Today, we went to Borobudur Temple, one of the seven wonders of the Asian world. It was originally 10 floors, which was later reduced to 9 floors due to removal of the top stoopa. 151 steep steps from the 1^st floor to the 9^th floor. It was re-discovered by Sir Stamford Raffles when he was a Javanese governor. It was built in the 9^th century and was left untouched for 800 years when it was buried under ash from Mt Merapi. There are 6 different types of Buddhist statues that can be found at the temple. They differ from their hand positions of body positions.

After that activity we took an hour drive to an orphanage home for our CIP program. We the got a chance to interact and bond with the kids there such as playing games and giving a small lesson about Singapore. They also performed 2 short performance for us which we all deeply enjoyed. They also gave us a small tour of their orphanage and finally, we had a small exchange of gifts and a fun Selfie moment with them. And towards the end, Our school dedicated an award of appreciation for hosting us to a Sister in charge of the home and we said our farewells before leaving. We went to eat dinner later that night and proceeded back to our hotel where we were debriefed.

7th floor of the Borobudur temple 

Introduction to the orphanage children. Some as young as 5 years old!

Orphanage students performing for our arrival.

One of the groups giving a brief introduction to Singapore.

Orphanage kids participating in games.

Group 3 

Group 2

Farewell photo.

Group 1

Presentation of a plaque for appreciation to the orphanage.

Strong ties with the orphanage students formed during this activity,
students even shared facebook profiles.

Final farewells to the orphanage students before we left for dinner.

Credits to Max Zhang, 3D for taking these beautiful pictures.

Day 2 Reflection

Day Two

Today, we visited various historically intriguing sites in Yogyakarta. Firstly, we visited the Sultan Royal Palace. There, we learnt about the history of the palace, including the previous sultans of Yogyakarta. Currently, the sultan of Yogyakarta Hamengku Buwono X, the 10th sultan. In Indonesia, only the sultan of Yogyakarta has political power. 

Secondly, we visited the Taman Sari Water Castle, which is a meeting place for visitors of the sultan from foreign countries. The water temple was built by Portuguese architects, It is called the water temple as it used to be surrounded by water. However, due to cracks in the ground caused by an earthquake, the water seeped into the ground. The temple itself embodies the three main religions in Indonesia which are Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam as the sultan of Yogyakarta believed that to maintain a balance of culture, he had to treat each religion equally.


We also visited geographically fascinating sites such as the Parangkusumo Sand Dunes. The sand in the dune was very fine and it was dark in colour. The sand originated from Mount Merapi. When the mountain erupted, lava flows to the ocean and solidifies. Over time, the solidified lava turned into fine grains due to friction from the ocean waves.

While visiting these sites, we learnt that as students representing Singapore and Punggol Secondary School, we had to demonstrate our school values, such as propriety.  During our visit to the Sultan Royal Palace, we demonstrated propriety by not damaging any of the historical artifacts.


-Group 3 // Amal, Donovan, Iqbal, Samantha, Shohaib, Ting Feng, Madhumita
Credits to Max Zhang for taking these beautiful pictures for us

Craftman creating a wayang kulit doll.

Behind the scenes of the wayang kulit show.

Wayang Kulit Dolls on display beside the main stage.

Details taken into consideration when the wayang kulit
doll was designed. Craftsmanship was taken seriously.

Wayang Kulit puppetry show, this picture shows
 the puppeteer behind the scenes.

Details on the side of the temple.

Secondary temples beside the main temple.

Details located on the smaller temples located around the main
section of the Prembanan Temple.

Our awesome guide giving us a summary of the morals learnt during
the temple visit.

Further details and effort given to make this temple beautiful made
by the builders of the Prembanan Temple.

Shiva, god of destruction taken inside the temple.

Intricate details carved onto the temples. Amazingly done almost a millennium ago! 

Group picture!

Lunch after the flights to fill our stomachs for the long trips ahead!

Arriving at Prambanan Temple

Prambanan Temple from the entrance

Briefing of the Prembanan temple and the basic history behind it.

Cultural Immersion trip goers gather up 5am in the morning to
get ready for their flight

Credits to Max Zhang for taking these beautiful pictures.