Love Island Travel

Raising the Dead -

It is an hour before dawn I make my way up the gentle slope to the outside of Blangsinga village cemetery on the island of Bali. There is no wind and a scimitar of a new moon hangs above.

I fall in step with maybe fifty or so men who wear an assortment of tools for digging. Hoes, shovels, pickaxes and long metal spikes are worn casually over the shoulders. Somehow we look like a medieval army ragtag fighting in a battle.

Upon arrival at the cemetery, the men split into small groups and assigned to their family tomb. In the darkness, I can hear the other already at their task of digging. As the new day dawns and the light casts its glow in the morning, I see, standing in rows, gaudy platforms and statues of life-size animal that weighs on me in rows under the trees. Elephants, bulls, two dragons black and white, and huge rear fish like giant sentinels, as if keeping an eye on the work of the morning.

today is to be a special day for the village and the hundreds, if not thousands, of family, distant relatives and a host of friends, many of whom have traveled great distances to be here, to come together to review the dead. One hundred and eleven bodies will be exhumed bones washed and carefully wrapped in white muslin and placed in their assigned sarcophagus, blessed by priests with holy water before being burned and sent into the afterlife.

A Balinese cremation at the Western eye, a dramatic event that can leave the viewer confused by its complexity, as in reality the cremation ceremony has nothing to do with a dead body . In Bali, the body is nothing more than an unclean temporary shell, having no meaning at all, except that the container of the soul and its roots in the earth.

At the time of death all thoughts are focused on the mind and its passage to heaven. Instead of mourning, the Balinese prefer to throw a big party to hasten the souls of unity with God.

The soul of someone who dies can not immediately leave the body. Initially, the Atman (the immortal soul) plane near the body, sometimes like a ghost that can disturb the family of the deceased. Only after five body elements (air, earth, fire, water, and space) were returned to the macrocosm on burning the soul can completely detach from the body.

The sun makes its way now above the tree line and the light shines on the myriad of colors that make up the hundred big and small sarcophagi scattered throughout the cemetery. There are shouts and laughter of the crowd growing quickly a procession of women arrive to transport objects in silver bowls on their heads. A big band of men and boys dressed in bright purple jacket adds to the din growing.

mass cremations are never simple.

There is a widespread belief that no expense should be spared for the final send-off of the soul and any skimping constitutes a lack of respect for the deceased. A cheap cremation is considered a pretty bad way to start his life after death. These ceremonies can and will cost millions of Rupiah, which can severely tax the resources of families and hundreds of people are involved in the head until the big day, which can take weeks or even months of preparation. Not only minds impressed by a large cremation, but the gains of the family prestige and status in the village with an expensive ceremony.

special event today is a "communal" cremation where the funds are in fact pooled so the cost is spread across all participants, thus reducing the burden on the poorest community.

With all the thousands of details in the head in the event, there appears to be no checklist, as in gasoline nobody is in charge, but everything works Balinese typical cooperative fashion .

has this, the heat began to install.

diggers, who regularly exchange places, are deep in the tombs and finally buried bodies, wrapped in white shrouds are marked in the land. The family members present now jostling for position around the grave and a white ribbon tied to a stick with three branches of the tree dab dab is ceremoniously lowered into the open pit.

With a powerful "One, two, three!" Cry the rest of corpse is rather unceremoniously hoisted on the side of the grave. The scream told me is to wake the dead sleep!

Once there, it is delicately unpacked, exposing the bone, washed in holy water and carefully arranged before being wrapped in pure white muslin. The body is then supported by several men shoulder high three times around the tomb before being carried to the sarcophagus attributed and placed inside.

Once all the bodies were exhumed, it seems that it is time for lunch and a little rest. Enthusiastic salespeople have set up stalls selling all kinds of food and drink while the balloon sellers waving their colorful wares wander among the crowds, followed by excited children strips.

I take my rest and lunch at the family home of my host, Leo Sinatra, fills me on some of the most intricate details of the events of the day.

The orchestra is shaped tail!

Suitably children fed and rested, we make our way back to the cemetery following a procession of family members carrying offerings on their heads. , Mothers and women carry photographs or paintings of the deceased and the atmosphere is joyous with laughter and bickering that takes place along the line. Each family stands to deposit their gifts into the coffins of their family, attended by a priest sprinkles holy water from clay pots that are broken ceremoniously when the ritual.

