I'm a sucker for ancient temples. Wandering through meticulously-built halls and getting lost in stony corridors, is a great way to get a glimpse into civilisations long gone. In 2019, I went down the rabbit hole. A smiling woman beckoned gently - pointing towards a dark stone doorway - where a Buddhist nun was burning incense and gave us a blessing.
Buddhist blessing
Along ancient roads, this 200-year old teahouse makes a great place to stop for a rest. Smoke gently rises from the open fire, where a kettle is being heated. Sunbeams radiate through the ceiling and light up the seating area. It all adds to the old world charm of the place, making it feel like an anomaly in time.
Hindu mourning rituals honor the life and memory of the deceased. This family holds a memorial ceremony one year after the father's passing, while on the other river bank, funeral rites take place. Cremation is a way to reduce the body back to the prime elements: earth, water, fire, air and space. These expressions of grief in full view are a sobering reminder of the cycle of life.
Memorial ceremony for the departed soul
Some tribes purposely choose to live isolated. They live as they have for centuries - in simple thatch huts and living entirely off the land. They allow contact with outsiders and sell crops in town as a necessary means to preserve their way of life. It seems like a thin line, but they got it working without losing their stronge sense of community.
Preserving traditions
The infamous Kawah Ijen miners walk up and down the vulcano two to three times a day to harvest sulfur. Ijen is one of the only places left in the world where people - despite hazardous conditions - mine sulphur this way. Hordes of tourists nowadays come to see the turquoise crater lake. Maybe tourists are the new ore to be mined to get true socio-economic growth?
Sulfer miners: 2014 vs 2024
On the southern slopes of Pentecost island men perform an ancient land diving ritual. They are the original “bungee” jumpers. With only vines wrapped around their feet they jump from towers built from branches. The silence of the fall is suddenly abrupted by a short snapping sound of the vines, after which the whole tower vibrates absorbing the forces of the fall. A head scratching moment to witness.
Silence of the fall
GALLERY
