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Ramayana Ballet Dance at Purawisata, in Jogjakarta, Java, Indonesia

Traditional dance is an art form that attracts many to the islands of Bali and Java, and one of the finest Javanese troupes we’ve seen is the Ramayana Ballet Dance troupe performing at the Purawisata Amusement park each evening at 8 pm. You can combine the show with a terrific dinner that begins at 7pm  […]

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Dieng Plateau on Indonesia’s island of Java

Home to the oldest Hindu temples in Java, the Dieng plateau, at some 6,000 feet in altitude, hosts more than 400 ancient structures. Though not as visually stunning as Borobudur, these temples are part of a beautiful landscape of terraced gardens, and the whole effect is wonderful.  Dieng Plateau is best reached in a day […]

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Plaosan Hindu BuddistTemples in Central Java

Only 3km from the temple complex at Prambanan stand the two nearly identically restored main temples of Plaosan. Each has carvings from the Ramayana, and rooms containing female Bottisattiva. You can either walk or drive here from Prambanan, and you may feel you’ll enjoy it more here, as Plaosan has far fewer tourists, so you […]

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Prambanan Hindu Temples in Central Java

Prambanan is a significant temple complex that contains over 240 temples, 16 of which stand in the central courtyard. Built in the 9th century ACE, they weren’t formally excavated until the late 1930s. The best known of these temples is the magnificent Candi Shiva Mahadeva, standing more than 150 feet high, and sporting numerous carvings […]

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Borobudur, Indonesia’s World Heritage Site in Central Java

In our opinion, a visit to the ancient temple of Borobudur on the island of Java is worth a trip to Indonesia in itself.  It’s on a par with any temple complex in SE Asia, as compelling as Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, or Burma’s Bagan.  Built between 700 and 800 ACE, it consists of some 60,000 […]

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Mendut Temple (Candi Mendut) in Central Java, Indonesia

Located 3.5 km from Borobudur at GPS S07°36.283’  E110°13.792′ , Mendut Temple is said to hold the most visually significant in situ Buddha statue in Java, roughly 9 feet tall, sitting, and flanked by Bodhisattivas. The external carvings on the temple are outstanding as well.

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Gedung Songo Temples in Central Java

There are nine small Hindu temples in the Gedung Songo (also known as Gedong Songo)complex, and they are worth a visit as part of a day trip from Jogjakarta, which could also encompass Borobudur Temple and the Locomotive Museum at Ambarawa. They were built in the 8th and 9th centuries, and have been somewhat restored. […]

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The Ambarawa Locomotive Railway Museum in Central Java

This open air train museum can easily be visited by WoWasis travelers visiting the nearly Indonesian sites of Borobudur and Gedung Songo in Central Java. The museum is housed in the Ambarawa train station, built in 1873. In addition to viewing the locomotives, vistors can take a 20 km excursion (try to book in advance, […]

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WoWasis’ Indonesian Bookshelf: what to read before, during, and after your trip

There are a great number of terrific books on Indonesia, and we here at WoWasis suggest you consider buying in your own country when possible, as books in Indonesia are expensive, even for paperbacks. The other side of the argument is that by buying in Indonesia, you support local bookstores. Here are a few books […]

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Discovering two great spas on Indonesia’s island of Java

Indonesia is the home of some magnificent spas, and some of the finest are to be found on the islands of Java and Bali. There are, we’d guess, approximately 1,000 spas of different types on the island of Bali alone. On Java, one of the nicest we’ve discovered is the Losari Coffee Plantation & Resort, […]

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