This takes some time and a numb lull falls over the crowd that now is at least three miles. They sit around the remedial shadow on local gossip and chat with relatives who came from all over Indonesia to attend this grand ceremonies.

Then, without warning, young men running through the crowd carrying torches and minutes of the tranquil scene is quieter than the entire cemetery suddenly fire. This is high drama at its best.

The enormous sarcophagi start smoking and then, as the fire taken hold, the flames dance around the complex structures that consume them in yellow fire busts crackle and explode in showers of sparks. I'm in a frenzy, desperately trying to take as many pictures as possible, while avoiding at the same time fierce heat rash around me. I begin to understand what it must be for a photographer in a war zone!

Burning elephants, bulls and dragons are rapidly consumed in the fire and slowly begin to fall from their high platforms. Too soon it is over, and the heat decreases, I wander through the charred remains. Black and scorched dragon; heads seem to spit real fire, while the trunks of elephants are now reduced to smoldering appendages. It certainly gives new meaning to the term "ashes to ashes"!

Tonight's ashes will be collected and taken to the temple and kept overnight before a grand procession tomorrow made its way to the sea. This history, however, I will leave for another time

NB :.

I am greatly indebted to Fred B. Eisman JR whose trials Bali Sekala & Niskala was helpful in giving me an overview of the complexity of Balinese cremation.

and also for Leo Sinatra for his extraordinary hospitality and an intimate knowledge, which he gave so willingly.

Shifting Development and Cultures: The Papuan Koteka -

You may have seen some of the emerging photographs on the Internet about British photographer, the new project of Jimmy Nelson before Away passing - Nelson visited and photographed 29 isolated tribes to document before their traditions disappear. Three tribes were Indonesia - Yali and Dani of Baliem Valley in the mountains of central Papua and West Papua Korowai

I recently attended the culture of Dani and Yali tribes Valley Festival Baliem .. Held each August on the mountain, the people of the valley gathered in traditional clothing and dancing and simulated war reenactments.

Perhaps the most iconic and essential part of the clothing worn by men and Dani Yali is koteka or penis gourd. Now the koteka is often seems dangling walls and became an exotic souvenir for many tourists who visited Papua. But what exactly is the koteka and why is it disappear from the rich cultural heritage of Papua?

In the 1960s, anthropologist Karl Heider spent 27 months conducting fieldwork on people Dugum Baliem Dani. His goal for the neutral observation brought him into conflict with some Europeans and Americans who moved to the Grand Valley after 1954 and tried to change the way of life Dani - they suspected Heider encouraging aspects of war to make a movie. The war between the tribes was common and conflicts often arose over property rights (land and pigs) or women.

These times were not for the faint of heart and Michael Rockefeller, who helped save the movie Dead Birds about the Dani, was lost in November 1961 when Asmat his expedition - his canoe 40 feet overturned about 12 miles from the coast and is believed drowned, although his body was never found. The journalist Milt Machlin imaginatively speculated that the young heir Rockefeller became a victim in revenge tit-for-tat killing against foreigners, in an area where cannibalism and headhunting were still practiced.

Sometimes after reading anthropological rating Heider in the Dugum Dani , it felt like I had stumbled into the Middle Earth of Tolkien - descriptions were truly breathtaking

Heider explained that each boy Dani age of six. would a penis gourd. "Gourds are grown near compounds and are carefully shaped as they grow. The vineyard consists of a framework in which it holds about 1.5 meters above the ground. If a long straight gourd is desired, a weight stone is related to the end of the gourd, pulling out. later, if a curve or loop is desired, the bottle is folded horizontally or upside down and whipped the frame ... "

"When a gourd is grown to the desired size, boards are cut - it is grilled over coals to harden the shell and soften the meat - meat is carved with a bamboo knife, the outer skin is scraped, and the bottle is carefully wrapped and allowed to dry behind the fire of the men's house. "

" Every man has a wardrobe of different sizes and shapes of gourds that alternately. It is conceivable that the man takes his flask depending on his mood of the day, but I found no evidence of that. "

