Dark Tourist (2018–…): Season 1, Episode 6 - South East Asia - full transcript
In Cambodia, David is offered the chance to shoot a cow. Later, he tours Myanmar before witnessing the cleaning of a mummified corpse in Indonesia.
I'm a journalist from New Zealand
investigating dark tourist hot spots
around the world.
This trip, I'm traveling around
South East Asia
visiting places associated
with the mad and macabre.
It's a wild ride.
This is Sisambak.
It's an Indonesian harvest?ritual
supposed to strengthen friendship.
Fucking hell!
I guess we are all officially friends now.
Oh, my God!
But on this trip,
I'm not just the whipping boy.
I'll be visiting the brand new, bizarre,
and empty capital of Myanmar.
But you're never?going to have
enough traffic to block?this?up.
I'll test my moral limits in Cambodia.
You wait here.
And I'll go and get the gun. Okay.
Okay.
And I dig up dead grannys in Indonesia.
- Thank you.
- It's okay, grandma.
My name is David Farrier
and things are about
to take a bloody turn.
My first stop is the kingdom of Cambodia.
Cambodia has a reputation as being
the Wild West of South East Asia.
After decades of war, famine,
political instability, and genocide,
the country is finally starting
to recover,
but it's still incredibly poor,
corrupt, and legally a bit loose.
Most dark tourists come here
to visit the killing fields,
the grisly memorial
of the communist regime
that murdered two million people,
only 40 years?ago.
But I've come here to investigate
an alternative dark tourist industry
that's sprung up.
Because in Cambodia,
you can pay to shoot guns,
even rocket launchers.
But I've heard a rumor
that if you pay enough
they'll also let you shoot live targets:
animals, even cows.
I want to find out if it's true.
You can shoot a lot of guns here,
is that right?
- Yeah, with a rocket launcher...
- I see the rocket launcher on here.
- AK-47.
- Okay.
Yeah, and the machine guns.
As a New Zealander,
where even our cops?don't carry guns,
this is quite mind-blowing,
especially as these guns here
were likely used?during the genocide.
It feels like a lot of tourists
come here for some pretty dark reasons.
It's not like they're coming here to go
to the?beach or something like that.
If you have the money,
you can do every,?everything.
This country, man.?Thank you.
When I looked online,
there were lots of videos
of tourists shooting guns
and rockets launchers.
Ooh!
And there's lots of stories
about shooting animals...
but definitely no real live targets.
I can't find a single photo
or video to prove this happens.
I wonder if it's just a backpacker's
urban myth.
I go down to the local tourist bars
to see if I?can find anyone who might
have actually already done this.
I meet some young Brits.
- It's a crazy place.
- You know how it is. It's mental.
- Cheap alcohol.
- Cheap alcohol, lights all over.
Have you done any
of the other crazy?stuff
that Cambodia's known for?
Like, you can shoot guns here.
- I haven't.
- I've heard you can shoot a chicken.
Yeah, I heard you can shoot a cow.
- Really?
- Probably...
Probably more than a cow. You can
probably kill an elephant, if you want.
What I've been told
is that you can rent a bazooka
and, like, blow up a cow from distance.
But the safe part of it...
is that?no one knows
how to handle a bazooka...
- usually.
- If you don't, what happens to the cow?
Okay, so we've all heard
the same stories, but are they for real?
We decide to go to a shooting range
tomorrow to find out.
Will you fire any guns tomorrow,
do you think?
- I'm willing to.
- I'm well up for it.
I'm... I'm well up for it.
Yep, I'm well up for shooting any gun
that's provided to me.
How about if there's any animals
involved? Would you go there, or no?
If there's a chicken there,
say, you can shoot?that chicken?
I'm willing to try,
but I couldn't tell you if I'd hit it.
Maybe it's the heroic amounts
of booze talking,
but they all seem pretty keen.
But faced with a live animal target,
I wonder if any of us will actually
be able to go through with it.
The next morning, and slightly hungover,
we head for the shooting range designed
for tourists and, crazy as it seems,
run as a side business by the army.
This is a K-50 like Tommy gun.
It's a shotgun.?This is a carbine M1.
