Dieng, that is. From the Sanskrit Di-Hyang.

Home to amazing mountains, steam-belching craters, 8/9th-century Hindu temples, and more vegetable terraces than you could possibly imagine.

We did this trip over two days, hiring a car and driver, and staying in Wonosobo at the highly recommendable Wisma Duta homestay.

Wonosobo is quite a drive from Yogya. En route you see plenty of further evidence of Merapi's destructive tendencies: houses many miles away from the mountain washed away by the "cold lahar" of water, sand, and rocks swept down the river; half of a bridge similarly destroyed, only a few weeks ago, long after the eruption...

As you get nearer Wonosobo, the road starts to climb and wind. The landscape is forested, and clearly wood is a big source of income here. It's very beautiful, although the vast quantity of heavy trucks using the route slows progress and destroys tarmac.

Wonosobo itself is a very attractive town, with lots of horse-carts, a bustling market, and a number of pretty squares and gardens. After a bowl of excellent soto ayam and a rest, we set off for Dieng itself.

This route is steeper and windier still, and it rapidly becomes apparent that this area is one of Java's major sources of vegetable production. But the weather is capricious -- the rain comes, the mist sweeps down, and we lose all views...

We decided to go to Telaga Warga, a greenish lake, which emits sulphurous odours and houses many meditation caves around its shores. We just got to witness the green, before the mist swept in here too. Very atmospheric, however -- a study in vapour, branches, and soft reflections. On to Kawah Sikidang next -- a volcanic crater. Again, it looked like we would see little, but suddenly, the mist parted, and rolled away, and we got great views of the steaming hillside, all sulphur vents and boiling mud. I never tire of volcanic scenery. It's always boding, evocative, faintly Tolkienesque.

We had better views on the way back down to Wonosobo, but by now it was getting dark. This is why you need two days here. The weather is too unpredictable to place all your bets on one opportunity.

In the evening, we had drinks and snacks at the Kresna, which dates back to 1921, and is awash with stained glass and colonial elegance.

We wanted too early a start the next day to enable "traditional" breakfast, but our helpful host, Helly, provided sticky rice and fried cassava to supplement the bread, biscuits, and coffee.

Glorious clarity for our second trip up the mountain road. Terraced mountains as far as the eye can see. It is concerning that the terracing has replaced the original forest, with the result that landslips are a frequent occurrence. But there is still something awe-inspiring about this meticulous terracing -- it's not only a miracle of engineering, but also incredibly beautiful.

We started off at the Arjuna complex of temples, magnificently ringed by mountains, and then climbed up to Candi Dwarawati, which stands like a guardian above the village, amidst the terraces. Near Candi Gatutkaca, there is a rather good museum, with simple explanations and impressive displays. From there we went back to Arjuna to restore ourselves with ginger coffee and (locally produced and very tasty) fried potatoes.

Candi Bima next, which is distinguished by its rows of scupted heads, and finally Tuk Bima Lukar, an ancient bathing spring (and the place where the hero Bima changed his clothes). If you bathe there, you'll be granted eternal youth. We washed our faces, ever hopeul... A local woman was doing her washing there. Maybe clothes washed here never wear out...

Time to return by now, winding down through the terraces and the forest, and back to the rice fields and the banana plants.

I enjoyed my time with the gods in the mountains, but I guess my current place is with the ordinary mortals down on the plain.