The best part about our visit to the Sultan’s Palace was watching the men and women practice a traditional Javanese dance in the courtyard. These dances date back to the 8^th century A.D. and they were originally performed for the royals. The feet and hands are so precise just watching you can appreciate how difficult it must be to learn this dance.

The next day we went to see the Borobudur Temple. According to Guinness World Records it is the largest Buddhist temple in the world. It covers an area of 2,500 m2 and stands 113 feet high with a base of about 403 feet.  Trust me – it is massive and impressive. (And yes I had to pose for the paparazzi here too but this time it wasn’t just the youngsters even some adults asked for a picture)

Our guide told us that there are 72 stupas around the temple and inside of each one is a Buddha statute and they were all built exactly the same. There are 10 stone levels, one representing desire, four for reality, one transition and the four top ones represent nirvana. The whole complex is definitely a sight worth seeing if you are ever in Central Java.

Tomorrow we head to Bali for a few days and then off to Flores in search of the komodo dragon.