The Chicken Church on Java

I had booked a driver to take me to Borobudur and Prambanan, but the night before i found on a random 2010 blog post info about a church shaped like a giant chicken in the jungle, not far from Yogyakarta. The story is that in 2009 a guy in Jakarta had a vision from god, who told him to go to the forest and build a non-denominational church shaped like a giant dove. He did, but it ended up looking like a giant chicken, which is why it is commonly known as the chicken church. (It is formally known as either Gereja Ayam or Bukit Rhema.) Obviously i had to go. Why had i not heard about this? Why wasn't it in the Lonely Planet? Why isn't everyone talking about this?

I didn't have any luck communicating my desire to my driver due to our insurmountable language barrier, so i drew a picture, which he understood,  i think you'll agree it is spot on.

We drove through some lovely rural areas, past some pretty little houses, past people working in the fields, to the bottom of a steep hill. And at the top, surrounded by lush green forest, was the structure. It did not disappoint.

Apparently it was unfinished and abandoned for several years, but is now a legit attraction. The inside of the head and neck is painted with cartoony pictures warning of ever day sins like sex and smoking and drugs. 

Under it is a small network of carved tunnels and private prayer rooms. And best of all, you can climb stairs to look out of the bird's beak and then up to a platform atop the crown on its head for some terrific views.

Amazing. Most people i spoke to either didn't know about it or said it wasn't worth visiting. Oh how wrong they were.