indonesia – Posts from the Edge

Mourners carry a red silk banner over their heads as they walk ahead of the coffin at a funeral ceremony in Tana Toraja, Indonesia.

Indonesia, Sulawesi, Tana Toraja

A wild Celebes crested macaque watches me take photos in Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve in northern Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Indonesia, Sulawesi, Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve

A macaque licks an ancient stone statue in Ubud Monkey Forest, Bali.

Indonesia, Bali, Mandala Suci Wenara Wana (Monkey Forest)

A faded photograph looks like a ghost haunting a family tomb in Bori’ Parinding, Tana Toraja, Indonesia.

Indonesia, Tana Toraja, Bori’ Parinding, ghost portrait

Three teenage boys change their dead grandfather’s clothes during a macabre death ritual in the highlands of Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Indonesia, Tana Toraja, ma’nene ritual

Two roosters battle in a remote village in the mountains of southern Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Indonesia, Tana Toraja

A pile of melted audio cassettes in a museum at the foot of Mount Merapi, Indonesia’s most active volcano.

Indonesia, Java, Mount Merapi

A row of human skulls in Bori’ Parinding in Tana Toraja, Indonesia.

Indonesia, Tana Toraja, Bori’ Parinding

A wild Komodo dragon drools and licks the air with its huge forked tongue on the island of Rinca, Indonesia.

Indonesia, Komodo National Park

The corpses of a father and son are exhumed during a death ritual in the highlands of Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Indonesia, Tana Toraja, ma’nene ritual

A young man and his dead grandfather join a video chat in the highlands of Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Indonesia, Tana Toraja, ma’nene ritual

A man in the remote highlands of Sulawesi, Indonesia, moves the skulls of his grandparents from their tomb to a newly built mausoleum near his village.

Indonesia, Tana Toraja, ma’nene ritual

Dancers dressed as a Barong take part in a mesmerising performance in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.

Indonesia, Bali, Ubud

A man removes the body of his dead grandmother from her grave in the highlands of Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Indonesia, Tana Toraja, ma’nene ritual

Cans of Coca-Cola are left as gifts for the dead in a burial site behind Palawa village in Tana Toraja.

Indonesia, Tana Toraja, Palawa village

Behind each of the ragged panels on this ancient tree trunk is the grave of a dead child - a custom in Tana Toraja, Indonesia.

Indonesia, Tana Toraja, Kambira

A pod of dolphins races past our boat as we leave Rinca island in Komodo National Park, Indonesia.

Indonesia, Komodo National Park

Rows of life-sized death effigies or tau-tau stare from manmade holes in a rock face. This is Lemo, Tana Toraja’s most famous burial site.

Indonesia, Tana Toraja, Lemo

A cobra rears up to attack on Komodo island in Komodo National Park, Indonesia.

Indonesia, Komodo National Park

Tau-tau statues in Tana Toraja, Sulawesi, Indonesa.

Indonesia, Tana Toraja, tau-tau statues

A circle of male mourners sways and sings at a funeral ceremony in Tana Toraja, Indonesia.

Indonesia, Sulawesi, Tana Toraja

A pit viper stays perfectly still as I take photos in the Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve in northern Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Indonesia, Sulawesi, Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve

A miner carrying blocks of sulphur climbs from the crater of the Kawah Ijen volcano in Java, Indonesia.

Indonesia, Java, Kawah Ijen volcano

Camp Leakey in Kalimantan (Borneo), Indonesia.

Indonesia, Kalimantan (Borneo), Camp Leakey

Camp Leakey in Kalimantan (Borneo), Indonesia.

Indonesia, Kalimantan (Borneo), Camp Leakey

Summit of Kelimutu, Flores, Indonesia

Indonesia, Flores

Traditional dance in Ubud, the cultural capital of Bali, Indonesia.

Indonesia, Bali, Ubud

The Tomohon Extreme Market, near the city of Manado in Suawesi, Indonesia, is one of the world’s most notorious markets.

Indonesia, Sulwesi, Tomohon Extreme Market

Kalong Island, Komodo National Park, Indonesia

Indonesia, Komodo National Park

Mandala Suci Wenara Wana or Monkey Forest in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.

Indonesia, Bali, Mandala Suci Wenara Wana (Monkey Forest)

A wild Komodo dragon on Rinca, Indonesia.

Indonesia, Komodo National Park, Rinca

Borobudur, Java, Indonesia

Indonesia, Java, Borobudur

Balinese dancer in Ubud, Indonesia.

Indonesia, Bali, Ubud

Kawah Ijen volcano crater in Java, Indonesia

Indonesia, Java, Kawah Ijen volcano crater

A skull in a burial cave in Tana Toraja, Sulawesi, Indonesa.

Indonesia, Tana Toraja, Londa funeral cave

Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve in northern Sulawesi

Indonesia, Sulawesi, Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve