We’re in Java for 3 days: one in Semarang, followed by two in Jakarta, before we get a brief 1 day respite at sea.  It’s interesting that when we have several days at sea I’m anxious to reach land and explore, but after several busy port days I look forward to the slower pace of relaxing and writing.

We docked in the container port, because the cruise terminal is being “raised”. The northern coast of Java, where we are, is sinking, snd the terminal building regularly ends up flooded. The “sinking” is due to a combination of land subsidence and rising sea levels. Land subsistence is when the land surface sinks; the island itself is not sinking, just the surface, due to excessive groundwater extraction.

Java is the most populated island in Indonesia, and in fact the most populated island in the world, at just over 150 million people on a land area of just 132,000 square km (roughly 51,000 square miles). That puts its population density at just over 1100 people per square km (over 2900 people per square mile). It’s easy to see how the needs of that population, plus industry and a busy commercial harbour, could overtax the groundwater supply.

Additionally, climate change is causing the Java Sea to rise, though not as quickly as the land is sinking. Here in Semarang, the net effect of those two things is that the city has sunk between 0.9 and 6 centimeters (that max being more than 2 inches) per year since 2015.

We learned today that whereas Bali has remained predominantly Hindu, as of 2023 Java was 87% Muslim, the Islamic religion having arrived in the 13th century. Despite being the location of the largest Buddhist temple in the world, Borobudur, less than 1% of the nation is still Buddhist.

We decided not to take the 9 hour tour to Borobudur, although it was interesting watching the 7 coaches leave port with their police escort. Our excursions manager explained that Java’s traffic is so incredibly congested that without an escort the buses would probably not even reach Borobudur in 9 hours!

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Instead, our 6-1/2 hour tour called “Semarang & Hilltop Temples” focussed on Java’s ancient relics.

We were surprised at the port talk to learn that from the parking lot we would be continuing our journey on horseback. That was definitely NOT in the tour description back when we booked it, but apparently there is simply not enough time to walk the site; nor would it be possible for many in our age group to negotiate slippery stone walkways and stairs. Okay, so it would be an unexpected adventure!

We left the port at 8:30 a.m. for a scenic drive through Java’s lush countryside to the Gedong Songo Temple complex. The temple complex is located in Bandungan, Semarang Regency, in north Central Java, Indonesia, near Mount Ungaran, on the slope of the mountain. It is about an hour’s drive or bus ride from Semarang.

There was definitely lush countryside, especially viewed from the toll highway on which we made part of our journey, but the remainder of the “scenic drive” was what our Javanese guide (who quipped that he was a modern Javanese man, and not “Java Man”) described as “a portrait of Java”.

It’s crowded, and not very clean, and there is a huge wealth gap. Our guide described their system of government as an imperfect/emerging democracy. That might well describe every democracy.

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Our tour bus took us as far as the town at the base of the mountain, where we transferred to 15 to 20-passenger vans. It soon became evident why: while not quite as steep or with as many switchbacks as our mountain climb in Montenegro (which we terrifyingly did in a full sized tour bus in Episode 222) the road was narrow, bumpy, twisty, and very steep. Our van complained and struggled all the way to the temple complex parking lot.

The day’s forecast included 100% chance of rain. We’d struggled with how to prepare. Umbrellas did not make sense on horseback. Ted has a rain jacket, but I have a calf-length rain “coat“. We both have hats with brims. We took it all.

We should have known that Viking always has us covered – literally, in this case. Before we reached the temple complex, everyone was given a bright blue plastic raincoat with sleeves and a hood.

There were 60 saddled and ready horses, each with their own handler, waiting for us.

Neither Ted nor I are riders, but we were told that was not a requirement. Each of us was helped onto a horse, and off we went, in convoy, at a nice slow walk.

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Part way we all needed brief stop to put on rain gear.

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We’d been encouraged just to enjoy the greenery and relax, but it’s hard to relax when you’re astride an unfamiliar animal alternately leaning back as the horse goes downhill, or forward as it struggles up 45° slopes on polished lava rock.

I won’t say either of us enjoyed the ride up to the temple. Ted said it would be better expressed as we “experienced” the ride.

The temple complex dates back to the early 9th-century Sailendra Dynasty and is an excellent example of the early classic style of Javanese architecture. There are five Gedong (temple groups) – two on the east side of the hill, two towards the north, and one to the west.

These temples are among the earliest phases of Hindu temples built on the island of Java, and predate Borobudur.

Our horses took us to Gedong Songo IV, where they got a well-deserved rest.

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We walked under our own foot-power to the uppermost Gedong.

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At the uppermost plateau, another impressive temple.

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At 1270m/4170 feet above sea level, on a clear day the temples provide breathtaking views across north-central Java. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain.

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On the walk back down to meet our horses, steam could be clearly seen (and its sulphur content smelled) rising from a vent on the mountainside, reminding is that Java is a volcanic island.

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On the way back down, again on horseback, we stopped for a photo with Gedong Songo III as a backdrop.

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Ted said the absolute best moment of the tour was as we headed back down the mountain. There was no narration happening. The only sounds were the raindrops, the clip-clopping of the horses’ hooves, and a distant call to prayer. It was perfect.

About 3/4 of the way back down, I began to think Angel, my poor horse, was struggling on the wet stones. One of her back feet kept slipping, and she was leaning way over to one side. Since we were definitely not far from the bottom of three hill, I asked to dismount and walked the rest of the way. Our guide, Soni, had done the same, so we walked back together, which also gave me the opportunity to photograph Gedong I, which was on a pedestrian (not equestrian) path.

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After visiting the temples, we transferred back into the vans and travelled to the stunning Susan Spa complex in Bandungan for an Indonesian buffet lunch. The resort was absolutely stunning, and would be amazing to tour on a sunny day. (Seriously, check out the link to their website.)

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The hour-long drive home again showcased that “portrait of Java” we experienced in the morning.

Our only plans for the evening, beyond our daily photo sorting and writing, were for dinner at Manfredi’s.  It’s hard to believe we were ready to eat again, but we were!

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We had just enough energy to take in the show by Australian vocal duo Andrew Pryor and David Kidd before heading to bed. The theatre was uncharacteristically half empty, attesting to the fact that folks were worn out by today’s long tours.

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We cruise to Jakarta overnight.