temple Archives | Freedom Wall

Around Yogyakarta: A Comprehensive Travel Guide

yAn A.L. — Sun, 28 Jan 2018 17:41:55 +0000

Yogyakarta, a host to temples which beginnings are even earlier than the construction of Khmer Empire’s Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, is a testament to Indonesia’s rich and extensive history. Aside from the temples, travelers could experience the best of Indonesia’s cuisine, night life, and hospitality in Yogyakarta. It is pronounced and commonly spelled as Jogjakarta. […]

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The Heights and Cuts of Prambanan Temple

yAn A.L. — Mon, 29 Dec 2014 12:43:05 +0000

Whenever I travel, excitement always wakes me earlier than usual, no matter how tired I was the night before. My visit to Candi Prambanan is schedule at 6AM but I was wide awake at 4 o’clock. I had finished all the preparations and I couldn’t go back to sleep so I had to kill the […]

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Experiencing Borobudur Solo

yAn A.L. — Sat, 27 Dec 2014 08:32:55 +0000

Honk! Honk! Honk! Those were the last sounds I heard in my dreams, which turned out to be a reality. The train that I hopped on the previous night in Jakarta was approaching its other end, the Tugu Station in Yogyakarta (or Jogjakarta or Jogja). I did not get that much sleep I wanted, I […]

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The Sprawling Roots of Ta Prohm

yAn A.L. — Fri, 03 Jan 2014 00:05:42 +0000

From Thommanon, our guide drove us to Ta Prohm, our final stop in our Angkor Tour. When Aaron heard that it was the featured location of Angelina Jolie’s 2001 film, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, he surprisingly got excited. Maybe he was already well rested when he refused to climb the Phimeanakas, and he’s also a great […]

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The Devatas of Thommanon Temple

yAn A.L. — Thu, 02 Jan 2014 18:22:27 +0000

After getting dumbfounded in Angkor Wat, we headed to Angkor Thom and explored every temples within the complex. We stumbled in Bayon, ascened to the top of Baphuon, climbed the highest point of Phimeanakas, wondered around the Royal Palace, lingered the stretch of the Elephants Terrace, and roamed in the the channels of Leper King […]

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The Phimeanakas and the Remains of Angkor Thom Royal Palace

yAn A.L. — Thu, 02 Jan 2014 00:50:12 +0000

The Phimeanakas (or Prasat Phimean Akas) is a Khmer pyramid-like structure, which name translates to celestial temple. It was built in the later part of 10th century and was situated at the heart of Angkor Thom‘s Royal Palace. The royal palace seats in the north of the Baphuon temple. Since the Royal Palace is pretty […]

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Baphuon Temple and its Giant Reclining Buddha

yAn A.L. — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 23:07:51 +0000

Immediately after exiting Bayon temple, we moved to the Baphuon temple. It is only few hundreds of meters (350+) away from Bayon, including the 150-meter walkway from the main road. The surrounding of the temple is a swamp, which gets deeper on wet season. That was probably why its builders created an elevated pathway. Pyramid-like Temple Baphuon […]

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The Four-faced Towers of Angkor Thom’s Bayon Temple

yAn A.L. — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 20:56:57 +0000

After witnessing the breathtaking view of Angkor Wat’s sunrise and wondering around its bewildering structure, our guide lead us to Angkor Thom. We entered the Angkor Thom complex via the south gopura (or an arched gate), and what welcomed us were stone figures seemingly pulling a log (a scene in a classical movie wherein the […]

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All that Remained in Wat Phra Si Sanphet and Ayutthaya Kingdom’s Grand Palace

yAn A.L. — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 20:32:29 +0000

Ayutthaya Kingdom [1351 to 1767 AD] was once considered as Southeast Asia’s most formidable. But not until 1767 when it fell to Burma’s fury. At the present, all that remained were ruins and the reinforced chedis. These ruins were under the protectorate of Ayutthaya Historical Park and were listed to the UNESCO World Heritage Site. We […]

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The Ruins of Wat Maha That

yAn A.L. — Mon, 23 Dec 2013 22:02:33 +0000

Also called as the Monastery of the Great Relic, the Wat Maha That was built during the reign of the Siamese medieval empire, the Ayutthaya Kingdom. Now, it is one of the most stunning historical artifacts in Thailand’s former capital. Wat Maha That was the third stop of our temple run in Ayutthaya during the day 2 of our […]