- This is a AK-47.
- Cool.
Yeah. This a M-16.
This is a PKM machine gun.
- Are these guns that the military uses?
- Yeah, military.
And where does the money
that we pay go?
- Go to military. This support to military.
- Okay.
You've got a good military?
Not doing anything bad?
Jack, Brett,
and Frazer seem to be really
enjoying this instant macho swagger
in anticipation
of firing off some big guns.
And the potential for a new Tinder photo
is irresistible.
Okay, here is the machine gun.
- Bigger than my finger.
- It's a hundred round.
Good luck.
Okay. Fire.
That's an experience.
Shhhh! Okay.
But now the big question.
I've heard a rumor.
You can shoot?animals,
- if you want to.
- Yeah, you can. Like, chicken or duck.
- Something like pig or cow.
- Cow?
Depend on the customer,
they want to shoot.
So, you can. I could pay to shoot a cow,
if I wanted to.
But no shoot people,
only the cow or chicken.
I feel it's good you've got a limit.
You know, it's like duck,?chicken,
sheep, cow, but people, no.
- People.
- One cow, $400 dollars.
400 dollars to shoot a cow?
We're all joking,
but I am not so sure our?hosts are.
So, I'm going to push them
a bit further just to?see.
- Could I shoot a cow? Could I try that?
- Mm-hmm.
- I've got the money.
- Yeah.
If you want to do it, you can do it.
- With a rocket launcher or a machine gun?
- Rocket launcher or machine gun.
God, so many choices.
I think a machine gun's okay,
if we can do it?here.
The cow's not around here.
The cow may be, like, in front of here.
- We've gotta buy from a farmer.
- Okay, let's get the cow.
All right, good luck.
Oh, gosh,?they're for real.
He's getting a cow.
Which seems outrageous,
but it's happening.
Now that it looks like
it might really be?possible,
I can see that some of my fellow travelers
are not happy.
I don't wanna shoot
when they're allowing that?to happen.
Where you can like pay
to blow up an animal, that's...
- I think, is so disgusting, so...
- It's like a line you won't cross.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
It is different shooting
a target, but the money goes to them...
- Yeah.
- for them to carry on doing this.
Especially, when they've probably
killed people, these guns.
That's pretty bad.
I'm not feeling good about this either,
but I want to know
if the stories are true.
Will they really sell me a cow to shoot?
Essentially,
just funding the military here.
I think he's got a cow.
Oh, yep.
Oop!
Oh, God, they've gotten a cow.
- What about here?
- What about here?
- Okay. Yeah.
- Good place.
You put it where I can shoot it.
You can bring machine gun
through here, as well.
- Okay. You wait here.
- Yeah.
- I'll go get the gun.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
- Okay.
Oh, man, what have I got myself into?
We've got a cow,
if you guys want to come over.
How close do I get?
Just shoot here.
Hold here?
God, that poor cow.
So, it's definitely not a myth.
You really can do this, but I wonder
what kind?of person would?
Does anyone normal really find this fun?
It's just not right.
I'm...
I'm not going to do it.
- I'm not going to do it.
- No?
It's too much.
It's such a beautiful cow, or any cow.
Oh, that's probably the mother.
Imagine if I just shot that cow?
It's like Bambi.
But with cows.
The cow survives one more day!
There's a sense of relief
from everyone, including the Cambodians,
that I didn't shoot the cow.
We can probably untie...
We untie the cow, now!
- Should we let it go?
- Okay, untie.
Release it?
Yeah, I think I will.
I've proven that if you want to,
you can pay to shoot a cow in Cambodia.
Freedom.
I guess sometimes
money can buy almost?anything.
But despite all the bravado,
none of us qualified for this
particular dark tourist badge today.
None of us want to kill a cow
just for fun.
And I'm glad about that
and leave realizing some things
are just too?dark for me.
My next stop is Myanmar,
the country that used to be called?Burma.
It has a dark military past,
but became a democracy in 2015;
and it's only now opening
once closed off areas
to a small number of tourists.
Dark tourists love frontier tourism,
getting in first to see places
that were once closed off from the world.
I want to see the bizarre new future
that this?country has built for itself.
