Sulawesi Surprise: Wreaths, Crosses and Skeletons

In our itinerary, we were supposed to visit Londa, one of the accessible cliff graves in Tana Toraja. Here, many local nobles were buried. One would expect to see a large balcony filled with tau tau here; and skeletons and old coffins too in caves which you could get to enter with the help of young village guides armed with kerosene lamps. And here we were, in this village that I initially thought was Londa- We were walking on without a guide, up the path of a limestone hill to little unspectacular bright caves. Nevertheless, there were tau taus to be seen, and somewhere along the way, there were old coffins too , some wreaths here and some crosses there. The coffins looked old and moldy and some were so old that the seams were giving way to reveal the skeletons and skulls inside. The wreaths suggested that perhaps there was a death not too long ago and the crosses most probably meant that the dead were Christians. Wreaths, crosses, and skeletons...would you by any chance, love to have them for your holidays? 30


Wreaths, crosses, skeletons and skulls...Can you spot them?










Traveling Tip: Get ready for the unexpected!

Comments

Thomas C B Chua said…
footiam, this is another spooky one. Luckily you visited them in broad day light. It is like my experience in a haunted house at the fair in my youth. Sometimes, the air also stinks at such places, was it ???
Thomas C B Chua said…
Footiam, btw, the last photo, is that the aged coffin ? I saw several skulls spilled out !!I Eeeeeeeeek. Such place should be visited at night with a dim torch light then your adrenalin could race through your system !
footiam said…
The place does not stink at all. It is just like going hiking - only that you get to see coffins and skeletons too; not just nature. The last photo is a coffin and no, I don't think I like the idea of going there at night; afraid of stumbling into one of the coffins! Anyway, if you go, I may go. You jump, I jump!