Off we go to South East Asia: 50 burning bodies. A mass cremation in Bali.

This is the vehicle that will transport the remains of a brahmin-class person to nirvana in a cloud of volatile inorganic compounds.

We were lucky enough while we were in Bali to be close by a village that had a mass cremation. This may not sound like lucky to us, but these are relatively infrequent events, and the Hindu belief in reincarnation means that death is not a particularly fearsome event - tiresome, more like it, as it means the departed is likely to have to take another turn on that wheel, with their performance in the most recently past life determining how the next one is to begin.

When a person dies in Bali, they are buried in the cremation grounds and marked with a headstone and possibly a small tree while their remains await cremation. Depending on the size and general wealth of the village, cremations are held only every few years (3 to 5 years is common, depending on the factors above). When the auspicious date for a cremation is determined by the responsible brahmin, based on the incredibly complex Balinese Hindu calendar, the preparations begin. For the deceased of the Brahmin caste, large figurines resembling bulls are built, while for the subordinate castes, lions or elaborate caskets are the appropriate vehicles for conveying their spirits to nirvana. The figurines are 7 or 8 feet in height, made of a wooden frame over which a papier mache skin is built, which in turn is covered in velour fake fur and decorated extensively with gold braid, rhinestones and other costume jewels.

On the day in question, the remains of all the deceased are exhumed, in whatever state they may be, placed with great ceremony and many offerings in the figurines, and then torched. Often, to benefit from the economy of scale, the remains of related persons are placed in one figurine and burnt together. A man in the crowd pointed out the figurine in which his father and two brothers-in-law were to travel to heaven together.

The remains are all paraded to the creation ground with great fanfare on small biers carried by men, each one with a few live chickens attached (chickens are believed to safeguard the remains, while they are buried, from malificent spirits in the woods) and accompanied by gamelan music and columns of women bearing bounteous offerings in beautifully woven baskets. The chickens survive the ceremony, by the way. The brahmin guides the families through the appropriate observations in preparing the remains for cremation en masse, using a PA system to give instruction. The cremations begin once everything is prepared, starting with the brahmin caste remains at one end of the grounds and proceeding across the grounds, and the castes, as the burners, equipped with huge gas torches, help the pyres get started and then ensure that the burning is fully completed. While a pyre burns, members of the family line up and brave the flames to toss small offerings.

The mood, while not particularly sombre, is not overly festive either. It is something that the whole family comes together to do in order to ensure that the deceased are properly sent off. Off course, when the whole family gathers, they need to be fed, so it is an occasion for bonding and fellowship, and the mass nature of the cremations brings the whole village together. Like every other holy celebration in Bali, there is a significant expense involved to ensure that it is done properly, so again it is a way of sharing those expenses.

The final step in the process, once the fires have cooled, is to gather the ashes and take them to the sea. Considering the amount of land area on the island that is taken up by temples of various sorts, it is little wonder that they cannot devote any to permanent graveyards.

Most of the bulls were black.

Families waiting to add their offerings before the fire starts. We like how brightly dressed everyone is! No dark depressing clothes for these people.

Everyone is taking pictures and our fellow tourists were as welcomed as we were, even the person on the right of the shot with the crazy footwear

Father and son wearing the traditional udong headdress.

It was a flurry of activity for many hours

More remains being carried ceremoniously through the streets leading up to the cemetery.

Families having fun with Liz despite the nature of the gathering.

A most colorful procession

Bakso Ayam ( chicken ball soup) anyone? Hey, a guys gotta eat right, Chris?

Waiting on the side of the road and just watching the action

Spot the tourists?

Drumming and music. This is a serious sendoff to the next life.

Our new Canadian friends Chris, Nancy and their kids Aran and Eva.

Chicken feet soup.

We loved this knife set so much we couldn't resist getting one to bring home

They say you can't take it with you, but no one ever said that it could not be sent with you in Bali.

Our new friends are also travelling for a year with their two kids. These are our kinda people.

The fire is lit and stays lit with the aid of a propane torch.

We are shocked that all these fires didn't burn down the whole jungle.

It felt like being in a war zone. The potential for more death was very high but the unsafe nature of the whole event seemed to be lost on all attending except us.