" The noisy flick of the gourd with the nail of a forefinger punctuates the most dramatic conversations. This flick has the same range of meanings that the word naijuk - I'm afraid, I'm impressed, wow "

As I hiked through the Baliem valley, wearing boots and a jacket keep warm, one thing that surprised me was the sight of older men climb steep slopes wearing only a koteka to keep warm! a local policeman who invited me to visit the museum Wamena was also intrigued by this riddle and had observed Dani simply covering their ears, or holding their hands under the armpits where it was warmer - and even if it snowed, they would still carry the koteka

Although the museum was! closed, the officer allowed us to have a look at the items were organic and difficult to maintain. - some were disintegrated Heider also described the elements of the incredibly fragile Dani Culture -. "a large spider, called muligak , almost a third pet Dani, with the pig and the dog. These spiders are collected in the forest and brought in compounds, where they build elaborate strips on frames. The paintings, tangled in the fabric are used for the caps for men and magic strips hanging in the throat. "

The main forms of decoration were mud, feathers , fur and fat pork, which were difficult to store I noticed this décor Festival Baliem Valley and watched the bright colors of Yali -. their war dance was full of music, giant guitars and everyone was dancing, however. after trekking in the villages Dani, I quickly realized that the only older generations wore traditional elements such as koteka. the young and middle age wearing clothes and Rastafarian culture "Bob Marley" appeared to have been adopted in the city of Wamena West.

in these high mountain regions, development is difficult, and I saw many Dani climbers carrying bags of mie in the villages, as well as a group who carried bags of cement and a toilet up the steep slope! Tourism has reached the region and the evolution of the economy of the city of Wamena - this again changed the dynamic of Baliem. WWF are currently engaged in an eco-tourism project that will allow people to share their knowledge about the nature and use that wisdom to make a living

Yet the photographer Jimmy Nelson raises an important point -. These crops disappear. Education, health and development have reached these isolated regions and villages such as now Hitugi in Baliem Valley have their own school, but exposure to the outside world involves change. Maybe find a balance between culture and development restraint is key - even if the subject is so complex, I would not draw any conclusions. But as long as events such as the Festival of the Baliem valley enable communities to come together, remember their heritage and share it with others, we can hope that culture will not be forgotten.

Additional Information

The photograph of Jimmy Nelson: http://www.beforethey.com/

The Dugum Dani Karl G . Heider: A Papuan Culture in the Highlands of West New Guinea (1970) Chicago: Aldine Publishing

film Robert Gardner: Dead Birds (1963)

A brief history of tobacco -

Tobacco was first cultivated in the Peruvian and Ecuadorian Andes, from where it spread to the north and south until it covers most of the Americas. After "discovered" by Christopher Columbus, the addictive properties of the plant so that the world was easily conquered, too.

The importance of Columbus among the many navigators and explorers of the Age of Discovery (the two centuries from 1400 to early 10) is such a summary of its profile and achievement is justified here. Born in 1450 in the Republic of Genoa, Italy, Columbus was an Italian explorer, navigator and colonizer. In 1485, he presented his plan to open a route to the west to Asia (and asking the support of the company) at the court of Portugal. After being rejected (in Portugal), he was successively pressures bourgeois of Genoa and Venice, and Henry VII of England with the same request, but was refused by all. He then approached Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, who, through their marriage had united many kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula and were in power together. Finally, after endless petitions and two years of negotiations, he succeeded in January 1492 Ferdinand II would support him.

According to historian Edmund Morgan, Columbus had read a lot about astronomy, geography and history, including the works of Ptolemy, the travels of Marco Polo and Sir John Mandeville, and natural History of Pliny . he knew that the earth was spherical and was convinced he would be able to reach India by sailing west.

His travels have a huge impact on the development of the Western world and led to the first lasting European contact with the Americas. It also resulted in the exploration, conquest and an exchange of goods and products that changed the lives, lifestyles and habits in the Old and the New World. The cultures of that region that were introduced in Europe included corn, potato, tomato, pepper, peppers, cassava, pumpkins, rice, barley, oats, coffee, cocoa, sugar cane, citrus, melons, Kentucky bluegrass and peanuts, while the subsequent waves of settlers brought wheat, radishes, chickpeas, melons, horses, cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and chickens from Europe.

and tobacco was, of course, another product which has traveled from the Americas to Europe.

a patriarchal point of view, the poor chaps addicted to smoking had clearly been seduced. Lads, listen, be it an apple or dried tobacco leaves, always ask first; Why?

tobacco During his first trip, Columbus was offered dried leaves as a gift from the indigenous population. He himself did not take up smoking, but two of his crew members, Rodrigo de Jerez and Luis de Torres, had developed a taste for it after seeing Native Americans farce dried leaves in a pipe and light it. Jerez continued the habit and introduced tobacco in his home town of Ayamonte.

