To beat the heat, clouds, and crowds, I already arrived at the gate of Prambanan before 8 a.m. The souvenir hawkers even hadn't unpacked their stalls. The Prambanan Temple Compounds covers quite a large area. It includes 3 other temples besides the main Prambanan Hindu temple. Entrance costs 11 US dollars (or 110.000 rupiah) for foreigners. I arrived from Yogyakarta by using the convenient and relatively new TransYogya minibus (costing 3,000 rupiah / 0.20 EUR).

Right away you notice the damage that has been done by the earthquake in 2006. The large Brahma temple is completely covered in scaffoldings. Also about half of the main compound is off-limits to visitors. Constantly you hear the noise of chiseling, made by the many labourers on site.

Sadly, this unfortunate circumstance takes away part of the beauty of this site.

At the back of the grounds, about 15 minutes walk from the main temple, lies the Buddhist Cadi Sewu. "She's a beauty", two Australian tourists called out when I met them on my way in. And indeed, this might be the best sight on display at the moment. It has a lot of damage too, but there are enough little ornaments still to enjoy.