always be searching for his sons, whether those who are at home, or those who are away. To be always the first to relent. The first to welcome. The first to give in. The first to love. Despite everything. And Henri Nouwen explains it very clearly, that in the parables of the prodigal son, or the shepherd finding the missing sheep, or the woman finding the missing coin - God is always the one searching for the lost, and not the other way around. That God is always making this first step towards us, and we too have to make such a reciprocal step back.

The next insight I gained is that we need to understand God differently - that God isn't expecting something back from us in return for His love. He gives it to us unconditionally, freely, and all the time. He is always there ready to receive us, like the youngest son, or the oldest son. That we need to shed the mindset of a vengeful God. We need to disperse of having such a mindset. This is humanly love, but God's love is unconditional. And to accept such a love needs a lot of courage and trust - to fully believe in such a love requires us to give up everything that we have been told from this world, and it is a huge and mighty step. ' It is the place that confronts me with the fact that truly accepting love, forgiveness, and healing is often much harder than giving it. It is the place beyond earning, deserving, and rewarding. It is the place of surrender and complete trust.' This is how Henri Nouwen puts in so succinctly. 

The final interesting insight I gained is that Jesus too, is like the prodigal son in this parable. He too left His Father in Heaven, left with His inheritance, His title of Son, and left for a faraway land. He became human, and then subsequently made friends with sinners and tax collectors, feasted and enjoyed merriment, and then subsequently had to give up everything, including His worth and His life. Only to subsequently return back to the Father. But He did it so that we could become like Him, and return with Him to His Father's home. 

I did particularly enjoy this book indeed!

' The parable of the prodigal son is a story that speaks about a love that existed before any rejection was possible and that will still be there after all rejections have taken place.'

- Henri J. M. Nouwen 

Labels: Books, Religion

non coerceri a maximo, sed contineri a minomo divinum est
- not to be limited by the greatest and yet to be contained in the tiniest

This is a short and simple book about Jorge Mario Bergoglio, or more simply known as, Pope Francis. It gives a glimpse into his thoughts as the leader of the Catholic church and how the religion, and how we as Christians, should be. The simple answer, but hardest way, is to be like Christ. A few quotes stood up, and I'll share it here.

When asked who Jorge Mario Bergoglio was, he answered - ' I am a sinner' and ' I am one who is looked upon by the Lord'. With this in mind, it reminds us that even the greatest of us are but sinners, and we are in no position to judge anyone, not even ourselves. 

My favourite quote in the book -

' God is in every person's life. God is in everyone's life. Even if the life of a person has been a disaster, even if it is destroyed by vices, drugs or anything else - God is in this person's life. You can, you must try to seek God in every human life. Although the life of a person is a land full of thorns and weeds, there is always a space in which the good seed can grow. You have to trust God.'

Labels: Books, Religion

I've just finished reading another book (actually when I was in India), written by Timothy Keller, the Christian apologetic, once again recommended by my good friend Andrew. For those of you wondering, no, I didn't read this book in preparation to get married. However, this book speaks about how one should approach a relationship in a Christian manner, with Christ at the centre of all things. This book isn't just for couples as well, and it too speaks to singles and how to have a fulfilling relationship with God.

The take home message is this - only by having a fulfilling relationship with God, then can you truly be whole, and then can your relationship be beautiful and perfect because you can give yourself endlessly. We have to love our other halves just as how Christ loved the us and his church, unrelenting, passionately, sacrificially, infinitely - 

The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope. 

My favourite quote in the book - 

' When Jesus looked down from the cross, he didn't think "I am giving myself to you because you are so attractive to me." No, he was in agony, and he looked down at us - denying him, abandoning him, and betraying him - and in the greatest act of love in history, he stayed...He loved us, not because we were lovely to him, but to make us lovely'

That is how we should love. 

Labels: Books, Religion

In my current spur of a reading frenzy, I have finished yet another book, highly recommended to me by my good friend Andrew (though this was recommended to me many years back). Timothy Keller is a pastor in New York City as well as a Christian apologetic. (Apologetics is a discipline of defending a position through the systematic use of information.) This is perhaps a book more for those already dwelling deeper into understanding or trying to understand the faith, rather than those just starting out and just wanting to know more. (though I definitely wouldn't begrudge you having a read of this book!)

Meanwhile, just a few interesting points of note for those interested in its content - the chapter on 'How Can a Loving God Send People to Hell?' is actually a paradigm shift on how Hell should be viewed upon in the context of God. Hell is not a place where God condemns sinners to, but rather, it is the choice made by the sinner to eternally reject God, even in the face of the Truth, hence being in a state of Hell. As so nicely phrased by another great Christian apologetic, C. S. Lewis, in his book 'The Great Divorce' -  

There are only two kinds of people - those who say to God, 'Thy will be done' to God or those to whom God in the end says, ' Thy will be done'. All that are in Hell choose it.

