Vesak day is coming near. If you’re going to be a part of the ceremony, you might want to look at the following tips to be a bit more prepared.
1. How to get there
It’s probably too late to say, “book your flight tickets early”. But it’s not too late to say, “Magelang, which is where Borobudur is located, can be reached not only by plane, but also by bus and trains directly to the city or with stopover at the nearest cities.” Now quickly reserve your tickets!
Your choices of public transportations, based on our Magelang native friend Fahmi’s information:
- Plane: fly to Yogyakarta (then continue 1-1,5 hr by bus), or Semarang (then continue 2 hrs by bus in normal condition; or 3-4 hrs on present condition due to road work).
- Train: as a functioning train station is non-existing in Magelang, you can take the train to Yogyakarta or Semarang before continuing by bus.
- Bus: take the route from Yogyakarta, Semarang, Purwokerto, Surabaya and many other nearby towns to Magelang Soekarno Hatta Bus Terminal.
2. Stay in Magelang instead of Yogyakarta
There’s nothing wrong with staying in Yogyakarta, but Magelang is simply closer to Borobudur and Mendut temples, where the ceremonies are held. Magelang is also an overlooked place by tourists, while it has a lot of interesting places, food and stories to offer. Have a read on what we’ve written about the city here and here.
3. You don’t have to do it all
The Vesak ceremony consists of a series of events starting a few days before Vesak day. Look up the schedule on the net (sorry, we could only find the official one in Indonesian, here), decide which parts of the event you want to attend.
It could help you choose where to book accommodation, what transportation to take and what to do in between ceremonies. For a quick look on what a Vesak trip could be like, check out our chirps here.
4. Be early
Vesak at Borobudur is one of the most anticipated events throughout the year by people from all over the world. There will be traffic jams around the sites. Though the ceremony at Borobudur goes on until midnight, entrance to the area is closed at 5 pm.
5. You are what you wear
Wear comfortable outfit and shoes, especially if you are walking the march between Mendut and Borobudur temples. Wear something not so revealing, especially the women. They didn’t kick me out for my shorts, but I wished I were wearing something longer.
Vesak is a religious event, it’s better to wear something considered polite. Perhaps, something as polite as your Sunday best, but more casual and comfy.
6. Cloudy with a chance of…
Have a raincoat and a hat or umbrella ready in your bag. You’ll never know when it’s going to rain or get really sunny, and most of the events are held outdoors.
7. Be considerate
An event like this is magnet to photographers or simply tourists like us. But again, it’s a religious event, not a playground. Give way to the Buddhists who are there to pray. Don’t stand in their way at any moment of the ceremony, don’t be noisy, don’t fool around.
Avoid shooting cameras, moreover with flash, in the face of a chanting Buddhist. You wouldn’t like it if someone did that to you while you’re praying at church, would you? And remember, others want to take pictures, too. And some visitors want to really pay attention to the ceremony. So, mind your behavior.
8. Prepare your lifesaver
Prepare some snacks and water if you’re staying until the end of the ceremony. There won’t be any food seller in Borobudur park except the restaurant at Manohara hotel at the foot of the temple. But remember! Do not litter.
9. Prepare your transportation home
We booked a taxi to pick us up from Borobudur at midnight, and thank God we decided to do that. Or else, it would be a long walk before we could get any taxi, if there was any. Mobile reception was sometimes very ugly, so it’s wiser to agree on a pickup point and time beforehand, just in case.
There you go. Are you ready for your Vesak trip?
Or if you’ve done this before, do tell us a bit about your experience, we’d really like to know