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Day 3: Walking Tour in Bangkok Continued

yAn A.L. — Mon, 23 Dec 2013 16:06:41 +0000

Our Day 3 in Thailand wasn’t an ordinary day but a big protest weekend. Our hostel posted places to avoid because of the massive protests and most of our designated stops for our day 3 were on the list. Actually, Wat Saket, the Royal Pavilion Mahajetsadabadin, Wat Ratcha Natdaram, and Wat Suthat were scheduled for […]

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Startled in Wat Suthat

yAn A.L. — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 22:15:17 +0000

We walked a kilometer from the Royal Pavilion Mahajetsadabadin to see the Giant Swing. We never expected that we will see another holy stunner nearby, the Wat Suthat. Wat Suthat is one of the oldest and largest temples in Bangkok. It is known for its distinct roof line, 25-ft tall golden Buddha, elaborate mural paintings, […]

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A Morning Hike to the Golden Mount (Wat Saket)

yAn A.L. — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 22:41:47 +0000

After some hygiene fix (and without breakfast), we immediately boarded a Khlong boat at the Hua Chang station to see the first stop of our Day 3 Tour in Thailand, the Golden Mount (Wat Saket Ratcha Wora Maha Wihan or simply Wat Saket). Some Quick Facts and History Seating on an artificial man-made hill, the […]

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Day 2 in Thailand: A Temple Race in Bangkok and Ayutthaya

yAn A.L. — Wed, 11 Dec 2013 22:16:57 +0000

We’d been awake the longest during our day 1 but we accomplished a lot on our day 2. We’d able to visit the major attractions of the two great cities; Bangkok and Ayutthaya, rode a 4-hour back-and-forth train, and made a late-night walkathon to check the newly-added attractions on our list – yes, we made […]

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Amazed the Second Time Around in the Temple of the Reclining Buddha

yAn A.L. — Tue, 10 Dec 2013 21:50:25 +0000

We never expected that our confoundment still had a part 2. The Grand Palace was already the perfect stunner but the Temple of the Reclining Buddha (commonly Wat Pho or officially Wat Phra Chettuphon Wimon Mangkhlaram Ratchaworamahawihan) still marveled us. Though not equally overwhelming and dazzling, the temple offered some great three-dimensional artwork and excellent […]

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Amazed and Dazzled in the Grand Palace

yAn A.L. — Mon, 09 Dec 2013 21:37:34 +0000

After our sightseeing along the Chao Phraya River and a simple local breakfast at Tha Chang Port, we headed to the Grand Palace. Well, the reason why we took the boat was to reach the Grand Palace, and since cruising Chao Phraya River with locals is an awesome activity as well, I piled it to […]

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Shutter: Angkor Wat Sunrise

yAn A.L. — Fri, 06 Dec 2013 23:11:34 +0000

Angkor Wat is one of the destinations you must see before you die. December 2 this year, I crossed out one of the entries in my bucket list and saw it from the moment it was pitch black until it slowly revealed itself as the sun lit the surroundings. Seeing the world’s largest religious monument […]

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Shutter: The Image of Brahma at the Erawan Shrine

yAn A.L. — Fri, 06 Dec 2013 20:29:08 +0000

The Erawan Shrine (ศาลพระพรหม or San Phra Phrom) seats at the intersection of Ratchaprasong and Ratchadamri Roads in Pathum Wan district, Bangkok. Unlike any other Thai temples in city, the image, which is a Thai depiction of the Hindu god of creation, isn’t sheltered with a big mondop. The shrine was built in 1956 by Erawan […]

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A Temple Run in Ayutthaya

yAn A.L. — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 22:24:16 +0000

We reached Ayutthaya around 3PM on the second day of our Thailand-Cambodia-Vietnam tour. That means that we only had three hours to explore the ruins of the capital of the once prosperous and Southeast Asia’s most invincible, the Ayutthaya Kingdom (1351 to 1767 AD). Ayutthaya, by the way, was the capital of the Empire of […]

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