Hell, as rightly explained, is a choice made by man, not through condemnation by God. 

My favourite chapter in the book though goes to the one on 'The (True) Story of the Cross', where the author bravely explains the necessity of the Cross - on why Jesus had to die on the Cross, for us all. It'll be a tad too difficult to summarise its contents, though I'll take a paragraph out from it -

When Jesus suffered for us, he was honouring justice. But when Jesus suffered with us he was identifying with the oppressed of the world, not with their oppressors. All life-changing love entails an exchange, a reversal of places, but here is the Great Reversal. God, in the place of ultimate power, reverses places with the marginalised, the poor and the oppressed.

Go read it - it is a beautiful book. 

Labels: Books, Religion

Bhinneka Tunggal Ika

Unity in Diversity

With the PSI (Pollutant Standard Index) in Singapore reaching an obscene level of 401, it might have seemed counter-intuitive to head towards the very country that was the cause of our nation's grief, but it was towards Java (southern Indonesia) and not Sumatra (western Indonesia where the haze was originating from) that we went for our family holiday. Southeast Asia, quite like Europe but with the added tropical heat and humidity, has its many gems for touring and exploring, and Yogyakarta contains not one but two of its sparkling jewels. 

Yogyakarta (pronounced Jogjakarta), more informally known as Yogya by the locals, is considered the soul of the country where the Javanese culture and heritage are preserved in its purest form (or so the book says). A little interesting fact is that it is the second most-visited tourist destination in Indonesia, the first undoubtedly being that of Bali. The population of Yogya is only a miserly 500,000, though one can be forgiven to think that half of them are at either of its major temple sites on any given day. Meanwhile, I had equipped myself with a new compact camera with interchangeable lenses (the Sony NEX-6 if you must know), and it was time to put it to the test.

Day 1 - Off on a Budget Airline and the Prambanan Temple Compound

The entire holiday was a relatively organised yet free-and-easy trip for the family, without the hassle of a large tour group, and everything centered upon our wishes. The flight to Yogyakarta was a fuss-free, one and a half hour flight via the budget airline, Air Asia, and we landed at its quaint little airport. One literally walks from the airplane straight to a small, one-story building where four immigration counters are lined up together, following which, you come to a uni-directional conveyor belt where your luggage bags are spewed out. Porters manhandle them into rows before you are allowed to collect them, creating an unnecessary cul-de-sac after passing through immigration.

Originally, a trip to the Candi Prambanan (temples of Prambanan) was not part of the itinerary, but with a simple request and a few extra dollars, this was most easily arranged courtesy of Chan Brothers Travel agency. After all, if it makes it on to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites, then it definitely makes it on to my list of visiting sites, especially since I'm in the vicinity. The temples of Prambanan are Hindu in origin (compared with the Buddhist temples of Borobudur), and these were built between the 8th and 10th centuries A.D. (no slob in comparison with other great European monuments) to honour the Hindu god Shiva. Back in those days, Java was ruled by the Buddhist Sailendras (the Sailendras were a Buddhist dynasty in Indonesia) in the south and the Hindu Sanjayas of Old Mataram in the north, and they were united by the marriage of the Hindu prince, Rakai Pikatan, and the Buddhist princess, Pramodhavardhani, during that period of time. This probably explains the presence of Buddhist architectural elements within the Hindu temple complexes.

The area was subsequently deserted after two centuries as power shifted to East Java and the compound was left to wilt. A final death blow was dealt by a massive earthquake in the 16th century which toppled many of the temples. To add insult to injury, its remains were picked apart by locals and foreigners in the years to come - the former using the materials as foundations for construction, the latter using them as ornaments for beautification. Thankfully, formal restoration of the temple began early in the last century, though only the main temples were restored to their former glory. Another more recent earthquake in 2006 brought the temples to its knees, with hundreds of stone blocks collapsed or cracked (apparently there were 479 in the main temple, the Shiva temple, alone), but the temple complex has proved to be resilient and is now back on its own two feet (almost). Meanwhile, like most other attractions, its main threat now comes from the thousands of tourists that stomp on its grounds on a daily basis.

