Kedu, nicknamed "the garden of Java" in Indonesia, is a plain bordered by a volcano. Its soil, which has been made fertile by the ash, is sacred. Glossy green palm trees nonchalantly rub shoulders with one-horned rhinoceros, giant flowers in changing colours, prehistoric buffalo and bent-backed pilgrims. Borobudur arises shrouded in mist, a site of prayer constructed on a magical square. Tradition has it that you can purify your soul by throwing sesame seeds – one seed for each passion – into one of its flaming domes. The burnt sesame aromas rise up to the heavens. The husky accents of the seeds, which are symbols of longevity, set the sparkling freshness of grapefruit alight.