However, if you have previously travelled to some of these places, the news of a disaster seems somehow more real. So it was when I found this picture today of the Hindu temple at Prambanan which is located near to Yogyakarta in the south of Java. This 9th century Hindu temple complex was severely shaken in Saturday's 'quake and the dislodged blocks of stone can be seen strewn around.
Pramabanan was one of the highlights of a trip I made to Indonesia in the summer of 2000 and if you look very closely, you might just see me in the middle of this photo on the right. The temple is Candi Siva which is on the left of the photo above.
The complex at Prambanan is very impressive but many of the original temples have already been destroyed by previous earthquakes in the region, a reminder that there is frequent seismic activity here.
The black stone of which the temples are built is volcanic and warns of another threat which hangs over the area.... Mt Merapi, only 20km away, has been 'grumbling' for weeks!
If you want to read more about the Indonesian earthquake, there are lots of good links to stories, images, video and flash animations here http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/5026680.stm