On a budget

Lunch by a stream at Kali Opak Resto

The Prambanan Temples

The complex consists of an outer compound which contains the ruins of 244 temples, whilst eight minor and eight main temples stand atop a higher central courtyard, with the Candi Shiva Mahadeva (Shiva temple) standing proudest and tallest at 47 metres high. When the temple complex and its surrounding region was deserted and left in disrepair, its remains inspired the local legend of Rara Jonggrang (Javanese for 'Slender Virgin'). To summarise, Prince Bandung Bondowoso was in love with the daughter, Princess Rara Jonggrang, of someone he had killed. She evidently refused to marry him, but was forced to, but only on one condition - that he built her a thousand temples in one night. He then enlisted supernatural forces from the underworld to aid him in his tasks. However, just as he was about to complete the last temple, she fooled him (and the not so smart demons) by getting the villagers and her palace maids to pound rice and set a fire on the eastern side of the premise (which then got the roosters crowing), thus mimicking dawn, and with that, the demons fled, leaving 999 temples standing. When the prince found out that he had been fooled, he cursed the princess to be turned into stone, and it was believed that the statue of the goddess Durga, found within the Shiva temple, was actually her. Evidently, the legend didn't explain why the statue of the princess had five pairs of arms.

Three ratnas and two temples 

Reliefs depicting the Hindu epic, the Ramanaya and Bhagavata Purana, carved on the sides of the temple walls

A fallen, broken ratna peak - left in memorial of the earthquake in 2006

The peak of the ratna can be seen buried into the ground at the right upper corner of the picture

One family at the Shiva Temple

They made non-locals visiting local attractions wear these silly sarongs around their waists - I presume that this makes us stand out even more for the local sellers to rip us off when selling their goods and wares

The Candi Prambanan

The Shiva Temple in the distance

After being astounded and amazed by this architectural feat, it was time to head off to Borobodur, which was meant to be the main highlight of the trip. After a gruelling, meandering three hour coach journey, we finally reached our accommodation for the night, the Manohara hotel. This hotel was actually more like a chalet with blocks of rooms all located on the ground floor, something similar to the one we stayed at in Jordan as well as the Mabula Game Lodge in South Africa. This hotel though has something special in store for its guests, but I'll elaborate more on that later.

Javanese play/dance performed during dinner

Day 2 - Sunrise at Borobudur Temple, the Pawon and Mendut Temple, and jeeping around Mount Merapi

The Buddhist temple of Borobudur is Yogya's answer to Siem Reap's Angkor Wat and though I have yet been to the latter, many say that the former does not in any way pale in comparison as a spectacle. And a spectacle, it definitely is. Being a guest at Manohara allows one to enter the hallowed grounds of Borobudur temple a good half an hour before its actual opening time at 6 a.m., which means that we were all up by 430 a.m. that day and climbing up the monument by 530 a.m., all to beat the crowds and to catch sunrise at the top. According to our tour guide, the sun was suppose to have risen by 615 a.m. that day, but somehow or rather, it only peeked out of the distant mountain ranges an hour after that. Still, it was a beautiful sight to behold and well worth the early morning effort, and to end it off, a nice buffet breakfast. 

Borobudur was built somewhere between 750-850 A.D. and its name is possibly derived from the Sanskrit words 'Vihara Buddha Uhr' which means 'Buddhist Monastery on the Hill'. This temple was built as a shrine for Lord Buddha (who I must stress is not a god), as well as a place for Buddhist pilgrimage. Like its counterpart at Prambanan, it was deserted a few centuries later as power shifted east, and it became buried under layers of volcanic ash. And like its unlikely distant 'cousin' Singapore, it was re-discovered again by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, when he governed Java in the early 19th century. Borobudur's other claim to fame was that it was the target of a terrorist attack in 1985 by the then-President's (Suharto) opponents. The explosions occurred on the upper layers of the temple, though the only casualties were that of stupas.

On the way up Borobudur temple 

Waiting for dawn

The multitude of stupas, each containing a statue of Buddha, and the surrounding paddies and palms

The Borobudur temple consists of six square terraces topped by three circular ones, with a massive stupa situated right at the top. The entire structure is meant to take the form of a giant tantric Buddhist mandala, presenting the Buddhist vision of the cosmos in stone. Standing 118 m by 118 m at the base, there are three main 'levels' representing the three realms in Buddhist cosmology - Kamadhatu (the world of desires - represented by the base of the structure); Rupadhatu (the world of forms - represented by the next five square platforms); and Arupadhatu (the formless world - represented by the three circular platforms). A pilgrim is meant to traverse from the bottom and shed away his or her desires and form as he or she reaches the top, which is meant to represent nirvana.

Sis and bro

Dad and Mom with one of two uncovered Buddha statues - this one facing the setting sun

Me amidst the stupas

Sunrise at Borobudur

Bas-reliefs (low reliefs) along the walls of the terraces depicting the life of Prince Siddhartha who eventually became Buddha 

Bin (our tour-guide) revealing the finer points of the reliefs
He was a funny man - he told us on the first day of our tour to just call him Bin, not Mr Bean, nor bin Laden

A monk (in pretty trendy shoes) leading prayers along the terraces

More bas-reliefs

Borobudur Temple

The other half of the population of Yogya streaming in

With both the temperatures as well as the crowds starting the heat up, it was time to head back to our hotel for breakfast and for the continuation of our journey. The next stops were the Pawon and Mendut temples, satellite temples situated near Borobudur, in between stopping by to see the traditional living quarters of the locals. 

