BALINESE ROYAL CREMATION

Nothing like a Royal death and torching to bring people out into the streets. Yesterday, after weeks of preparation, the island of Bali honored the life of a royal family member with a day long celebration and procession that ended with her remains burning inside a two story tall sarcophagus in the shape of a bull. Pretty amazing day right in the heart of Ubud filled with insane crowds, wailing mourners, confusion, heat, and the ever present question…“ what is going on”.

As the crowds streamed into downtown Teri and I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast just on the outskirts of the town core. We walked in and made it just as the bull and the royal remains began the long journey to the main temple about 2 miles down the road past thousands of mostly hot and confused looking tourists. Later that day we made our way down to the temple where the bull had finally come to rest and watched as the Royal remains were loaded in and the entire structure burned in effigy.

Nothing like a good BBQ of human remains to build up a powerful hunger so we retraced out steps out of town and joined some other GS families for a potluck of burritos and beers.

Lots of pictures to be had as you might expect, but the best for me were just the faces of the local Balinese. Simple beauty in the mass of chaos.

aeo