The smoke would have frightened some of its neighbors, leading the Spanish Inquisition imprison him for his use of the "weed of the devil", making Jerez the first victim of the anti-smoking laws and its neighbors the first opposing passive smokers to secondhand smoke. He spent seven years in prison should be released when smoking had become an accepted activity in Spain.

properties The main reason for the growing popularity of tobacco in Europe was its supposed healing. Europeans believed that tobacco could cure almost anything, from bad breath to cancer. In 1571, a Spanish doctor Nicolas Monardes, wrote a book claiming that tobacco could cure 36 health problems. During that time, tobacco was so popular that it was frequently used as money. However, many people have begun to realize that smoking was dangerous side effects. In 1610, Sir Francis Bacon, for example, noted that trying to quit the habit was really difficult.

And gradually more and more scientists have begun to understand the chemicals in tobacco, and hazardous health effects of smoking. During the 1950s, the evidence is surfacing that smoking is linked to lung cancer. The tobacco industry, however, has denied the health risks and the promotion of new products "safer" such as those with less tar and filtered cigarettes.

During the 1980s, smoking has become politically incorrect, and smoking was banned not only in many public places in the United States but also on all domestic flights that last less than two hours. This, you may recall, was the decade of President Ronald Reagan. But in films and television for years, he seemed to have had quite a different opinion about the accuracy, and with hindsight, will regret this announcement.

In Indonesia tobacco was introduced by the Dutch in the mid-19 ^e century. And now, in 2014, smoking is still the growth of industry, there are five or six decades in Europe and the United States, although more and more offices and shopping malls are banning smoking in their premises. Many restaurants, however, are lagging behind and at best have ineffectively smokeless partitioned sections only.

Indonesia has one of the highest smoking rates in the world. According to the World Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS): Indonesia Report 2011, some 67% of adult men and 4.5% of adult women actively smoke. For men is a 24% increase over 1995, and a near tripling of the rate for women -. In 1995 54% of men and 1.7% of women were dependent

No wonder then that the National Social Economy Survey shows that poor households spend 19% of their income on basic foods and 11% on tobacco, but only 2% for education and 3% on health care.

and even more worrying is the rate of smoking increases regularly smoking among children (aged five to nine). that has increased six times since 1995 to 426,000

government revenue from tobacco tax in 2011 was approximately $ 7.6 billion, more than double the figure of 05 in collaboration with millions of jobs in the cultivation and processing of tobacco, which clearly affects government policy on tobacco and smoking, as actively restricting smoking would reduce revenue and increase the number of under and unemployed.

accordingly, the powerful tobacco industry Indonesia may conclude that the US $ 235 million spent on advertising in 2011 was well spent, and look forward with confidence to a few golden years, as a crackdown on the industry's highly unlikely.

Eat, Pray, smiling -

"Ketut Liyer? You mean Ketut Liar?" Is apparently a joke often repeated in Bali, although I met him a couple of Ubud residents who were concerned that healer of Elizabeth Gilbert Eat, Pray, Love was torn western tourists. But competition among healers in Bali (especially Ubud) is omnipresent and reputation remain tarnished. Healing is big business. The Internet is full of concerns about healers and "boundaries" that are traversed or some Balians just are not authentic.

Yet others were quick to defend him, and Ketut's own son announced that Ketut can receive about a thousand people for a grand ceremony as Saraswati Day. You do not become a real Balian USADA (a Balinese traditional healer) without extensive training and dedication - that's because it is believed that given their divine powers may decide to abandon the unclean and there are many rules on how to maintain such purity. Ketut Liyer was so authentic? I was lucky to find a gold nugget at Pondok Pekak Library & Learning Centre of Ubud - an account of the real life of this Balian USADA, Ketut Liyer. On a dusty shelf was a document handwritten by Samantha Eir Camera-Smith (one of the students of Pondok Pekak), written in 1993, thirteen years before cult classic of Elizabeth Gilbert was published .

