Word: borobudur
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Like most famous public monuments, Borobudur?the immense Buddhist stupa that rises from a wooded plain in south-central Java like a fabulous, mesmerizing dream?has suffered its share of adversity. It was buried under volcanic ash for centuries; in 1911, its summit was destroyed by lightning; its 2 million blocks of exquisitely carved volcanic stone are slowly sliding down the hill despite an extensive restoration project 20 years ago. Yet she's a game old girl and soldiers on, inspiring pilgrims as powerfully now as when she was raised 1,200 years...
...slightly mad-looking stupa (it's meant to be viewed from the sky) is beset by a very modern evil: rapacious commercialism. The grounds around its entrance are a labyrinth of souvenir stands and caf?s where vendors have greatly outnumbered visitors since the bombings in Bali. Tourists in Borobudur are subjected to a grueling gauntlet of hawkers selling the usual range of junky stuff imprinted or embroidered with the name of the place. The asongan, as the vendors are known, are aggressive, sometimes to the edge of frenzy...
...outskirts of the zoned district around the stupa. The new complex, bearing the Disneyesque name Java World, would be the gateway to the monument for all visitors, who would park there and progress to the site aboard a silent tram. In place of the chaos that currently reigns at Borobudur, there would be a bland but orderly array of tourist shops, the boisterous ladies selling soft drinks out of ice chests supplanted by the comforting presence...
...TRAVEL Java: Beyond Borobudur...
...TRAVEL Java: Beyond Borobudur...