Hi, folks.
When you hear about
something happening in the world
that is so awful,?so violent...
Ten years ago,
Burma was?on everyone's mind
and it hasn't left the news since.
I'm not coming out until Burma is free.
Every celebrity,
from Jennifer Aniston
to Steven Segal to Kim?Kardashian
were campaigning against the brutality
of the?military junta.
I wrote my whole thesis on Burma.
It's a terrible situation over there.
The generals who ran the country
suppressed almost all dissent
and stood accused of human rights abuses.
However, in 2010,
the military transferred power
to a democratic?process.
And in 2015, Myanmar?finally got
its first civilian government.
And for the first time,
Myanmar officially promoted tourism.
So now, Myanmar wants to present
a new face to?the world.
To do this it's built a five billion
dollar capital city, from scratch,
in the middle of absolutely nowhere
and called?it Naypyidaw.
It's quite big.
Despite the new government's efforts
to attract?tourists, no one is here.
It's deathly quiet.
Filming is still monitored
by the government.
So, I'm officially here as a journalist
reporting on tourism.
The next day, I meet the man who will try
to explain this bizarre place,
the very charming Nao Nao.
Is there anything
that's kind of off limits,
?cause obviously this place has been
closed off?for a very long time?
- Mm-hmm.
- And now it's open to the West.
Well, actually it has been opened
a long, long?time ago,
so you mostly can talk about
almost everything.
Okay, what's off bounds?
Well, don't criticize
about the other, like...
like, cruel stuff and other cruel things.
And because the country's opened up,
but the media is not really opened yet.
- So... But it's fine.
- Okay.
We've also been assigned
a government chaperone.
Ni-Ni is a minder from the government
who is?sort of?following us around
while we're here?
And why is she here? Is she sort of here
just to?keep an eye on what we're saying,
or what we're doing, or...
She's actually trying to help us.
So, because we also like
to promote tourism
in our country?to so many area,
but sometimes some people are just
a bit nervous that?they don't realize
who you are, and what we're coming for,
and what type of program?that we're?doing,
or are you coming to visit, or...
So, they just want to make sure to clear
the path, to be smooth, and easy way.
So, she just come and join us to help us.
I'm not sure why filming
our every move helps us,
but it's one of the rules
we had to agree to.
All right. She seems nice.
- And she's good on the GoPro.
- Yeah, she does.
We leave the sanctuary of our hotel
for the trip to the center?of?Naypyidaw,
its Parliament buildings.
Ni-Ni sticks to us like a limpet.
Having a minder filming my every move
seems a pretty strange way
to encourage?tourism.
Perhaps shaking off a paranoia
of outsiders?hasn't come easily.
However, Nao Nao seems unperturbed
and he's?excited about showing off
the sparkly new city to me.
- This is really cool. Yeah.
- This is cool.
- Big open roads.
- Yeah.
This time it looks a bit quiet,
but this is really good
because there's no traffic?jam.
Like in other big cities
you've got to wait for hours...
- I know.
- ...to go a distance of only 2 kilometers.
If this was Los Angeles
we'd be stuck in traffic now.
But we are flowing.
On the way to Parliament,
Nao Nao insists on?taking me?to one
of their unique tourist attractions,
a road.
Eleven, twelve thirteen, fourteen,
fifteen, sixteen, seventeen,
eighteen, nineteen...
Yeah, twenty.
Well...
this is good for the... Parliament...
on a day when they're busy.
So, there will be no traffic jam.
Admittedly, this humongous
twenty-lane highway is pretty impressive.
The rumor is that this road?was
constructed as an emergency runway
for military aircraft.
Like, it is a bit excessive.
Or do you not think it is?
- This is good.
- Honestly, it's a bit much.
- It's a good amount?
- Yeah, it's good.
To show how?important?the Parliament
building is. Well, the army, too.
It's huge.
There's never going to be
a traffic jam on this road.
I can assure you of that.
I mean, have you ever seen
a highway this?big?
- No.
- No?
Watch out!
You're funny.
- You are, too.
- You're a funny guy.
Naypyidaw is literally
in the middle of nowhere,
built in extreme secrecy in 2005.
