Yogya: Good reasons for 4am wake up calls

We rumbled out of Jakarta, in our 'Executive' seats on the 08.30 express to Yogyakarta. Past the sprawling outskirts of the city and surrounding flatlands, the landscape turned lush and green. The highlands of central Java rose up out of shrouds of mist and the track was fringed with palm trees and banana plants.

 It was certainly an exciting contrast to the high rises of Jakarta. After seven hours which flew by (the incredibly comfortable train was definitely worth the investment), we pulled into the cultural heart of Java, Yogya.

After spending one day exploring the city, our second day started with an early 4am drive to the temple site of Borobodur, making it in time to climb a hill to watch the sunrise over the temple. From afar Borobodur is a magnificent structure of many tiers, the biggest Buddhist temple in the world. When looking closer up the detail of the stone sculptures and the intricate craftsmanship, made it hard to believe it had been created by hand 1200 years ago. In the early morning light it was a very peaceful and spiritual place.

The following day saw us negotiating Yogya's public transport, again to visit a temple but this time from the Hindu faith. The complex of Prambanan is in fact a series of temples, each dedicated to a Hindu God.

As you walk around the temple walls, carvings in the stone depict Hindu scriptures and stories. How well some had lasted over a millennium of erosion, wars and earthquakes was quite incredible.

Following our cultural excursions, we headed for the cooler climes of the Dieng plateau. Coming from 35 degrees and around 80% humidity, we were rather excited about the thought of rain and mist!