Muara Jambi Temple is an important Hindu-Buddhist site located about 25 kilometres south of the town of Jambi, in central Sumatra.

It’s another not-well-known gem that exists on this large island, much like the Muara Takus Temple near Pekanbaru.

Muara Jambi Temple is well off the tourist track – there is no defined public transport to the park.  You have to get there on your own.

But it’s not that hard – getting there is half the fun.

This is how:

Go up to a motorcycle taxi (or ojek) in Jambi city and ask him to take you to Muara Jambi Temple.  Specify the Temple, not the town of Muara Jambi itself.

This guy’s name is Pendi, and he was fantastic.  He hadn’t been to Muara Jambi for 15 years, since he was in school.  I only expected him to provide the transport, but he ended up becoming my tour guide by default.

The ojek ride will take you to the edge of the Batang Hari river.

Load the bike, the driver, and yourself onto the pump boat for a 5 minute ride across the river.

Have one of the local residents show you around.  Actually, they will want to show you around.

Eight temples have been identified so far at the Muara Jambi Temple site.  Most of them are a work in progress of restoration, such as the Candi (which means temple) Kedaton.

Restoration is slow, and is all done via hand – by shovels and barrows.

These guys are hard workers and were slogging their guts out trying to assemble this massive version of Lego Land.

Restoration has been going on ages, and it doesn’t look like finishing soon.

Many of the temples are still buried underneath the forest.  Many of the discovered temples exist like this:

There are probably loads more temples buried within the jungle that haven’t been discovered yet, but the restorers are busy enough with the work they have already. The bricks used to build the temples are often scattered around the site.

Muara Jambi is about 1000 years old and was capital of the ancient kingdom of Malayu.  It was stumbled upon by a British Army search of the region in the 1920s.

The site covers a massive 12 square kilometres.

I had this magnificent place to myself for the entire time I was there.  I did not see one other foreigner there at all!

Many artefacts form the site are housed in the nearby museum, whilst others have been moved to Jakarta.

If you’re ever around the Jambi area in central Sumatra, Indonesia, check out the Muara Jambi Temple – it’s well worth the trip!

You can read more about it via the National Research Archaeology Bulletin of Indonesia.

Air Asia can fly you to a number of places in Indonesia so you can uncover some of these sites like I have.

Check out their website for more details!

Muara Takus Buddhist Temple is located a couple of hours drive away from Pekanbaru, in the Riau region of central Sumatra.

This place is located smack bang on the Equator, in the dead centre of Sumatra.

Muara Takus is not mentioned in the guidebook that I’m using.  And that would be a fair indicator of why I was the only non-Indonesian there on the day I visited.

The only way I know about this place is via the local Bertuah Blogging Community which is based in Pekanbaru, in central Sumatra.

They told me about this magnificent place and wanted to show me this part of the world, and I’m glad they did.

If you were trying to get here as an independent traveller, it’s a bit difficult.  You have to take the road from Pekanbaru to Padang, be dropped off on the side of the road at the turn-off (which is not easy to spot), and then maybe ask a local for a motorbike ride to Muara Takus.

Muara Takus is thought to be constructed by the Sriwijaya Empire about 800-900 years ago.  This empire built tonnes of temples throughout Indonesia, of which many are probably undiscovered.

I visited another of the Sriwijaya Empire temples near Jambi called Muara Jambi which is a spectacular work in progress – watch out for this post in a few days.

One member of the Bertuah Blogging Community, Syahruh, grew up around this area.  He is so passionate about this place, that he wants more people to come and visit.

So the least I could do was create a post about Muara Takus!

You can see more about the Riau region at the Riau Tourism website. One of the Bertuah Bloggers talks about the Riau Region on his website (in Indonesian).

Air Asia has many flights to Indonesia from other Asian cities, and also Australia.  Check out their website for a flight somewhere different!

Pekanbaru, Indonesia - is in central Sumatra, Indonesia. 

It’s best known as a centre for the oil production industry in Indonesia. 