The place is so empty
because it's almost?entirely ceremonial,
built solely to serve
the gigantic?Parliament buildings.
Most businesses
are in the old capital of?Yangon,
hundreds of miles away,
So, this is Parliament,
these buildings over here?
Looks like a giant palace.
It does, it looks like
a big theme park. This is so over the top.
Are you nervous?
- Nope.
- No? Good.
Almost in.
The Parliament building has been
off limits to?foreign film crews
for a very long time,
but we've granted special access.
- Good morning.
- Good morning.
Once inside, I am swarmed
by a posse of eager?government officials.
This may seem like a lot of guides,
but as I am starting to realize,
in Naypyidaw,
there is a very particular way
of doing things.
He is the one who can take us
to the Upper?House.
- Okay, so you're Upper House.
- Yeah.
They have different section
and different?people.
Will these gentlemen follow us as well?
Will we all go as a group?
- I don't mind.
- There's...
They also have to wait for other visitors,
if there are more visitors.
So, they all have their own duty.
All right, let's go.
Let's go to Parliament.
I'll follow you.
Or you, or you, or you.
So, they're here all day,
waiting for people to?arrive,
making sure they get to the right place.
And host the representatives
and all the?minister
who wanna join
to the regular meeting, as well.
Well, it's a big place,
so you need a?lot of staff, as well.
- Right?
- Yeah.
What way, this way?
- This way.
- This way.
Maybe this is a day
with not many?visitors.
Maybe.
Stop.
But the only thing is you are not,
we are?not allowed to get...
- In. that's fine.
- ...in. Yeah.
Can I walk in without the camera?
To have a look?
- I can walk in?
- Yeah, we can go.
- It's big. There's lots of seats.
- Not like other buildings.
- Not like town hall.
- No.
This is really important
for the whole country.
This is the red line. Okay, no.
You can stay?there.
So, who sits where in here?
Usually, all the representative
of the military?just sit...
So, 25% is military and they sit up here.
25% out of 660.
No constitutional change can happen
unless more?than 75% of MPs approve.
And with the military holding
25% of the seats,
this pretty much means, no changes
can be made unless generals approve it.
Myanmar may officially be a democracy,
but the generals are still
very much in power.
Right, so that's out of respect.
Oh! Okay.
Oh, no filming?
Okay, we can stop. That's fine.
Thanks for bringing us over here.
Okay, thank you.
I hope we're not in trouble for filming.
Is that?okay?
- Yeah.
- Okay.
We're just passing through.
Nao Nao insists on taking me
to his?favorite military display.
It's a lot to take in.
There's a lot going on in the one image.
Got some ancient warriors.
Got some tanks on the ground,
some tanks floating,
some horses galloping in from the side.
Some more horses from the side.
It's striking.
And this gentleman at the top?
- The senior general.
- Yes.
It sums it all up, doesn't it, really?
I'm not sure how to take all of this.
It's hard not to be impressed
with the?earnestness of the place.
And sometimes, its absurdness,
But it does seem like a good moment
to leave the?corridors of power
and hit?the real streets of Naypyidaw.
As we drive the pristine roads,
I'm struck again
by the emptiness of the city.
The only people in sight
are street sweepers and?gardeners.
And Nao Nao tells me
many have moved to the city
to serve the new capital's needs.
They get well paid,
so they're happy to come here.
There's a lot of work to be done.?I mean,
there's a lot of curbside to clean.
Apparently, they earn
three to four dollars a day,
which Nao Nao says is a better wage
than working?in the countryside.
I told Nao Nao
I'd like to meet some of them,
so he's arranged for us to have lunch
at one?couple's home.
Before we go there,
I offered to pay for any?food.
So, my hosts take me shopping
at the local?market.
This is a very different
Naypyidaw. The streets?are bustling,
vibrant, and full of people and shops.
Nao Nao tells me, the paste
on people's faces is thanaka,
a sunscreen made from ground?down bark.
I feel like I'm in
a real functioning city again.
Even Ni-Ni turns off her camera
and finds a bargain.
We go back to their home,
and the head?of the house?starts cooking.
What are you making in there?
Chicken curry.
