After a few months of living in misery, I decided it was time to make the best of it in Jakarta. With all the other teachers in the house, it made sense for me to stop pouting and befriend at least one of them to help bring an end to my misery. One of the girls in the house became just that person for me. 

She had decided she was going to make a trip to the Borobudur Temple in Central Java, Indonesia. Borobudur is listed as the largest Buddhist Temple in the world. Built in the 9th century, it consists of nine platforms, topped by a central dome. I asked her if I could join her on the journey, and she gladly welcomed the company. 

Although we didn’t know each other well, we both decided that we would have a good time and see some of the local sites. What we didn’t know is how much trouble, and fun, we were about to get into, and that it would create a lasting bond that got us both through tough times while we were in Jakarta. 

Boarding our flight, we knew it wouldn’t take long to get there. It was only a 45-minute jaunt to our location, and then we’d have to grab a taxi to get us to our hotel. The flight was so short that there was no food service, but they did decide to serve us hot tea. Now, jasmine green tea is very common in Indonesia and had fast become a favourite of mine. The smell of the tea is heavenly, and on this particular flight, that’s what they were serving. Problem was, by the time they served it, we were already on the descent. The flight attendant dropped our tea off, so hot you could still see that it was boiling, and told us to drink it quickly because we would arrive in just a few minutes. 

As we both desperately tried to drink our tea quickly without scalding ourselves, we began to giggle.

And that was when the friendship bond was tied tightly.

Getting off the plane, we knew we had to try to find a taxi in a country where few people spoke English, and white women on their own were a rare sight to see. We stepped out of the airport and saw a line of cars that could have been taxis, yet none were labelled as such. Several drivers quickly approached us and we played a quick game of who would give us the cheapest ride. 

After choosing our driver, we walked over to his car, which had no sign of actually being a taxi, and we both got into the back seat. After a few glances at each other, and jokingly asking if we were about to be murdered, we took off to the temple. We had no idea how much danger we had put ourselves in.

The man was a lunatic.

He was certainly not a taxi driver, and as he careened through the streets with the music blaring full blast, we began to worry for our lives. 

Worry and laugh, because what could we do? We were already in the car, he didn’t speak English, and even if we tried to get him to stop, we knew we couldn’t. We also knew he was our only chance of getting to the temple in the middle of nowhere. So, we grabbed each other’s hand, said a little prayer, and surrendered to the wildest ride of our lives. He drove on the wrong side of the road, passing cars in blind spots, and speeding through streets with multiple pedestrians, and we simply closed our eyes and hoped for the best. 

At one point, he was passing someone, and a very large farm truck, loaded to the brim with supplies, was right ahead of us. We thought we were going to have a head-on collision, and the only thing we could do was yell,

‘We’re all going to die!’ 

The moment he pulled into our hotel at the temple, we both fell out of the car in hysteria. Laughing, crying, and pumped full of adrenaline, it was all we could do to stand upright.

This was the beginning of our enlightening journey to what was once considered one of the 7 wonders of the world. If I had known back then what I know now, I might have appreciated that temple more, but my memories of what happened next will continue to make me laugh well into my old age.