At this point, I should probably explain that Gilbert's story was a memoir based on his experiences of recovering a divorce experience pleasure (eating) in Italy, being dedicated (pray) in India and find love in Bali where she was on a quest to find a balance between worldly pleasures and spiritual devotion led by Ketut Liyer.

film of the same name 2010 favorite Julia Roberts and James Franco and it was produced by Brad Pitt. Ketut, in the movie, was played by an actor, but in real life Ketut invited Elizabeth to study with him and taught him English. Elizabeth could not determine the age of Ketut, although she discovers that he was born on the medical student Samantha Eir Camera-Smith got a little closer, thinking he was sixty fourteen at the time of his study "a Thursday." - Which means he is aged eighty-five years old this year.

"mysticism found in the magical Balinese spiritual aspects of healing attracted many Westerners at home Ketut Liyer," Samantha continued. A Balian believes that the disease is caused by an unbalanced situation and the first Balian USADA, Budha Kocapi, was given with the knowledge by the Goddess Sarasvati. These wisdoms were broadcast on lontars (manuscripts made of palm leaves, written in Sanskrit Balinese) and Sarasvati must be prayed every day. "If I do not pray for him three times a day, or if I misuse my powers, it shall revoke my knowledge of lontars" said Ketut Samantha. As the ninth generation of healers, Ketut and had an extensive library "lontars over fifty different."

Ketut cleaning usually performed ceremonies, reading palms, create magical paintings and perform the magic love. Believing that everyone had a natural beauty, Ketut said that all he has done to achieve the magical love was to transform energy, "While it is visible to others." He even received letters from people who were married because of the success "magic love".

I'm naturally suspicious. I saw Eat, Pray, Love and I read the book, but I could not shake my preconceptions snobs. So I decided to meet him.

In the waiting room is a dark tourist Düsseldorf. She's been here since eight in the morning. I try to price a little more information about it, but I can not. It is an impenetrable stone and give up, I look at the fish pond for some time. Two Korean tourists slipped inside by a guide who seems a little too familiar with the scene. Finally, the German lady called for a palm reading and I'm surprised - I hear laughter. This skill alone impresses me.

Now it's my turn to find out what everyone is talking - and I see immediately - it is his smile. I am flooded with happiness. We sit for a while and Ketut laughed, then he shows me his ceremonial bell. Before I know beyond a mantra from his mouth and I close my eyes; it is extraordinarily beautiful. I did not ask a single question. This interview was certainly different.

Ketut is a man who, according to Elizabeth, "has never been off the island of Bali in his life. He spent very little time, in fact, off the porch." and you may remember the Ketut response when Elizabeth asked if he would like to visit him in America, resigned after he shakes his head, "Do not have enough teeth to travel on. plane"

And Ketut gave me time - its most valuable resource. Dentists paid for their time; doctors are paid for their time too. I do not understand why the gift healers should be a problem. In fact, as Ketut shared his stories, the guide who brought the two Korean girls looked at me with rolling notes of "come on Julia Roberts' and I felt guilty for taking up everyone's time. But every time I apologized, Ketut excited would say, "Wait a moment," as he read a fragile lontars. The first lot was to cure someone of cetik (poison) that can give a person homicidal urges - the best remedy was burned cow manure wiped his feet - though I can not have understood that correctly. Please do not try this at home.

Even the son of Ketut sacrificed their time for others as he gently rocked a quiet baby, whose mother and father were busy study and work. Later, his son explained that Ketut must purify every morning repeating mantras to 2,000. He worked hard for his happiness and maintenance of this "balance". "The energy he exerts work twelve hours a day, treating people even at the age of ninety-five never ceases to amaze me. The respect I wish for him is leading very quickly my initial skepticism" said Samantha.

I can not disagree, although I am not advocating that thousands of tourists flock to Ubud for a cure. The thing I respect most Ketut was his devotion; it should only things of himself, not others. He worked hard to make one of those rare things; to give the world a smile and actually knowing its value.