One of the serendipitous discoveries in Jakarta was this beautiful beach suburb in North Jakarta. On the day I visited, there were quite a few people but it was not crowded.

One can hire these boats for a short or longer trip around the coast. Had I had a group of people with my, I might have been tempted.

This is the main swimming beach and the water was quite warm (I just paddled to my calves!). There were very few swimmers in deeper water.

After my exhausting paddling, it was time for lunch at the beachfront food court. Again, very quiet but I did have some difficulty deciding what to order. Apart from not recognising many menu items, I was also a little concerned about overall sanitation.

And this is what I had for lunch - pretty safe, I must say. Chicken, rice, salad and an as yet unidentified 'sauce'.

Ancol Beach is a family resort and this is one the activities which was in demand. This little train ran along the beach and then took a little detour through the residential area adjacent to the beach.

I was told by many people that a day trip to Bogor (if not a weekend) was essential. And they were not wrong. This photo was taken from the train as we rumbled towards Bogor nestled in the foothills of Mount Salak. This eroded volcano is located south of Jakarta about halfway across the island of Java.

This world-famous botanical garden is exquisite - that is all I can say. It was created in 1817 by the Dutch East Indies company. Due to it's unique geographical position, it rains almost every day making it a perfect site for the propagation of tropical plants

This view of the park was taken from the main circular which encompasses the gardens. I missed the main entrance and so had to walk a mile or two to the next entrance!

We all know about petrified trees and forests but when you stand next to a prime example like this, you just feel so small and young. Which is good.

The Botanical Gardens also hold play host to a Presidential Palace but access is not allowed - this was the closest I could get and even then, security watched with increased interest.

Always be prepared when you visit popular tourist spots to be confronted with large groups which are bussed in.

If you plan to fly domestically in Indonesia (especially from main airports) it is highly desirable that you attend a short course on how to elbow your way to the departure gate. Although I had a ticket for a specific flight, I dsicovered that this was a myth - you just go to the airport and push your way onto the next flight you can get onto. Simple as that!

After waiting for more than fifty yers, I finally got to see this view. Borobudur is absolutely magnificent and I would urge you to visit it if you ever find yourself in Indonesia. But plan your timing carefully arriving before dawn (to see the sunrise) or at least soon after.

A different view showing one of the many approaches to the temple. Buddhist philosophy gives great credence to direction and so the design reflects this from almost every angle.

The stairs on the main temple can be quite narrow which often means squeezing past others either going up or down. And then, of course, are the people who stop in the middle to take photos!

It is important to ensure that you view the temple form as many different angles as possible. You might think they're all the same, but they're not. It does mean a lot of extra walking but it is worth it. I might have done more than 100,000 steps on this day!

Once halfway up the temple, you note a gallery or open patio consisting of the stupa's which go all the way around the entire temple! A stupa is a structure, usually round or hemispherical, and the larger of which often contains relics on which to meditate or reflect.

After scaling to the highest point of the main temple, you reach this stupa which you can go into. A very magical experience

As you get closer to the 'walls' of the amin temple, you begin to realise that it consists of thousands of niches in each of which can be found statues of the Buddha.

I was particularly struck by this stupa (and there were many like it) due to its 'air-conditioning' design. The surface was not solid but contained gaps between the bricks.

Some history. Borobudur was built in the 7th Century - yes, believe it or not! - and is the world's largest Buddhist Temple. So I cannot imagine how it 'disappeared' when Buddhism was replaced by Islam around the 14th Century. It was reclaimed by the jungle and only discovered by Sir Stamford Raffles (yes, he of Singapore fame) in the 1820s. The largest restoration only occurred in the latter half of the 20th Century making it a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I wanted to explore some of the site around the main temple and Bugit Hill was a very reflective and spiritual walk. There was almost no-one around so I felt like I was walking in my own (very large) garden.

If you look very carefully in the middle of the photo, you can see the stupa's of the main temple. This is why you must take the path less travelled.

On that walk up Bugit Hill, I passed by this little fella. He was bigger than my out-stretched hand but I could not get my hand behind the web!

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