My second Trip at Java - Day 1

Members of this trip have been expanded from 4 to 11 persons, but only 8 persons can finally join the trip. New member of the oversea trip for me are P. Oy, Khun Tum, and Nong Ann, while the rest, P. Paew, Noo Nong, P. Somboon (the only guy in our trip), and Mer are “old buddies”. We fly to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia first and then again to Solo (Surakarta), Indonesia.



Reception room at the Palace.
Thanks for P. Oy who has already contacted a car and a driver earlier, so we don’t waste any time at the airport but go straight to visit Kraton Mangkunegara built in 1757 by Raden Mas Said. The royal family still lives in the back of the palace.



The “mayan” main pyramid of the Candi Sukuh – Hindu Temple
Where most temples would have a large square shrine, Candi Sukuh has a pyramid reminiscent of Mayan structures from Central America and nobody knows for sure why the builders chose this type of structure. Since it is the “fertility” temple, there are many sexual stone carvings in the area. Candi Sukuh is located on the slopes of Lawu Mountain about 25 miles east of Solo.



The "uterus" carving stone.
From the Candi Sukuh, we then go to Wonosobo where we stay overnight at Hotel Surya Asia.