This time it's still about Semarang.
On my first day in the city, my friend Zaza took me to a Chinese temple about five kilometres away from my hotel. Zaza took his motorbike through the streets of Semarang, which were extremely congested with so many traffic lights. I realised after a few stops in the city that the population here is surprisingly large. Although it may not only be locals, but migrants and/or tourists.
However, Zaza is very good at riding his motorbike so that even au who rides him feels quite safe. About 20 minutes later, our motorbike stopped right in the courtyard of Sam Poo Kong. This place is indeed very famous among tourists, especially on weekends, it is not impossible that this area is very crowded with tourists either solo or in groups.
The Sam Poo Kong Grand Temple is also known as the stone building. In an inscription used as a sign of inauguration, it is written that this temple was inaugurated on 23 July 2006 and signed by the Governor of Central Java at that time, namely: H. Mardiyanto.
From the outside after the purchase counter, which costs 15,000 rupiah, visitors will see an inscription welcoming them to Sam Poo Kong. After that, you will see the main building of this place which is magnificent and large. A hall that is built high with a fairly wide background. Zaza said this courtyard is also often used for music performances or concerts.
In the upper courtyard there is also a more modern writing of I Love Sam Poo Kong. This part may indeed be devoted to photo spots. In this part of the hall, the supporting poles are filled with dragon motif carvings, while lanterns fill the sky evenly throughout the hall.
After wandering around the upper part, I headed down to the lower area. Fortunately, the visitors were not too crowded, there were only me and Zaza, as well as a song group called Ikatan Istri Insinyur Indonesia.
I first went around to the various statues that were there. Unfortunately, the statues were not told who they were. So, I can't give you more information either. However, maybe some of you know more about who some of them are. I am open and happy to share information.
To the right, there is also a temple that is actively used for prayers. So, I didn't go near there. It might have been okay, but I was reluctant to ask. So, I just kept wandering around the outside area.
The iconic part of Sam Poo Kong is the huge statue of Grand Admiral Zheng He who was named as an ambassador of peace. Underneath the statue is a short autobiography about the journey of the Great Admiral Zheng He until his death in 1435 on his way back from Kalikut.
The statue of Admiral Zheng He was unveiled on 29 July 2011 by the then Governor of Central Java, H. Bibit Waluyo.
I actually still wanted to stay here for a long time, but unfortunately, the sky was already very dark, and the signs of rain were increasingly felt. Zaza and I decided to hurry home.
Before heading to the exit, there was a wall of hope filled with wooden hangers containing people's wishes, some asking for happiness in life, others asking to quickly meet a life partner. That's how...
Thank you for reading my travel writing this time, I wish you all happiness wherever you are. See you in the next post.
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