However, I’ve spent the last couple of days here enjoying the hospitality of one of the local blogger’s family, and meeting with the local Blogging Community here. 

Here is a photo of them:

Firstly, from the top left, there is Taufik.  He works in the public service and is the chairman for the local blogging community in Pekanbaru, called Bertuah. 

He has been showing me around the place, including the Muara Takus Buddhist temple which I will write about later.  He’s also introduced me to the unexpected joys of Teh Telur, or Tea With Egg.

Then there is his wife Poppy, who works part time as an English teacher whilst juggling the demands of being a mother as well.

Taufik and Poppy have two kids – Askan, who is 8 (pictured), and Aurel who is 5 months old (who was sleeping at the time of this photo).

They live together with Poppy’s parents’, Anwar and Puti, or Atuk and Nenek for Grandpa and Grandma, and Poppy’s brother.

This kind of scenario is common in Indonesia.  While we might call this situation an ‘extended family’ in the Western World, these guys call themselves just ‘family’. 

Taufik calls his in-laws his father, mother and brother. 

There is no word called ‘in-law’ attached.

Family is an essential focus of daily life here.

Askan is now my new best friend. He likes to play with me and practice his very good English as well.  He was really upset about me leaving, but I’m sure I’ll see him again somewhere!

Whilst family is a major focus, the greater good is also in the forefront of people’s minds.

It’s been an interesting few days since the tragic events of the Padang Earthquake in West Sumatra.

Even though people here are poor themselves, that does not stop them from giving money to street collectors raising funds for the Padang Earthquake relief effort.

These street collectors are located all over Sumatra at the moment, and people are sparing what they can to help out the effort.

They also know that Australia (and other countries) are helping out with the relief effort, and I have received many comments of appreciation that my country is helping out.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the great hospitality shown to me from everyone, and I will never forget it! 

It’s been a fascinating insight into the Indonesian way of life, and frankly, people around the world do want the same things. 

They want food, shelter, have fun, and to be with their family and friends.  

We just do these things in different ways.

There are more posts coming about Pekanbaru, so stay tuned!

Air Asia has helped me get to Indonesia to experience this fantastic trip.  Check out their website for their airfares all over the place!

What Is A Blogging Community?

‘Blog’ is only a recently developed word in the scheme of languages, but it feels like it’s been around a long time.  During the last few years, with the explosion of platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, blogs have taken on a new dimension and many have formed their own ‘online communities’.

I think we all have our definitions about what a Blogging Community is.  Most of us may assume that Blogging Communities occur in cyberspace, but this is not necessarily the case.

In Indonesia, there are formal, and officially recognised ‘Blogging Communities’ that are located in a number of major cities and regional centres.  These groups meet up regularly offline at their favourite bars or restaurants, and get together to party and have a great time. 

They might talk about what their blogs are about (even though they may do this online frequently), but the whole aim is to socialise, make friends, and share ideas. 

I learnt so much after spending time with two Blogging Communities last year in their own cities – one in Bali, the other in Yogyakarta.

Basically, the meetings/social events are there so that Bloggers can collectively share their passion of blogging about whatever their passion is.  Their passions ranged from politics, life in general, and even butterflies. 

With regards to the Balinese Blogging Community, I thought another passion was Arak, the Balinese rice spirit/rocket fuel that was being offered to me in copious quantities.

During the Yogyakarta version, this Blogging Community had organised a ride home in a becak – a three wheeled bicycle catering for one driver and two (slim) passengers.  Whilst I’m not totally convinced that my dodgy travel insurance would cover my medical expenses in the event of an accident in one of these souped up push bikes, the skilful driver ensure I made it back to the hotel safely, and in one piece.

The point is that their Blogging Communities are exactly that – a Community. They have a sense of identity and belonging, and are welcoming to anyone who’s interested in finding out more.

I’m really excited about engaging with these Blogging Communities and seeing their Indonesia, and catching up with others at the Pesta Blogger conference on Saturday October 24 2009.

The Pesta Blogger Communities trip is kindly supported by AirAsia. 

Check their website out for their extensive network all around South East Asia, Australia and Europe