Borobudur

I am a big mountain made of grey stone. I live in a warm, green jungle where monkeys play. My neighbors are big, sleepy volcanoes. In the morning, a soft, cloudy mist gives me a gentle hug. You can walk up my sides on big, square steps, all the way to the top. At the very top, I wear special stone bells as my crown. They look like little hats for a giant. I am a place of wonder. I am Borobudur.

A long, long, long time ago, many friends worked together to build me. They used their strong hands to carve millions of grey stones. They fit them together carefully, like a giant puzzle just for you. On my walls, they carved so many pictures. These pictures tell happy stories about kind people, gentle elephants, and big sailing ships that float on the water. Every picture is a little secret. When you walk up my steps, you can find the stories, one by one. It is like reading a big stone book.

After I was all finished, I took a very long nap. The green jungle grew all around me. It covered me up like a cozy blanket. Soft, grey ash from the volcanoes fell on me, too. I was sleeping and hidden. Then, one day in the year 1814, some friendly people found me. Hooray. They gently cleaned me and woke me from my long sleep. Now, I love it when friends from all over the world come to visit. They climb my steps to watch the beautiful sunrise paint the sky. I love sharing my quiet, happy feelings with everyone.