Witness a Cremation Ceremony in Bali

Sometimes we have been very lucky in our travels.  Many times we end up in a place just in time for a festival or celebration that we had no idea was even going on.  We don’t normally plan our travels around these events. They just seem to work out that way.

Bali was no exception.

We had heard of their famous cremation ceremonies in the past and seen them on T.V. but we never thought that we would actually witness one. The cremation ceremony is a sacred right of passage in Bali. It is a time for celebration and a time for the deceased’s body to be burned and set free from its worldly ties. It is the most important and celebrated stage in a persons life in Bali and no expense is spared.

Cremation ceremonies are very rare.

Sometimes it can take years after a persons death for a cremation to take place. Poorer families save money over time to be able to pay for the ceremony and they have mass cremations together.  The bodies are temporarily buried until the day arrives.

Well, it just so happens that we were in Ubud when a very prominent priest passed away and could afford to have his own elaborate cremation ceremony.

We didn’t know that it was happening at all, but when we were out earlier that day, everyone was asking us if we were going to see the cremation. Shop owners, waitresses even the clerk at the Internet café told us that we must see the cremation. We didn’t know if we should but after being reminded by everyone to ho, how could we not?

We arrived to a mass of people dressed in traditional ceremonial clothing. Bands were playing and people carried ornate offerings on their heads and others walked through the crowd selling sarongs and chess sets.

Soon the procession appeared at the end of the street and the ceremony began.  It was led by a massive white sacred cow carried by dozens of sarong clad men.  The crowd fell into place and the procession grew.  Thousands of people filled the street.

The Balinese music played and the tin drums could be heard from everywhere. The atmosphere was festive and exciting. People yelled and cheered and the energy was intoxicating.

The high tower containing the body followed. A priest stood beside the shrine along with another man who could have been the deceased eldest son or relative.  It too was resting on giant bamboo poles being carried by dozens of men.  At this pint we joined the procession following it all the way to the temple where the actual ceremony would take place.

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Every so often the men carrying the tower would stop and turn in circles.  From what I understand, they were trying to confuse the spirit.  They don’t want it finding its way home so the long route is not only just for show, but to mix up the spirit as to where it is and where it is going.

It was a very hot day. The sun beat down and the concrete burned through the soles of our flip flops. We were sweating in the intense sun, but we could not miss this once in a lifetime experience.

The band found a spot to sit where it continued to play as the body was prepared.

Wreaths were displayed in front of the alter and the body was transferred from the tower to be burned inside the statue of the white cow.  I could not see exactly what was happening, but they took great care wrapping the body and filling the shrine with offerings.

After and hour of anticipation, quite suddenly and silently the fire was lit.  I had my back turned and it wasn’t until the cow was engulfed in flames did I realize that the cremation was taking place.

The intense heat caused even the most curious to step back.

The cow took a long time to burn and the head never did. Eventually the body fell underneath the cow and that is when they really fuelled the fire to burn the bones.  The intense eat focused on the body to finish the cremation.

It was strange.  You could see the skeleton burning and morbid tourists, myself included, rushed to the front to take a closer view.

The band played on and people cheered.  It was yet another surreal experience in our Asian Adventure.

However it really was a spectacular sight and awesome to see how death can be about celebration as well as grieving.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed for latest posts via email or on your homepage!

Climbing Gunung Batur, Bali’s Volcano

I didn’t want to climb a volcano. One of my biggest fears is to be burnt alive by lava.  Ever since watching Volcano with Anne Heche and Tommy Lee Jones, I have visions of slowly burning alive. The way that guy from Fargo did during the scene in the subway.

As a matter a fact, Dave and I had a huge fight the night before. I was blaming with him for wanting to climb Gunung Batur even though I had said that I wanted to as well.  But I wouldn’t admit that I didn’t want to so I was just angry and he couldn’t understand why.  We had come to Bali for many things however, and climbing a volcano was one of them, so I wasn’t about to admit that I was chickening out.

As it turns out, Gunung Batur is not a frightening lava flowing volcano at all.  Yes, it is an active volcano, but you won’t see any lava fields flowing by  as you walk up the trail and you won’t have to worry or fear that you may tumble into molten lava.

I really should have done my research before we climbed and I would have known this.  Instead I lay awake all night fretting and waiting for our 2:00 am wake up call.

