Borobudur

I've always like visiting Buddhist monuments because of my fascination with heights of religious submission. Maybe as penance for my non-submission to a religion I like so much, I went to Borobudur at the height of the Yogyakarta noon sun. Of course, that was also the pinnacle of photographic mistakes as the dark images cast by the vertical rays did no justice to the carvings that told of the journey to enlightenment...though I did took a few that showed the ravages brought by this earthquake-prone place.... Notice the difference in colour between slabs.... not too bad a patchwork of puzzle slabs....

But what was bad was the attitude of some locals who went there.... This is a place designated a UNESCO world heritage site & one of the wonders of the world, but I wonder what happened to that pride.... People threw mandarin skins near where some Korean monks were performing a pilgrimage (and a curio for gawking eyes) prayer; people climb on top of exposed stupas for a wrap-your-arms-around-the Buddha pose....

... the height of sacrilege ...