Let me know if I can help with anything.
It smells good.
- Yeah.
- It smells really good.
I think this is better
than our hotel chicken.
It's good. It's good.
The 21st century luxuries of our?hotel
and Parliament seem a world away.
And Ni-Ni and Nao Nao
seem at home, too.
They say this is the first time
visitors just?come and...
Oh, really? Well, thank you!
On this trip I've learned
frontier tourism often means
what you see and hear
is managed by authorities.
But when you look behind the curtain
or got a little off track,
you can find a?different,
less manicured world.
Naypyidaw is a bizarre
and seemingly soulless city.
But away from the pristine empty highways,
I found warm and wonderfully kind people,
who make an amazing chicken curry.
I just had to look a little deeper.
After the futuristic theme park
of Naypyidaw,
I head for Toraja,
in the rainforests of?Indonesia
Toraja is the zenith for a dark tourist.
The Torajans practice
some of the most?elaborate
and unusual?funeral rituals in the world.
I've heard they even resurrect their dead,
years after they die.
This just sounds so extreme,
I want to see it for?myself.
But getting there is not easy.
Toraja is extremely remote.
It's an eight-hour overnight bus ride
followed by a two-hour drive through
winding mountain roads to the village.
Other intrepid dark tourists come here,
but this?week I'm the only one.
I'm here to meet Andarias.
He's a local who's agreed
to be my interpreter
and to explain
what's going on around here.
Hey, David. Are you doing okay?
I'm slightly nervous,
because he says he's going to take me
to see?Yusef,
a local villager who's been dead
for quite some?time.
Andarias suggested I should bring
some snacks and treats for the ceremony.
- I tried to get a variety.
- Okay.
These will be fantastic.
So, this gentleman is one of the...
the oldest sons... of the person.
- It's nice to meet you.
- Yeah.
He would like to introduce you to;
we call it?the sick person.
- The sick person. Okay.
- So, let's check it out.
- Do you want to lead the way?
- I will.
- Mind your head.
- Yop!
It's quite dark, isn't it?
- It's busy in here, packed.
- Yeah. It is.
- And so here he is.
- Yeah.
You can say hello.
Thanks for letting me come and say hello.
It's nice to see you.
- I bought these for you.
- Yes.
Cigarettes, old favorites, yeah?
- Urban Mild.
- This is Urban Mild?
I've got another pack of cigarettes
because you like to smoke, so two packets.
- These are favorites of mine, Oreos.
- Oh, Oreo!
Yeah, these are good.
Everyone likes Oreos, yeah.
Yum.
These are a bit plain,
they're plain biscuits as well.
Coconut biscuits.
Here's a real treat, some nuts.
There's a lot of them.
They'll last for a while.
What did she say?
Well, we can also share that too.
You're gonna share some?
Okay, I'm sure?he'll share with you.
In my world, Yusef is dead,
but,, here, the locals
refer to it as "resting".
- How long's he been resting for?
- Coming November, will be two years.
Two-year rest. That's a good rest.
It's a good long rest.
This is very different
to any funeral I've?attended.
For starters,?the body is two years old.
I sort of expect him to smell,
but I'm told he's?embalmed in tree sap.
And it's all very jolly.
You make sure you give him first chance
to have?these before you take them, okay?
I'll be watching, all right?
Good, I'm just checking.
I've got my eyes on you.
You still got his glasses on.
It's important
'cause he needs to see.
Yusef's two-year rest finally
comes to an end as?his casket is closed.
The funeral rituals
will continue for six days
before his body is finally entombed.
Torajans traditionally believe
that death is not?a sudden
and abrupt event,
but a gradual process
towards the afterlife...
known as Puya,?land of the souls.
The next stage of the funeral ritual
is a buffalo fight.
Bizarrely, the buffaloes are dressed up
in mad?party hats
and spray painted
with their fighting names.
They always try to select
the best buffalo,
not only in size,
but also the buffalo?that can?fight.
That have the best fighting personality.
Okay.
- Like that one.
- Oh, God.
You have to be careful.
So, how to escape?if they?run this way...
- If they start moving, we start moving.
- Yeah.
- Are you a quick runner?
