There is nothing that’s free anymore. From water, the air, seeing trees, everything costs.

Enjoying Nature at Cost

Adding some conveniences to natural places and commercializing nature don’t sit well with me as I grow old. There are some reasons why this practice does not sit well with me but there are also some positives to it. Perhaps the positives outweigh the negative. For instance, the economy around the area will be impoverished, the place is cleaner as often free places without security and maintenance here would get trashed, plus the convenience added that makes the environment safer for non-experienced hikers or climbers for example. By making it friendly to all people without prior exposure to climbing and/or hiking, it makes the place more accessible and many would have the chance to experience the beauty of nature.

Two days ago, I got the chance to experience visiting Punthuk Setumbu, a small hill located 20 minutes drive from Borobudur temple. If you draw a line between this hill and the temple, this spot is where you can draw a straight line between the three temples (borobudur, mendut,and pawon ) that is considered as a pathway to nirvana.

This place has been on my radar since 2015 where it started gaining more traction and interest from people all over the country and the world. This small hill offers breathtaking views of sunrise with borobudur temple and the chicken church, a small church located on top of another small hill. Not to mention, this serves as another alternative for people to enjoy the sunrise at a cheaper place than the borobudur sunrise tour. Though it has been a while since that place in my radar, only two days ago I was able to visit this place and it wasn’t even during the sunrise either.

My journey started from the family’s house. It was also the last day of Ray visiting the city. So, I took him to this place and also to the final temple, candi pawon. We started our journey around 9 AM and by following google maps we passed through fields, resorts with paddy fields, and steep roads. On the way to the place we also saw people do the VW tour that takes them exploring Borobudur nearby and also home industries in villages nearby.

I was quite surprised that the motorbike could handle the steep road. Just when I thought that I only had to pay for the parking fee, there is apparently a small ticketing place. For foreigners it would cost 50.000idr and for domestic it would cost 15.000 idr. There are also tours offering to see this mystical sunrise from this peak starting from 80$/person. But I don’t know, maybe it’s not worth it but it would be better if you just could go alone and pay a cheaper price.

When I thought that after the ticketing, the place is nearby, boy I was wrong!

We had to do a little trekking and hiking on a hot day. I forgot to bring the cap and even wore black shirt.

_{This was only half of the journey}

Each step I took was quite torturing. I mumbled “ Fuck this shit. We should rent a helicopter that took us straight to the spot”

I kept on saying things like “ Fuck, we need to rent a helicopter or something”. That moment, I knew, I was so out-of-shape as it shouldn't be that hard even with carrying 2kg in my backpack. I brought my pulse oximeter and as soon as I reached the peak, I checked mine was 130bpm which wasn’t normal at all. I was also ashamed because there were little kids who seemed fine after taking the hike.

_{Borobudur from above}

But after reaching out at the top, the views were breathtaking. It was as if I was above everything else. I could see the temple in the distance with the church on the side. I imagined how it would be much better during the sunrise.

On top of the place there are toilets and also some shops where they sell tea and small snacks and cup noodles. There are also some places to sit and rest your feet after a somewhat exhausting hike.

Ray and I stayed on the peak for sometime to enjoy the scenery and took pictures around it. I was also thinking that if I had a better camera, I would have been able to capture the mountain and the temple better.But, my phone was all I had.

I was also unfortunate to listen to the tour guide's explanation of the place. I didn’t hire it but another person next to us did and we just listened to what she explained to the family. Apparently, the chicken church is not actually chicken but rather a pigeon with a crown. But since the crown made the locals think that it’s chicken.

Behind the borobudur and the church there is another line of hills and some villages that was visible from Punthuk Setumbu. The views were also as breathtaking as the one that’s on the front facing north. In this place, there is a swing too and some selfies spots that you can use. However since I am not really a selfie person, I don’t really care much about taking pictures. I was focused on the view that I saw and pleasing my eyes with the greenery.

It was around 1 PM when we decided to go down and visit another place. On the way down, it was much easier and even a local that passed through us “ You look so happy going down”

I mean, I definitely am, going up was really exhausting for someone who hasn’t done trekking in a while. So, I was really happy that we could finally leave the place. After leaving this place, we were exploring the last temple, called candi Pawon. This one will be in the architecture community soon and as I conclude the temples series in Magelang Central Java Indonesia.

If you want to check out another stories of this journey, check out these timeless architecture stories below:

• Timeless Architecture : 9th Century Temple Candi Mendut

Many would miss out and even ignore the existence of this small buddhist temple called Mendut that was built around 8 to 9th century. But, they are missing out on a piece of interesting historical building and also cheap fresh coconut in front of the temple.

• Timeless Architecture : 8th Century Majestic World's Largest Buddhist Temple In the World Borobudur

Surrounded by Menoreh Hills, lies a majestic religious building that also serves as a canvas to retell the glory of ancient Javanese civilization during the 8th to 9th century. Built thoughtfully carrying buddhist symbolism, Borobudur temple also represents many layers of buddhist theory.

Don't hesitate to Upvote for more travel story like this !

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Mac is a jack of all trades. A typical introvert in love with literature, books, technology and philosophy. She is also so into nootropics, productivity, minimalist lifestyle, cybersecurity, and languages. Other than that, she is passionate about cooking and traveling. In her free time, she enjoys learning various things. If you like her content, don't hesitate to upvote, leave a comment or a feedback. A re-blog is also appreciated.