The small village of Trunyan in Bali is home to the Bali Aga, the original inhabitants of the island. On the east shore of volcanic Lake Batur in the centre of the island the villagers lay their dead to rest above ground, protected beneath bamboo cages, in a cemetery reachable only by boat. The fragrant scent of the large tree that dominates the cemetery masks the smell as the bodies are reclaimed by the wind. Traditionally only men are allowed to accompany the bodies to their final resting place and after the ceremony is complete they swim back to the village… Once the bodies are reduced to skeletons the bones are collected and stacked up on a stepped altar, and room is made for the next occupants. More information here on WonderfulBali.

Cheers to Barney at FlyDiveSki…

On the way back to shore after a nice dive in North East Bali I came across this Mushroom Coral (Fungia scutaria) and this Blue Starfish (Linckia laevigata) and I immediately had this song pop in to my head:

Thanks to Barney at FlyDiveSki and MSY Seahorse

Source: www.happletea.com

On a site near Anilao, barely minutes in to another beautiful dive when, of the blue, came this rare beast, the Encrusted Water-squirting Shark…