- Oh, I am.
- That's a winner.
- Winner.
- Nabire is the winner.
- Nabire.
The buffalo fight is over.
And the ceremonial sacrifice begins.
- He's nervous.
- You can see it!
- But this has to be done for...
- Oh, yes.
- Ma'nene to start.
- That's right.
Family members from all over
have gathered in the village
to pay their?respects
and take part
in a massive sacrifice and feast.
- God.
- Ready.
It's hard to watch,
but it's an important part
of the Torajan funeral.
Andarias explains to me
that the last breath
of?the first sacrificial buffalo
marks the official death
of the sick person.
The number of animals killed
determines the speed
at which Yusef's soul?will travel
from the village to the afterlife.
Families spend huge amounts
buying buffalo for?the festival.
Andarias tells me
that this was just one
of 50?buffalo killed
as part of this ceremony.
I'm glad I didn't have to see all
of them?slaughtered, to be honest.
David, do you want to also chop it up?
- To do the buffalo...
- Oh, no. It's too much.
Andarias seems completely unfazed
by the?bloodbath,
and tells me it's only just beginning.
As a thank you gesture to the village
for letting me attend the funeral,
I followed advice and donated a pig.
Okay, let's go and tie up the pig.
- Yeah, come.
- Isn't that a really peaceful looking pig?
I hadn't thought much about it
at the time,
but now I realize I am partly responsible
for what's about to happen next.
Oh, God.
I feel bad for the pig.
Do you feel a bit bad for the pig?
You know, you have to understand.
This is...
- This is our culture, so...
- Yeah.
I know, I mean, I eat pig,
but I just?don't have to see it, you know?
It's like they're sort of realizing
what's going?to happen.
You know, pigs are very clever animal.
I mean, I know we gifted a pig.
- Yeah. Hello.
- Oh, hello.
Oh, he's coming to tell us
that they are going
to slaughter the pig now.
- They're going to kill the pig now?
- Are you okay, David?
Yeah, okay. Well, we'll...
Yeah, which one?
- All of them. Yeah.
- All of them?
- Now?
- Yes.
Oh, no. I'd naively thought
it was just my pig.
Who's gonna do the killing?
Does everyone swarm?in at once?
Yeah, one by one,
but sometimes they do it at?once.
Oh, he just poked it in the side.
That's hardly?slow.
Jeez, that's brutal.
And as we all watch on,
he literally shanks?them.
- I'm feeling queasy.
- You okay?
- It's pretty hard to watch.
- Yeah.
It's gruesome,
but this is just the reality here.
Oh, fucking hell.
It's so rough.
But the Torajans
have always?done it this way,
and as their guest,
I don't feel it's my place to criticize.
I don't think
I could get used to it. Ever.
- No? Okay.
- I think I've seen enough.
This is intense.
But really, what did I expect?
A peaceful day at the petting zoo?
- Hey. You all right?
- I'm all right.
Just thought I'd get away
from the squealing.
Yeah, well, he's happy.
Can we let this one go?
- That one?
- Yeah, maybe untie him.
Let them free?
Would that go down well?
- Would we get chased out of the village?
- Everybody's watching.
- So, there's no way to do.
- Yeah, okay.
Everywhere there's, like, bits of animal.
And, like, people and other animals
eating them.
It's just a different way of looking
at death, I?suppose, to what I'm used to.
It's all out in the open here, you know?
Until I came here, I'd never even seen
a dead?body before.
Okay.
So, that's even quite weird for me,
I think.
I mean, how many dead bodies
have you seen?
- Me? Many.
- Yeah.
- How many? Like, two?
- No, hundreds.
Hundreds?
You see,?I've just seen one now.
I'm gonna go vegetarian.
Actuals.
I realize my urbanized life in the West
has become sanitized
from the realities?of life.
I eat meat.
Maybe I should be reminded
where it comes from,
every now and then.
Finally, all the pigs have been killed.
Now it's time for the chanting
and singing?part of the ritual.
Part of it is, like, a story of
the person who died?when he's alive.
- It's like a celebration.
- Yeah.
- I feel too tall.
- Yeah.
- I feel too tall for the circle.
