Yesterday I detailed my visit to Borobudur, Java’s most famous temple site. Today I’ll share two more!

Let’s start with Mendut, which is located 3 km from Borobudur. If you’re driving yourself, it’s an easy stop on the way out. If you’re on a tour, chances are it will stop here because most do.

The entrance fee is minor (under $1 USD) but I’m the only person on our tour who chooses to go inside. This surprises me. Perhaps the others are templed out? It’s only around 11am and we still have the afternoon ahead of us!

It’s only one temple and it takes about 15 minutes to explore. My favorite part is actually this giant Banyan tree on the property:

It has long roots hanging down like ropes, just begging for someone to climb on and swing.

I wander around the other side of the property (accessible without paying the entrance fee) and take in the surroundings:

Time to move on to our afternoon stop: Prambanan. This sprawling complex is similar in scale to Borobudur and is also an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It’s really busy. Borobudur was like this too, but we had the advantage of a sunrise arrival, which gave us time to wander before the crowds moved in. Unfortunately, we only witness Prambanan with mobs of people. This hampers my enjoyment of the site.

These crowds are lined up to go inside the temples. Don’t worry, the structure is “relatively stable” according to the National Expert Team.

(I don’t go inside but I’m sure it’s fine. Just grab a hardhat.)

I get one photo without mobs of people! Score.

One MAJOR annoyance at this site (and at Borobudur) is that people everywhere want to take a photo with me. And any other caucasian / Western-looking tourists. At first I think they want me to take a photo of THEM, but no — they want to be in a photo with ME. I probably get 40 requests over two hours at this site alone. Now I know how it must feel to be Angelina Jolie.

There’s no specific age or gender to my new admirers. Men, women, children, teens, grandparents — sometimes even entire families approach me.

The reason I call my sudden star status “annoying” is because it feels like everyone’s playing a joke on me. They walk up giggling and walk away giggling. Are they serious? Why do they even want a photo with me? Can’t they see I’m busy playing tourist too, snapping photos of the site for myself?

Today, I say no to everyone who asks for a photo. Most of them laugh it off and walk away, while a few grab my arm or try to block my path, more insistent than threatening. I dodge them all.

Some of my tour mates oblige the photo requests:

It’s just weird, right?

While this occurrence (phenomenon?) has happened to me in other countries throughout Asia, it’s never as concentrated as this first day. I think it’s because we’re in Prambanan during Ramadan so the site is especially full of local Indonesians.

I escape to the courtyard outside the main temple area for a breather.

That wraps up Prambanan. I leave you with an iPhone photo I put on Instagram that I’m particularly happy with:

What would you do if locals approached you for photo requests — repeatedly — while you were traveling? Would you pose for photos? If you say yes to some, would you say yes to all? Where would you draw the line? I’m curious what you think.