122 Funeral in a Volcano

Final Mile to Temple

The waiter at Hotel Lake View told us that the chanting coming from the strange procession was that of a funeral. We can’t verify that but it was a sight to behold. Young guys with a casket on their shoulders had made their way across the Caldera from their village and up the steep hill. We ran to the village for a better view. I felt a pang of sentimentality thinking of the way these people were showing their respect.

I wondered if I could muster enough friends and relatives to make such a final journey. Like so many of our traditions, we sugar coat funerals back home.