The Balinese have a series of funerals when a loved one passes away. The final funeral is a joyous musical procession followed by a cremation which allows the soul to rise up to heaven along with her most precious possessions. The boys (but not Rebecca) were invited to take part in the celebration. The music is played almost painfully loud and joyously.


The body has been placed into an elaborate tower (at the rear) and led to the cremation park. The women carry earthly possessions that they will give to the departed person to take up to heaven when her soul rises up in the smoke of the cremation.


Money and other items that the person will need in her afterlife are placed onto the body


The body is set on fire and the ashes float up to heaven. The funeral pyre is in the shape of a bull which will carry the soul up to heaven.


As the body burns, there is continuos music. Here Ari and Max take part in the band.



On June 12, we left the island of Bali to travel to a tiny island off the coast of Lombok, which is a larger island to the east. While the Balinese people are mostly Hindu, the people of Lombok are mostly Muslim. After taking the ferry to Lombok, we boarded a small motor boat to get to Gili Trawagan, an island encompassed by a soft white beach and ringed by an incredible coral reef. The boat took us close to the beach, but we had to wade through the water to get to land and our bungalow hotel. This amazing island has no cars, no motorcycles or motorbikes, and no police. The 200 people who live on the island seem to be guided by their elders who maintain the peace. In this picture, you can see the only mode of transportation (besides bicycles) on land - the pony and buggy taxi. Every time we took a pony taxi, called a cedomo, Ari or Max took over the reigns.


These are some of the local children on Gili Island. When Lee handed the cute girl with a smile a pen as a thank you present, the mother told Lee that she didn't go to school yet and didn't need a pen, but her two brothers did. (Lee gave them both pens too).


On our last day in Bali, we went to a parade with the local people. We had great seats on the curb.


The men in Bali frequently portray women (as they are doing in this parade). They are the opposite of "macho".


Our entire route through Bali during May and June 2000.