It seemed that I had just finally closed my eyes when our driver Anung, met us at our bungalow in Ubud.  He lifted my spirits with his warm smile and breakfasts in hand.  We hopped in the back seat of his shiny SUV and we drove in luxury eating our hard boiled eggs and fresh fruit.

I was pretty stressed out as we approached the base of the mountain and tried to hide it to no avail.  We stopped to get our permits to climb and then with a quick introduction to our guide Nyoman and armed with our boxed lunch, we were off by 4:00 am.

He set a fast pace and there was little talking as we hiked in the dark.  I didn’t enjoy myself at first as I still didn’t know what to expect. I had never seen a volcano before this climb, let alone climb on one.

We stopped to catch our breath.  Climbing a volcano is pretty tiring.  The black rock is loose and the slope is steep.  We had just climbed Mount Kinabalu in Borneo a few weeks earlier so I thought I would be a breeze after that, but I was breathing heavily all the way up.

You can see our video of the climb in our featured videos to the right

Everything ended up being fine and we made it to the lookout with more than enough time to catch the sunrise.  We found a nice spot in a shelter with benches to sit on even.  There were quite a few of us lined up side by side waiting for the sun to come up, and as soon as it crested the horizon we were armed and ready with our cameras and videos.

The sunrise was spectacular.  We were on the top of Bali and the sky was ablaze the sun rose over Lombok and Gunung Rinjani.  It was a slow rise and we had more than enough footage. By the time it was actually daylight we were frozen wrapped in our sarongs.  The climb was a sweaty one and to sit for an hour waiting in the cool and damp darkness took its toll.   The warmth of that sunrise couldn’t have come too soon and now that all of my fears had subsided, I couldn’t wait to move on to see the crater of Gunung Batur.

Our first stop was a deep hole in a cave where we watched a lot of steam rise from the depths of the earth.  Steam was everywhere and Nyoman told us that yearly sacrifices are held each year by the local villagers to appease the volcano Gods.  Live water buffalo, goats and chickens are ceemoniously dropped to their deaths.  This will hopefully stave off another eruption. I just felt bad for the animals and I imagined the sight of the poor buffalo being hoisted by rope and pulley over the deep crater.

Our oven for the Egg

We climbed on after sunrise to the rim of the newest eruption.  After cooking an egg in a steaming hole, yes, it is that hot that one can boil an egg, we went on to view the old lava flows and more smoking cones of sulpher. You could feel the heat all around you and steam rose from everywhere.

Vulcanologist’s are expecting Gunung III to go next and although they monitor regularly, you just never know when it will erupt.  All around you could see rocks that had been thrown into the air from the angry depths of the earth.  They left behind holes with gas spewing from within and I imagined being right there when it happened. There is potential for some serious injury if you happen to find yourself standing next to a spot that is ready to blow.

Steam Rising

I was amazed to think that people can comfortably build homes and businesses at the base of this still active mountain.  Earthquakes occur more frequently and there is a lot of activity.

We hiked through the morning on trails right along the craters edge.  The landscape changed drastically as we walked from black loose sand from the most recent eruption to lush green grass on the older craters.  You could see first hand the strength of Mother Nature, she can rebuild and thrive even after disaster.

Hiking on the Craters Edge

It ended up being a beautiful day. I walked and talked with Nyoman as Dave stopped regularly for photographs.  He was in his element as usual.

I am very glad to have sucked it up and climbed Gunung Batur. It wasn’t the big bad scary experience that I was expecting. It was an invigorating climb with spectacular views and a leisurely hike down to end in early afternoon.

Changing Landscapes

We said goodbye to Nyoman after tipping generously. He earned it.  At first he was quiet and probably didn’t know what to expect from us, but as the day went on we talked openly and frequently.  We talked about family and friends and life in Bali.  We enjoyed his company but knew full well that we would never see him again.  And it ended with a wave goodbye as we caught our air-conditioned van back to Ubud.

Tips for the Trek

1. Bring something warm to keep yourself warm while waiting for sunrise.

2. Book your trek in Ubud it is cheaper and always remember to haggle on the price.

3. Drink lots of Water.

4. Tip your guide. They work hard and make most of their money from your tips.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed for latest posts via email or on your homepage!

How to Bring the Romance Back to Backpacking as a Couple

Hectic Kho San Road

So you have been backpacking through South East Asia for a couple of months. You have trekked to the hills, sat on Kho San drinking too much Singha beer, seen one to many pagodas and you haven’t had a decent shower in I don’t know how long.  Not the makings of romance for you and your significant other.

