Foto Friday 06 – Borobudur Sunrise HDR

Early Bird Catches The Light Fantastic

Oct 20, 2023

Borobudur Sunrise, Indonesia, March 21, 2009

3:30 a.m. Our guide is here. We’re at Dusun Jogja Village Inn, near Borobudur. It’s a short drive. The road stretches before us through the dark, misty morning landscape. Everything is quiet, and it’s still dark when we arrive at the temple.

There’s already a crowd, but we have our tickets. Note that sunrise visits are no longer possible since the complex opens at 6:30 now, and sunrise1 is between 5:15 and 5:50, depending on the month. Sunset shots are also out of the question since the temple closes at 16:30. There are many hills around, from which you can view either, at a cost, as none of the places are free to enter.

We begin our ascent up the stairs of the largest Buddhist monument in the world, built by the Sailendra dynasty between 780 and 840 AD. Borobudur is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a popular tourist destination, which has its consequences.

The high volume of visitors ascending the Borobudur's narrow stairs has caused severe wear out on the stone of the stairs, eroding the stones’ surface and making them thinner and smoother. (Wikipedia)

As of 2014, wooden stairs have been put in place, special sandals (upanat) are handed out to visitors, and the number of people allowed per day is capped at 1200. For more information and opening times, visit the official Borobudur Park website.

5 a.m. The moon looms bright above the top stupa while we wait for the sun to rise. I took a long exposure shot (30s), hence the star trails.

5:43 a.m. The sun rises.

This was moments before the sun broke through the clouds, and Borobudur was aglow, as depicted in the photo up top. Borobudur Sunrise HDR was featured on the National Geographic website (gone now), was under RM License on Getty (no more, this one still is) and is used on many sites today (unauthorised), but I digress.

A few minutes later, the guided tour commences. There are too many images I could share, besides it’s Foto Friday, and one picture is worth a thousand words. How about a tune, instead? Nothing from 2009. A song about sunrise and tequila. Yes, I am an Eagles fan. I know the Dude does not abide, but I also dig my CCR.