Sawitan > Borobudur temple > Kutoarjo (51km, 2h40) > Merak (562km by bus, 12h)

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Today is a full day. First I’ve visited one if the most famous Buddhist temple in Asia called Borobudur. The temple is still used for pilgrimage; once a year, Buddhists in Indonesia celebrate Vesak at the monument, and Borobudur is Indonesia’s single most visited tourist attraction (Wikipedia sources). Then I’ve cycled to Kutoarjo and expected to catch a train to Merak. But the train was full so I took a bus during 12 hours to Merak from where I will catch a ferry to go to Sumatra. Luckily, I’ve done all of that just on time.

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Sidoharjo > Sanggrahan (89km, 5h)

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Today the plan is to cycle along the Waduk Gadjah Mungkur lake (on its western side) and then turn west again to reach the area of the Prambanan temple that I will visit tomorrow. I stopped for a short break this morning and had some of the Sate Ayam that the people I met yesterday gave me. I realised very quickly that I was next to a school. The students were waving their hands at me, shouting “hey mister” from this other side of the road. One teacher or surveyor managed to keep them inside the school but they were coming closer and closer to the road. I was nearly grabbed in to take pictures with the students. The english teacher asked the questions and explained to the students what I was doing, where I was going. This was a kind of real time english lesson for them.

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