Traveling around Yogajakarta

Well we made our first venture outside of Jakarta and further in to the island of Java to Yogajakarta. There we went to Borbordur, an ancient Buddhist temple built in the 700's. It is amazing. Carvings line the stone walls as you travel upwards, showing the stories of Buddha. Each level represents a new level of enlightenment. As you reach the top, the carvings give way to large cones or stupas that each contain a Buddha. A larger single stupa rises from the center. This one represents total enlightenment...and it is empty. I made me think about all the things we want, or expect or work towards and how they really are meaningless or empty. To be content with nothing, to be happy with nothing, could that be perfection? I know that I am a long way from that type of enlightenment. But often as I travel through Indonesia, I am amazed at the smiles and laughter I see on the faces of the people in the street, maybe having less means having less to worry about.
As always my favorite moments as we travel around are the connections we make with the people. Running into a group of school children at the top of the temple who have an assignment to interview people in English and watching them realize they have hit the mother lode by having 4 Americans appear. Watching them ask Derek and Claire tons of questions about their lives and taking pictures of them was really a joy.
Having an old gnarled man take us around on his horse cart to other small temples in the area, having shop keepers literally chase our cart down the street offering us one more souvenir to buy. Going to a traditional wayang kulit puppet show and having a puppeteer show us how they are made and sharing all the different characters with us. Walking around in the Night Market after the show where old midway rides from the 40's still seem to provide the same smiles to it's riders, those are the moments that I love the best.