Word: borobudur
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...trips are offered to Borobudur and Dieng Plateau, as well as to the nearby train museum at Ambarawa. Yet most guests stick close to the farm, which has spectacular views of seven surrounding volcanoes. Those feeling perky can walk to nearby villages that seem not to have changed in centuries. Part of the fun is feeling like an early pioneer. But there's plenty to be said for facial rubs and fresh coffee...
...encloses a peaceful garden, studded with weathered cannons. One cannon in the fort's northeastern corner has taken on the unlikely role of fertility symbol. Local women place floral offerings on its barrel in hopes of improving their chances of conceiving. "George Town isn't one big monument like Borobudur or Angkor Wat," says local historian Khoo Salma Nasution. "It's more about vernacular heritage?the living culture such as food, the multicultural heritage and the tangible architecture. That's what makes Penang special...
...1960s, Borobudur's foundation was so badly weakened that the entire structure was in danger of collapse. Some of the balustrades were listing as much as 11° because the artificial hill on which the temple sits had settled. Algae, fungi and lichens were eating away at porous stone, obliterating the exquisite carvings...
More important was ensuring the temple's structural integrity, continually threatened by Java's heavy rains. Under the leaning balustrades went reinforced concrete slabs. To prevent water from undermining the hill upon which Borobudur sits, the engineers installed hidden drain pipes to replace the gargoyle spouts provided by the ancients. Finally, gravel, tar, epoxy and lead were layered under the stones to protect them and the foundation from seepage. Says Indonesian Archaeologist Soekmono, 60, known among his countrymen as the Guardian of Borobudur: "The structure is engineered to last another 1,000 years...
...reconstruction took a decade of effort and cost $25 million. Located 30 miles from the Javanese city of Jogjakarta, Borobudur is eventually expected to attract several million visitors a year. At this week's ceremony, Indonesian officials, as well as representatives of UNESCO and 28 contributing na tions and corporations, will gather at the temple for the local equivalent of a ribbon cutting. Even if the donors do not achieve nirvana as they climb Borobudur's refurbished steps, they can take pride in setting an example for all the world to emulate in the care of a noble...