On top of the world at Borobudur! (Photo-essay)

The first day that my German friend and I were at Borobudur (and, indeed, in Indonesia), we restricted ourselves to checking out its lower levels, deciding to leave the nine platform Buddhist structure's upper lower levels for the next day.  On our second day in the area, we found the monumental UNESCO World Heritage-listed site's square terraces to be pleasantly uncrowded but discovered that its upper, circular platforms were chockful of people who, we got to realizing, had made straight up the stairs to them (rather than linger in the lower levels like we had)! 

After trying in vain for a few minutes to enjoy the views of and from the upper tiers of this stepped pyramid of sorts, I gave up doing so and resolved to return very early the next morning.  Consequently, my third and final day at Borobudur saw me waking up at 5am and then heading over to the site proper with just a cup of coffee fuelling my hike up to its upper platforms since the breakfast service at our hotel doesn't begin until 30 minutes after Borobudur's gates officially open!  

Those who know of my preferred waking hours will appreciate how much of a sacrifice this was.  But I really considered it to be so worth it as I felt much more able to take in the views of and from the monument's upper tiers at leisure -- and be able in some instances to snap shots of the place without a single person encroaching into the picture! :)

Early morning at Borobudur :b

The morning mist and surrounding scenery undoubtedly

adds to the visual magic of the place :)

There are 72 openwork stupas installed on

Borobudur's three concentric upper platforms

Inside all of them are Buddha statues though, sadly, 

few are as complete as the above pictured one

A few of the stupas have been partially uncovered,

revealing the Buddha statue which lies within

 While exposing the statues to the elements, the uncovering

allows one to get up closer to them and appreciate

how serene are the expressions on their faces

A large central stupa sits at the very top of 

the largest Buddhist temple in the world

Click on the above image to get a panoramic view which

should give you a good sense of Borobudur's scale (and 

remember, you're just seeing its uppermost tiers here!)