Last December, the Beetle visited Indonesia. Apart from diving I took a trip to Java from Sulawesi and saw the Borobodur Temple (amongst other things). I stayed a few days in Yogyakarta, a name I shall forever have problems pronouncing and hired a car and driver for US 30 for the day which seemed a pretty efficient way of getting around. Much to the initial annoyance of my driver, we gave lifts to anyone (especially older people) carrying huge bundles and had the freedom to stop wherever I fancied and see out of the way things, and some really were out of the way! Mr Azim, my very patient driver looked after me well, as well as driving like he was trying to break the world land speed record and he made Yogyakarta to the Borobodur in just 40 minutes! Using public transport, it is possible to go by bus or minibus from Yogyakarta to the town of Muntilan, change at the terminal here to another bus for Borobudur. Note that the bus station at Borobudur is 1km away from the temple though it is possible to walk. Alternatively, you can go on one of many guided tours on mini buses to Yogyakarta.

It seemed to be the time of year when schools make their annual school trip outings. There must have been several hundred school children, lounging around, larking about, and taking lots and lots of photos! I found out, by talking with many of the groups that they came mainly from Sumatra and other parts of Java and they were absolutely delightful, as curious about me as I was about them. I got many tips on places to go on my travels and invites to family homes, which was very kind.

This was just one day after the horrific tsunami and there was a muted respect and appreciation for the events that were just starting to unfold, but at the same time, it was a holiday and the school children were having a whale of a time.

The Beetle was pretty much the only non Indonesian visitor on that day and the school children's main task seem to be to detract me from seeing the Borobodur at all, but I didn't mind. It was a lot of fun lining up, arms round the girls' shoulders, smiling broadly for the multitude of cameras that were bought out, just one more, just one more they'd say. And the boys, shyly jostling to see who could stand closest and arms held just above my shoulders, thinking I would not see them or feel them as long as they were not resting on me. They were funny adolescent youngsters. And then there was the name and signature signing in their little notebooks. I thought the whole thing was most odd, but a wonderful way to meet Indonesian people and my entire 4 hours spent there consisted of photo posing, though I got my own back and asked other people to pose for me, notebook signing and having simple English conversations. It was a lot of fun, though I kind of wished I'd had a little more of a chance to see a bit more of the Borobodur!

Ok, about the Borobodur: It is thought to have been built between the end of the seventh and beginning of the eighth century A.D. For about a century and a half it was the spiritual centre of Buddhism in Java and then it was lost until its rediscovery in the eighteenth century. The temples are set in beautifully manicured gardens and are said to be composed of 55,000 square meters of lava-rock is erected on a hill in the form of a stepped-pyramid of six rectangular storeys, three circular terraces and a central stupa forming the summit. The whole structure is in the form of a lotus, the sacred flower of Buddha. For each direction there are ninety-two Dhyani Buddha statues and 1,460 relief scenes. The lowest level has 160 reliefs depicting cause and effect; the middle level contains various stories of the Buddha's life from the Jataka Tales; the highest level has no reliefs or decorations whatsoever but has a balcony, square in shape with round walls: a circle without beginning or end. Here is the place of the ninety-two Vajrasattvas or Dhyani Buddhas tucked into small stupas. Each of these statues has a mudra (hand gesture) indicating one of the five directions: east, with the mudra of calling the earth to witness; south, with the hand position of blessing; west, with the gesture of meditation; north, the mudra of fearlessness; and the centre with the gesture of teaching.

You are supposed to wander around the galleries and terraces always turning to the left and keeping the main structure to the right but I noticed that none of the school children observed this tradition. In total, Borobodur represents the ten levels of a Bodhisattva's life which he or she must develop to become a Buddha or an awakened one.

Early morning is the best time to visit Javanese temples, Borobudur included. The gate opens at 6 am, around sunrise. The view of the surrounding volcanoes and the Bukit Menoreh range to the south is clearest at dawn, although morning mists sometimes obscure the view until 8 am. Visitors must walk 500 meters to the base of the hill then climb a series of steps to reach the temple foot. To see all the reliefs one must walk more than 2 km (1.25 mile) around the four galleries and climb several flights of steps. The minimum amount of time needed at the Site is 1.5 hours.

All in all, it was a highly enjoyable day out and I thoroughly recommend it.

Scientists believe that Maldive Islands were first settled by Aryan immigrants who are thought to have colonised Sri Lanka at the same time, (around 500 BC). Further migration from South India, as well as Sri Lanka, occurred. The latest archaeological findings suggest the islands were inhabited as early as 1500 BC. Around 947 AD, recorded contact with the outside world began with the first Arab travellers. As the population increased, the Maldivian people with their mixed features formed tight-knit island communities. Historical remains dating back to 400 BC show strong evidence that Buddhism was widely practised among the people. Islam came to the Maldives with the Persian and Arab travellers and in 1153 AD Arabian traveller Abul Barakhat Al-Bar Bari is said to have been responsible for the conversion to Islam. In 1558, the Portuguese invaded and captured the Maldives. They ruled the country for 15 years, until Boduthakurufaanu, the national hero recaptured the Maldives from the Portuguese. He ruled the country as Sultan Mohamed Thakurufaanu from 1573 – 1583.

The Maldives became a British Protectorate and a dependency of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in 1887 and remained so until 26 July 1965 when they gained full independence. The independent Maldives reverted from a Sultanate to a Republic on 11th November 1968 and since then the country has remained a fully independent republic.

