A couple of weeks ago I took in Jogja's premier cultural event, The Ramayana Ballet, against the backdrop of the magnificent Prambanan Temple (pics earlier in this blog) at night. The story is epic and just a wee bit dated (forgive the sarcasm and the holes in the brief descriptions that follow), but it truly is a spectacular way to spend a couple of hours. Very unwestern dance styles making it all the more interesting, and a loose plot description in the program certainly helped. The night, thousands of years of history, and dozens of dancers and costumes and colors made for quite a gala. Here's the stage before it begins, with gamelan orchestras to the left and right of a wide staircase, ascending into Ganesha's temple behind... breathtaking.