+ This awesome day started as early as 1.40 AM when we had to wake to get ready before being picked up. Yes, you heard well, at the time you normally were going to bed we were already awake and ready for the action. At 3.30AM we were having a comforting breakfast before starting the climb to the Volcano Batur. the 2 hours climb would lead us to the top of montain located in the middle of the island were we were to contemplate one of the most amazing sunrises in earth! To be there on time to have to start early and it was as dark and spuky as in the Blair Witch Project movie.
+ You may finally see Kenny in the pictures!! :)
+ The Batur, with a height of 1717m is the most active volcano in Bali. Its last eruption was in the seventies and about 400 people were killed. The crater continues to emanate some hot steam that you can use to boil eggs, a good ingredient for your second breakfast of the day :)
+ Up there it is really cold. There are plenty of macacoes monkies to play with. You can also see the black lava from the last explosion.
+ Back at our guesthouse, as early as 10AM, we enjoy a cool and refreshing bath in the swimming pool before heading to a small village where they are to celebrate one of the most special ceremonies in Bali: A cremation. This is quite weird and somehow difficult to explain. The folks don´t incinerate the bodies straight away after the death but they wait until the have many corps so they can hold a multitudinary ceremony. The one we attended would incinerate as much as 25 bodies. Some of them had been kept as long as 5 years!! (but we don´t really know how they preserve the bodies until the ceremony).
+ During the ceremony, the relatives bring offers to their loved ones, who are stored in metallic/carton animals (either cows or dragons). They turn around the bodies 3 times and then put plenty of staff inside the animal. For instance, oils, blankets, cloth, food, handcraft, etc. The offers are done one after the other, as soon as all are done.... they start to burn. You would think that it may stink to burned flesh but actually it didn't so we still didn´t realize the enigma of the dead bodies.
+ After the shocking experience, we returned to our village through the rice fields to attend the last of the events of the Fire Day. We went to a tradition theater/dance show from Bali. It is called something like "the Fire dance" and it performs classical Hindu stories of love, Gods and fights. It is really special how about 100 men sign non-stop to make the background music while others dance.
+ At the end of the show, the dude kicks and walks over burning coconuts and wood with his bare feets. That must hurt!! Check out his black feet in the photo below:
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