IMPRESSIONS OF JAVA ii 



mornings, even up to eleven o'clock, always appeared 

 like spring-time, only in a more magnificent edition than 

 that of temperate zones. In the effulgence of light and 

 the fresh coolness of the first hours of the day, plant and 

 animal life seemed jubilant. After the calm and heat of 

 midday, violent thunder-storms of short duration may 

 occur, but the evenings are generally beautiful, although 

 the prevailing inclination is to retire early. In the tropics 

 one realises more readily than elsewhere how a single day 

 contains all the verities and realities of one's whole life: 

 spring, summer, and autumn every day, as in a year or in 

 a lifetime. Australians and Americans who visit Java 

 every year make a great mistake in selecting the dry sea- 

 son, April to July, for their travels. To be sure, one is not 

 then troubled by rain, but on the other hand the heat 

 is greater, the country becomes dry, and including the 

 botanical gardens, loses much of its attraction. 



I decided to go by rail to Soerabaia, the point of steam- 

 boat connection with Borneo; this would give me op- 

 portunity to see Java besides saving some time. After 

 twelve hours' travel by express the train stops for the 

 night at Djokjakarta where there is a good hotel. We 

 now find ourselves in a region which formerly was the main 

 seat of Buddhism in Java. The world-famous monu- 

 ment, Boro Budur, is in the neighbourhood to the north 

 in the district of Kedu, and by motor-car a visit may 

 easily be made in one day, but for those who can spend 

 more time on this interesting excursion there is satisfac- 

 tory accommodation in a small hotel near by. The 

 government has of late years successfully restored this 



