The Borobudur was, and still is, one of the main tourist sights in Java. At the foot of this Buddhist temple lay – in the first half of the twentieth century – the eponymous Hotel Borobudur, a small government-run inn. Many tourists stayed here to admire the spectacular sunrise and sunset from the temple complex. Not much is known about the quality of the food and drink – the hotel bill mentions three sparkling waters (ajer blanda) and four lunches. The Travellers Official Information Bureau (Vereeniging Toeristenverkeer) claims in the Bataviaasch Nieuwsblad of 29 February 1912 that ‘its table has a good reputation’, but whether this is really true is questionable, given the bureau’s propaganda purposes.
A bill from Hotel Borobudur in Magelang in Central Java, [1928]. [D H 1431-11]