For 30 years I’ve been trying to get to Indonesia to see impressive Borobudur, the largest Buddhist temple in the world.

I’d rank Borobudur alongside the Pyramids of Egypt, Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu, Angkor Wat, Bagan in Myanmar, Petra, and the Pyramids of Mexico & Central America.

Running out of time on my 30 day visa to the nation, I splurged on a 13 hour private guided tour which included this highlight.

My guide got me #1 in line to visit Borobudur! I finally finished 1st in something! 😀

If alone, I could have rushed up to the top like a winner. 

HOWEVER, everyone is guided in groups here.   My guide was excellent.

Everyone must wear gifted sandals. They seriously do not work for people with bunions.

The site has been vastly improved in recent years. There’s some lovely landscaping, including many lotus flowers, a symbol in Buddhism.

There are 2 kinds of tickets: structure and ground.  The ground tickets only allow wandering outside the Temple.  Structure ticket holders get to climb the temple. Numbers are limited each day.  

Of course everyone is keen to get the tour over with so they can scramble for photos. Me included. 😀

Though much of the stone had been vandalized and looted over the decades, there are still many impressive carved stories. 

Borobudur lay hidden for centuries under layers of volcanic ash and jungle growth.

British Governor-general in the early 1800s was Stamford Raffles. He sent Hermann Cornelius, a Dutch engineer, to investigate a rumoured huge temple.

Today Borobudur is the single most visited tourist attraction in Indonesia.