Prambanan, horse dance, train ride, volcano, and Bogor gardens
Feb 16, 2026
In the last installment, K and Estella arrived in Jogjakarta and went sightseeing. Now they are spending a little more time in the area and then taking the train to Djakarta. Here are her travel journal entries from this part of the trip.
Sun. Dec. 28
Early—7:00 a.m. we went to see the Prambanan Temples, near Jogjakarta. This complex is dedicated to Ciwa—8th century about same time as Borobodur. The carving was very light and delicate in comparison to many others we had seen.
According to this article, Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple site in Indonesia, and is dedicated to the Trimurti—the expression of God as the Creator (Brahma), Preserver (Vishnu), and Destroyer (Shiva). As with Borobodur, the site had been abandoned and was restored from ruins. At the time K was there, only the Shiva temple had been reconstructed (perhaps her reference to “Ciwa”), but the Brahma and Vishnu temples have since been rebuilt, along with a number of other temples and shrines. Here are some of K’s pictures from Prambanan.
Photos / Katharine Boylan
We dashed about doing a bit more shopping—saw a horse dance on the street.
Kuda Lumping is a traditional Javanese dance in which dancers “ride” horses made from woven bamboo. It sometimes involves the dancer entering a trance, traditionally said to be caused by spirit possession. Here are some pictures K took of the dancers.
Photos / Katharine Boylan
Paul Fetzner had his pocket picked. He felt the hand, so saved his wallet. I had just paid him two dollars—but the guide was able to get that back from a boy. But he did lose his glasses.
We left for the station about 10:45 or so, then soon on the train. It was an experience that I’ll never forget, nor want to repeat. Three people sat on seats meant for two. People stood—and sat in the aisles—all the nine hours of the trip. The day was cloudy, and rainy, which was good. As it was it was warm enough. But everyone was in good humor. The communication was mostly with smiles and food. A young Dutch girl who has been in Indonesia (Bandung) sat with the group. Two beautifully behaved children, a mother, young daughter, and two teenaged sons. I ate candied cherries, very good. Fried chicken intestines, not too bad. At the stations we bought bananas, mangosteens, rambutans, etc.
Apparently this was quite memorable! Her letter home includes most of this detail. In her letter she said “They cook all of the chicken, and I mean ALL. I ate some of the all and it wasn’t bad.” She took a few photos on the train. I did have a good laugh when I looked at her itinerary, which says “Departure by First Class train a compartment.”
Photos / Katharine Boylan
Her itinerary indicates that they stayed at the Savoy Homann Hotel in Bandung. A brochure from the hotel was in her files.
Mon. Dec. 29
We had no guide and a driver who spoke little or no English. First we went to a volcano northeast of Bangdung. It is forecast that it will erupt again in July of this year—1970. The elevation is about 5500 feet. It bubbled up and let off steam.
The Tangkuban Perahu volcano erupted most recently in 2019. K took this photo on her visit.
Photo / Katharine Boylan
We drove back through Bangdung, and headed toward Djakarta. It was beautiful countryside, but we were disappointed that we did not get any information.
K had a large, detailed map of Java in her files. I had to spread it out on the floor to take a picture. It helped me trace the route they had taken.
We stopped at a restaurant at a mountain pass for lunch. We had Indonesian food.
Her itinerary says they were to stop at the Puntjak Pass Restaurant. Puncak (current spelling) is a popular resort area for both residents and tourists, and the Puncak Pass Resort has been around since 1928.
The tropical gardens at Bogor were beautiful. A summer palace is there. The orchid house has many plants—not too many in blossom. Fetzners bought avocado pears—gave us two.
K loved orchids. Here are some of her pictures from the gardens. Unfortunately, many of her orchid shots are a bit out of focus.
Photos / Katharine Boylan
Thanks for reading Travels with K! Next week we’ll make a stop in Djakarta.
