Cempaka Culture and Tourism: Asia-Pacific reporter Patrick Barta on exploring Borobudur, one of the largest Buddhist monuments in the world.

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“… The Shift in Human Nature

You're starting to see integrity change. Awareness recalibrates integrity, and the Human Being who would sit there and take advantage of another Human Being in an old energy would never do it in a new energy. The reason? It will become intuitive, so this is a shift in Human Nature as well, for in the past you have assumed that people take advantage of people first and integrity comes later. That's just ordinary Human nature.

In the past, Human nature expressed within governments worked like this: If you were stronger than the other one, you simply conquered them. If you were strong, it was an invitation to conquer. If you were weak, it was an invitation to be conquered. No one even thought about it. It was the way of things. The bigger you could have your armies, the better they would do when you sent them out to conquer. That's not how you think today. Did you notice?

Any country that thinks this way today will not survive, for humanity has discovered that the world goes far better by putting things together instead of tearing them apart. The new energy puts the weak and strong together in ways that make sense and that have integrity. Take a look at what happened to some of the businesses in this great land (USA). Up to 30 years ago, when you started realizing some of them didn't have integrity, you eliminated them. What happened to the tobacco companies when you realized they were knowingly addicting your children? Today, they still sell their products to less-aware countries, but that will also change.

What did you do a few years ago when you realized that your bankers were actually selling you homes that they knew you couldn't pay for later? They were walking away, smiling greedily, not thinking about the heartbreak that was to follow when a life's dream would be lost. Dear American, you are in a recession. However, this is like when you prune a tree and cut back the branches. When the tree grows back, you've got control and the branches will grow bigger and stronger than they were before, without the greed factor. Then, if you don't like the way it grows back, you'll prune it again! I tell you this because awareness is now in control of big money. It's right before your eyes, what you're doing. But fear often rules. …”

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Asia-Pacific reporter Patrick Barta on exploring Borobudur, one of the largest Buddhist monuments in the world.

By PATRICK BARTA, The Wall Street Journal

Bell-shaped stupas are at the summit of the temple. (Patrick Barta/WSJ)

What it is: Located in the heart of the Indonesian island of Java, Borobudur is a massive, mysterious stone temple built between 775 and 850 A.D., but abandoned when Islam became more prevalent in Indonesia. The temple was restored in the 1970s and 1980s and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It now stands as one of Asia's most important holy sites. The temple is built in several terraced levels with hundreds of decorative reliefs depicting scenes from Javanese life 1,000 years ago. Pilgrims travel from across the world to ascend the temple's summit -- a journey that is supposed to bring visitors to the highest level of enlightenment. The top offers sublime views of the Javanese countryside, with rice paddies, coffee plantations and volcanic mountains. Borobudur is also close to Yogyakarta, a city of 500,000 people that is the center of Javanese fine art and culture. It is a major destination for handicrafts and performing arts, including Indonesian puppet shows. Tourists can hire a cyclo to ride through town to visit a sultan's palace and a large market of handmade batik fabrics.

Where to eat: Dining options are a bit limited around Borobudur; top restaurants are located in hotels and guesthouses. Most visitors schedule at least one meal at Amanjiwo's restaurant, which is open to non-guests and serves a mixture of Western and Indonesian food, including a Javanese tasting menu with satays and other local specialties. Food stalls nearby also serve basic Indonesian fare such as nasi goreng, or Indonesian fried rice.

Where to stay: The ultra-luxurious Amanjiwo (www.amanjiwo.com; +62-293-788-333; rooms start at $700 a night), set in a valley among rice paddies about three miles from Borobudur, is built to mimic the temple's style and feels like a major monument in itself. Built with local limestone, it features an art gallery and a dramatic colonnaded open-air dining room that overlooks Borobudur and the surrounding mountains. Rooms feature rattan furniture, Javanese textiles and domed roofs. Activities include tours on the backs of elephants and midnight treks up a nearby volcano.

For more affordable rates, Saraswati (www.saraswatiborobudur.com; +62-293-788-843; rooms start at $89 a night) has comfortable rooms in a peaceful estate in an enclosed area off a road leading into the temple. It has a pleasant inner courtyard, a large garden pool and traditional Indonesian xylophone performances in the lobby. Many visitors stay in Yogyakarta, about 50 minutes away. The best value there is the Grand Mercure Yogyakarta (www.mercure.com; +62-274-566-617; rooms start at about $50 a night), in an elegantly restored colonial building.