Selogriyo Temple (740 MASL)

The passionate sport of pigeon racing in Yogyakarta - SilverKris

"In a small Central Java village I spent a Sunday morning immersed in a tight-knit pigeon-racing community where nine-year-old Trio and adult trainers gather at a kolong to practise kolongan balap merpati. The valley setting is framed by rice terraces and a dramatic training structure of four bamboo poles topped with red flags and a soft-sand landing pad; trainers release male merpati from distances that are gradually increased, use walkie-talkies to coordinate runs, and judges determine finishing order. I watched the ritual pairing—females kept in wooden cages while bonded males fly free—and learned how bonded pairs, intense training (up to 70 short flights a day), and village socialising fuel fiercely competitive inter-village races with prizes like motorbikes and market value for champion birds and hatchlings." - Tommy Schultz