Family at the Candi Pawon

Bin showing us how water is drawn from a well

The Candi Mendut

Bas-relief at the Candi Mendut depicting a local fable

There once lived a turtle who saved two birds from impending doom by biting on the foot of their human assailant, causing his arrow to go astray. In return, the birds gave him the opportunity to see the world from above by asking him to bite on a stick and lifted him high above the lands. The villagers who witnessed this sight from below were astounded and asked whose marvelous idea it was, and the turtle immediately answered ' Me!' and promptly plunged to its death. The moral of the story? Not to claim credit when its not yours, and a more general one - to always keep your mouth shut.

The massive Boddhisatva statues housed within the temple

Next up, it was a trip up Mount Merapi (Merapi meaning 'fire'), which is still an active volcano. It last erupted in October 2010, with a total of nearly 350 deaths. We endured a cranky jeep ride at the top, visiting quarries, houses abandoned and left in ruins by the volcanic eruption, and the Merapi museum, which was nothing more than a collection of fossils - both animal and mechanical. There were no signs of any lava, which was both a bad and a good thing.

Jeep ride

Climbing to the top of a pile of volcanic rocks

Dad and Mom in cool jeep geers

Fossils of motorcycles found following the volcanic eruption of 2010 

Sis and bro by the rock with the alien face - a rock spewed out from the volcanic depths during the eruption

Rain soon descended upon us and we headed for lunch before visiting the customary shops necessitated by these large tour groups - this time round, we toured a batik factory as well as a silver factory. My conclusion of batik is that it is really tedious and time consuming to make a piece of batik cloth. The design is sketched out on a white cloth and the cloth is then painstakingly dyed bit by bit, the dye applied drop by drop. A really painful process if I must say.

Batik workers at a batik factory straining their eyes out

An absolutely odd looking hen - it looks like it had a perm

California Fried Chicken

We couldn't find the original so this would have to do

Day 3 and 4- Taman Sari Water Castle, the Kraton, Parangtritis Beach and home

Our final day was spent touring the city of Yogya and our first stop was the Taman Sari Water Castle. This place once served as a place of pleasure and leisure for the sultan and his crew - and was known by the Dutch as the waterkasteel (water castle), hence its current name. Nothing too opulent or fanciful, besides having an excessive number of swimming pools (two public ones for the sultan's many wives and children), and a private one for himself. More interestingly was the mosque situated a few hundred metres away from the complex, which was a two-story, circular mosque (the upper story for women; the lower for men) served by a staircase situated right within the middle of the mosque. And interesting design, though the mosque doesn't serve any religious purpose anymore.

Outside the Taman Sari Water Castle

The two public swimming pools

Family

Circular mosque

The Kraton is the palace of the sultans of Yogya, housing a complex of buildings, courtyards, pavilions and halls. The current sultan  of Yogya is respected for having only one wife (most normally have a harem), but in a cruel twist of fate, he only has daughters. The stewardship of the sultan is typically handed down via the blood-line, typically to the first male born child, hence the predicament that the sultan is currently in now. I don't believe there has ever been a sultana (is that the right term for a female sultan?). Meanwhile, the Kraton was about as spectacular as the water castle and we didn't stay too long.

Entrance to the Kraton

A carriage

The Bangsal Kencana (Golden Pavilion) 

The rest of the day's activity included a walk through a bazaar (which we were all not too keen on considering the crowd and the sweltering heat) and we then deposited my brother at the airport to catch an earlier flight back. We then proceeded on a hunt for kueh lapis, which seemed surprisingly hard to find (either that or our tour guide just didn't have a clue where fresh ones were made, and the ones we eventually got were a pale comparison to the ones we have in Singapore) before we made our way to the beach. It was a two hour journey to the Parangtritis beach, which to me was just like any other beach, just that it had a substantial amount of sand. We didn't stay too long there either, though toileting facilities were down to a bare minimum - there were none. There were just bathing areas which consists of a row of cubicles, each with water for you to splash yourself with, and a small tiny hole in the corner for the water (and any other fluids) to drain out. It was a (hopefully) once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Roadside hawker - definitely not the faint of stomach

An interesting sculpture whose underlying meaning I have yet to fathom

Dad and Mom at the beach

Parting shot - Parangtritis beach

With that, our short trip to Yogya ended and we flew back home the following morning. Southeast Asia sure does have its gems and I would highly recommend a trip to Yogyakarta - at least to visit the twin monuments of the Prambanan and Borobudur temples. Lots of good fun - I look forward to my next trip!

Labels: Architecture, Asia, Indonesia, Religion, Travel, UNESCO, Yogyakarta