Just like any other time in your life, couples need to make the time to keep the relationship sizzling.  Backpacking is no exception. You can get so caught up in treks, seeing sights and partying, that you can loose sight of each other and simply turn into traveling buddies.  Well, here are some things you can do in South East Asia to chill out and bring a little romance back into backpacking.

Tranquil Terraces of Ubud

1. Go for a massage and floral bath in Ubud, Bali – What better location than the centre of Bali surrounded by rice terraces, volcanoes, lush jungle and a feeling of what Bali must have felt like decades ago.  To the soft sound of traditional Balinese Music, together you can have your aching muscles worked on as you relax side by side.  It doesn’t end there. After you have completely relaxed, walk into the next room where a floral bath awaits.  When was the last time you had a bath?  You milk it for all its worth and sit in that tub until your skin prunes.  But you don’t care, you are rejuvenated, mellow and smelling a whole lot better.  Maybe a trip to the market is in order to spice up your travel clothes.  Top off the night with some wine and cheese at the Delicat restaurant. .

Splurging on a nice Hotel

2. Splurge on a hotel. Through  gtahotels and get an executive suite in Kuala Lumpur (or any big city for that matter).  We did this after months on the road, and it was heaven.  It cut into our budget a bit, but it was worth it.  For under $100 you can stay in a deluxe hotel at an extremely discounted rate.  We loved sitting in our white robes on our queen size bed so much that we went back to the Internet and booked another night.  It was worth every minute and we were ready to face the hassles of travel fresh and relaxed.  Yes, there was a pool too, but as many of you travelers know, a clean, comfortable and decadent bed is a luxury and we didn’t leave it for 2 days.

Cruising Ha Long Bay

3. Take a cruise on Ha Long Bay- Bring along some Vang Dalat, Vietnams attempt at red wine. Lay on the top deck and watch the stars in the clear sky as you are surrounded by giant kharst formations. Thousands of limestone islands burst out of the South China Sea.  Heavenly.

Nha Trang Mud Baths

4.Mud Baths of Nha Trang – So you have been fighting the touts of Vietnam for days, the pollution is taking its toll on your skin and that cracked heel that you developed just won’t go away.  You need a rest.  Just outside of Nha Trang are theraputic mud baths.  Cover yourself in this cool goo and bake away your worries in the sun.  After rinsing off under the shower, pop into a hot tub and clear your mind.  The serenity and peace can lift your spirits back up to face the rigours of travel in Vietnam.  But wait, you can’t leave yet, you need to stretch this out for as long as possible.  Never fear, there is a warm pool that you can swim in and relax by.  Stay all day chatting with each other with no fear of being interrupted to buy a book or some flowers.  Just watch how you start to reconnect with each other, ready to face another month on the road until the next splurge day.

Peace, Relaxation, Meditation

5. Meditate in Chang Mai – You can book a private 2 to 5 meditation course.  What better way to reconnect than to meditate together.  We had a private session where we learned how to meditate to music, did a laughing meditation and eventually worked our way into a full meditative silence.  Our teacher cooked us traditional vegetarian dishes, and we ended each day with learning some Tai Chi.  With both of us centered and relaxed, we could easily get through our travels in a more Zen Like state.  It is a wonderful thing to do together, you will both be feeling refreshed and optimistic at the same time.

Splurge on a nice meal

Other ideas.

• Go on a dinner cruise-you are in a land that has water everywhere.  Splurge on a romantic night out feasting on the water.  Almost all destinations offer dinner cruises and nothing brings two people together more that fresh air, good food and gorgeous scenery.
• Take a traditional cooking course.  These are everywhere and can be a lot of fun. Fun is important in any relationship.
• Massage, Massage everywhere.  The thing that I love about South East Asia are the massages everywhere.  You can get a cheap traditional massage that does wonders for the backpackers body.  On the beach in Thailand, On the Beach in Vietnam,  In Lao, Indonesia.  In Cambodia, get the best massage at one the healing hands massage clinics where highly trained blind masseurs take care of every joint. In Malaysia, try something different and get a traditional reflexology foot massage. It can be painful, but they will fix you right up.
• Take the time to just be.  Too often we run around catching busses, seeing attractions, jumping on a trek and ticking things off of our list, that we don’t stop to just relax for a few days and do nothing. It is important to take the time to watch the sun go down and walk on  the beach with no plans for rushing off any time soon. Just Be.

Relaxing and Connecting

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed for latest posts via email or on your homepage!