- You have to be shorter.
Thank you.
- You light it later.
- Yeah, all right.
I try to hum along,
but my mind keeps replaying
all those pigs being?shanked.
How long does it go on for?
- Hours. Yeah.
- Hours?
- Literally hours? Amazing.
- Yeah.
Have a sit down, please,
and we'll have a break.
- A little break?
- Is it okay?
Finally, after all these rituals,
Yusef is ready to leave home
and be taken to his final resting place.
All of us, the entire village,
friends and all the relatives,
we all set out on our way
to the ancestral?tombs,
where another ceremony is taking place.
It's called Ma'nene,
which is the ceremony of cleaning?corpses.
It happens once a year,
and it's a time to show their love
and respect?for their ancestors.
This will eventually happen to?Yusef.
But now we are visiting Grandma.
She's been in this tomb for 17 years,
and it's time for her spring clean.
Oh, there she is.
Once uncovered, she's dusted off, groomed,
and wrapped in new clothes.
It's a thorough
and also very tender process.
Are they just kind of airing her out?
- Freshening things up?
- Yeah.
People seem so casual and relaxed
looking at a?mummified corpse.
I have?seen so much death on?this trip,
but I realize I'm the only one
who thinks this?is strange.
Granny's up.
See that? Granny's standing.
If you want to give some money,
you can give it to her. Like, you know...
- You know, offerings.
- I don't have any money on me.
The one time I need money.
You wanna...
I can give you the money.
- If you want.
- Okay. I'll borrow a few.
Put it there.
That's for the betel nut.
- Thank you.
- It's okay, grandma.
- I'll pay you back.
- No worries, mate.
It's quite unusual getting so...
I sort of?touched her.
Is that okay?
I'm not that into it.
I just didn't want any arms
to fall off or?anything.
Hey, you know, you got lucky.
Everyone's taking photos.
- Sorry?
- They're taking photos.
It's such an odd mix of ancient ritual
and new technology.
Where are all these photos going?
Facebook, I suppose.
I've never seen a dead body
like this?before.
And she'll just be put back in
until next year?
Yes.
I came here wondering if people
really do dig?up their dead relatives.
And they do.
But in this place
it seems totally natural.
Death seems to be very in the open,
whether it's pigs dying,
or chickens, or buffalo.
You know, getting dead people out again.
You know, it's not hidden away?
No. So, it's always... We say,
life is always the mixture
between laughs and?sadness.
I kind of agree.
Death here among the?Torajans,
it's violent and macabre,
but it's also vibrant and poignant.
I feel like I've seen
more dead things the last couple of days
than I have my entire?life.
I definitely have.
Okay, so...
do you mean you would like
to come back again to?see more?
What? No, I think I was...
In the West we fear death,
but here they celebrate it
as a normal part of?life.
Maybe this is why dark tourism
is becoming?popular.
People want to challenge
their fears and?preconceptions
by coming to extraordinary places
like this.
I'll never think of death
in the same way again.
Subtitle translation by:
investigating dark tourist hot spots
around the world.
This trip, I'm traveling around
South East Asia
visiting places associated
with the mad and macabre.
It's a wild ride.
This is Sisambak.
It's an Indonesian harvest?ritual
supposed to strengthen friendship.
Fucking hell!
I guess we are all officially friends now.
Oh, my God!
But on this trip,
I'm not just the whipping boy.
I'll be visiting the brand new, bizarre,
and empty capital of Myanmar.
But you're never?going to have
enough traffic to block?this?up.
I'll test my moral limits in Cambodia.
You wait here.
And I'll go and get the gun. Okay.
Okay.
And I dig up dead grannys in Indonesia.
- Thank you.
- It's okay, grandma.
My name is David Farrier
and things are about
to take a bloody turn.
My first stop is the kingdom of Cambodia.
Cambodia has a reputation as being
the Wild West of South East Asia.
After decades of war, famine,
political instability, and genocide,
the country is finally starting
to recover,
but it's still incredibly poor,
corrupt, and legally a bit loose.
Most dark tourists come here
to visit the killing fields,
the grisly memorial
of the communist regime
that murdered two million people,
only 40 years?ago.