The first resort, Kurumba Village was developed in 1972, on an uninhabited island near the capital, Malé. The resort, had accommodation for about 60 guests. The second resort was Bandos, with about 280 beds. The services in the two resorts were quite basic compared to that of others in the region. The food was mainly local and the transportation quite slow. It was also a time when air travel to the Maldives was only available on Air Ceylon which operated a small Avero aircraft. This plane carried only 48 passengers and took two hours to reach Malé from Colombo. Despite this, over a thousand tourists came to the Maldives in 1972. In 2003 the Maldives consists of more than 80 resorts, and over 500,000 visitors from all over the world. Italian visitors account for approximately 25% of all visitors, followed by the UK at 17%, Germany at 14% and Japan at 9% and the average stay is 8.5 nights.

The Maldives hold the record for being the flattest country in the world, with a maximum altitude of only 2.3 metres. Although there have been reports of rising sea levels threatening the islands, the sea level has actually lowered in recent decades. There are said to be 199 inhabited islands and 993 uninhabited islands.

The December tsunami reached the Maldives at approximately 9.20am on 26 December 2004, sending waves up to five metres high over the 1192 islands. The disaster is believed to have caused damage to 69 of the 199 inhabited islands and 14 islands are said to be completely devastated and had to be evacuated. In total, some 20,500 islanders were displaced from their homes and 83 people were killed, including three tourists. A further 25 people are still missing and presumed lost in the disaster.

Even before the disaster, environmentalists were concerned about the risk to the islands from rising sea levels. The most serious damage was to the islands along the east coast of the group, particularly in North Malé Atoll and South Malé Atoll, but the capital, Malé, and the international airport on Hulhule island experienced only minor flooding. The tsunami also caused significant damage in the far south of the Maldives, particularly to Vilufushi in the Thaa Atoll and Kolhufushi in the Meemu Atoll. In the north, Kandholhudhoo island in the Raa Atoll was completely destroyed, displacing 3,000 islanders from their homes. The island has since been abandoned. Cartographers are planning to redraw the maps of the islands due to alterations by the tsunami.

Despite the massive damage to homes, schools, harbour facilities, telephone and electricity suppliers and general infrastructure, the loss of life was thankfully comparatively small, especially when compared with Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. Still, estimates suggest that around 7% of the population has been left homeless by the disaster and the overall cost of damage is estimated at US$470 million, or 62% of the islands' GDP. The government has reported that the impact of the tsunami will set back development in the Maldives by two decades.

Despite this, the emergency relief effort has been extremely successful, though some would say that it has been challenged to the areas most frequented by tourists. As of March, 71 of the 87 resorts in the Maldives were open as normal and tourists could visit Malé and other areas that escaped major damage without problems. However, 16 resorts remain closed as a result of the disaster – for an update on the 16 hotels that are closed, see: www.visitmaldives.com.mv

No prior visa arrangements are required, but some requirements must be fulfilled to obtain a 30 days tourist visa on arrival: a visitor must have a valid travel documents and properly completed embarkation/disembarkation cards which usually provided at during the inward flight. In addition, visitors must also have a return air ticket or at least US$ 50.00 per intended day of stay in Maldives. Any amount of Foreign currency can be brought in without declaring and can be taken out without any restriction. Some items are forbidden to be imported to the country, including firearms and explosives, pornography of any kind, including what would be considered “acceptable erotica” in all western (and most eastern) societies, pork and all products containing pork, narcotic drugs, poisons and hazardous, irritable or industrial chemicals and alcohol. Alcoholic items purchased on the trip will be held in Customs bond for collection upon departure.

Scattered across the equator across the Indian Ocean, the pearl like islands of the Maldives depicts the rare vision of a tropical paradise. Palm fringed islands with sparkling white beaches. Turquoise lagoons, clear warm waters and corals reefs teeming with abundant varieties of marine fauna and flora, continue to fascinate visitors as it has fascinated other in past, for thousand of years. Marco Polo referred to the Maldives as the flower of the Indies and Ibn Batuta referred to the Maldives as one of the wonders of the world.

Truly a natural wonder, the height of the islands rarely reach above two metres. The 1,192 islands consist of 27 atoll formations, spread over 90,000 square kilometres. The Maldive atolls are a classic discovery in their own right: the word atoll is derived from Dhivehi, the Maldivian language, from the word atholhu.

The islands are surrounded by shallow crystal clear lagoon enclosed by coral reefs. The unique islands provide visitors with one of the most breath taking views of underwater life in the world. Formed above peaks emerging from the depths of the ocean, upon layers of both living and dead coral, and remnant of other marine life, the islands are generally covered with dense tropical vegetation. Coconut palms towering above dense shrubs and hardly plants protecting the shores from erosion are natural features in most islands. These islands together embody living entities in various stage of formation. As interdependent elements in ecology, in a food chain where birds, fish and other marine life co-exist, with humans at its apex as caretakers for centuries.

Measuring 820 kilometres north to south and 120 kilometres east to west at its greatest width, the closest neighbours are India and Sri Lanka. With a population 270,110 ( 2000 official estimate), only 199 islands are inhabited 87 islands are set aside exclusively for tourist resort development.

There are plenty of things to do in the Maldives. You can take a diving safari where you can visit inhabited islands (fishing villages), resorts and uninhabited islands. Even if you are not a diver, or a honeymooner, there are cultural shows, excursions to Malé, night fishing, barbecues (subject to weather and length of stay) to keep you entertained. It is possible to visit a local inhabited island and see their simple life style in harmony with nature also you will get the opportunity to see some of the typical daily chores carried by the simple island forks while other maybe involved in building a wooden local dhoni boat or weaving rope etc.

Sultan Mosque

A typical resort, this one is the Laguna Beach Resort

Some people like the big game fishing and night fishing where you can usually go to an uninhabited island to have a barbecue after the fishing.

If you are interested in visiting the Maldives, Mr Muaz Adnan would be only too happy to advise you and make any travel arrangements and bookings for you. He can be contacted by e-mail on: muazadnan2002@yahoo.com