But I've come here to investigate
an alternative dark tourist industry
that's sprung up.
Because in Cambodia,
you can pay to shoot guns,
even rocket launchers.
But I've heard a rumor
that if you pay enough
they'll also let you shoot live targets:
animals, even cows.
I want to find out if it's true.
You can shoot a lot of guns here,
is that right?
- Yeah, with a rocket launcher...
- I see the rocket launcher on here.
- AK-47.
- Okay.
Yeah, and the machine guns.
As a New Zealander,
where even our cops?don't carry guns,
this is quite mind-blowing,
especially as these guns here
were likely used?during the genocide.
It feels like a lot of tourists
come here for some pretty dark reasons.
It's not like they're coming here to go
to the?beach or something like that.
If you have the money,
you can do every,?everything.
This country, man.?Thank you.
When I looked online,
there were lots of videos
of tourists shooting guns
and rockets launchers.
Ooh!
And there's lots of stories
about shooting animals...
but definitely no real live targets.
I can't find a single photo
or video to prove this happens.
I wonder if it's just a backpacker's
urban myth.
I go down to the local tourist bars
to see if I?can find anyone who might
have actually already done this.
I meet some young Brits.
- It's a crazy place.
- You know how it is. It's mental.
- Cheap alcohol.
- Cheap alcohol, lights all over.
Have you done any
of the other crazy?stuff
that Cambodia's known for?
Like, you can shoot guns here.
- I haven't.
- I've heard you can shoot a chicken.
Yeah, I heard you can shoot a cow.
- Really?
- Probably...
Probably more than a cow. You can
probably kill an elephant, if you want.
What I've been told
is that you can rent a bazooka
and, like, blow up a cow from distance.
But the safe part of it...
is that?no one knows
how to handle a bazooka...
- usually.
- If you don't, what happens to the cow?
Okay, so we've all heard
the same stories, but are they for real?
We decide to go to a shooting range
tomorrow to find out.
Will you fire any guns tomorrow,
do you think?
- I'm willing to.
- I'm well up for it.
I'm... I'm well up for it.
Yep, I'm well up for shooting any gun
that's provided to me.
How about if there's any animals
involved? Would you go there, or no?
If there's a chicken there,
say, you can shoot?that chicken?
I'm willing to try,
but I couldn't tell you if I'd hit it.
Maybe it's the heroic amounts
of booze talking,
but they all seem pretty keen.
But faced with a live animal target,
I wonder if any of us will actually
be able to go through with it.
The next morning, and slightly hungover,
we head for the shooting range designed
for tourists and, crazy as it seems,
run as a side business by the army.
This is a K-50 like Tommy gun.
It's a shotgun.?This is a carbine M1.
- This is a AK-47.
- Cool.
Yeah. This a M-16.
This is a PKM machine gun.
- Are these guns that the military uses?
- Yeah, military.
And where does the money
that we pay go?
- Go to military. This support to military.
- Okay.
You've got a good military?
Not doing anything bad?
Jack, Brett,
and Frazer seem to be really
enjoying this instant macho swagger
in anticipation
of firing off some big guns.
And the potential for a new Tinder photo
is irresistible.
Okay, here is the machine gun.
- Bigger than my finger.
- It's a hundred round.
Good luck.
Okay. Fire.
That's an experience.
Shhhh! Okay.
But now the big question.
I've heard a rumor.
You can shoot?animals,
- if you want to.
- Yeah, you can. Like, chicken or duck.
- Something like pig or cow.
- Cow?
Depend on the customer,
they want to shoot.
So, you can. I could pay to shoot a cow,
if I wanted to.
But no shoot people,
only the cow or chicken.
I feel it's good you've got a limit.
You know, it's like duck,?chicken,
sheep, cow, but people, no.
- People.
- One cow, $400 dollars.
400 dollars to shoot a cow?
We're all joking,
but I am not so sure our?hosts are.
So, I'm going to push them
a bit further just to?see.
- Could I shoot a cow? Could I try that?
- Mm-hmm.
- I've got the money.
- Yeah.
If you want to do it, you can do it.
- With a rocket launcher or a machine gun?
- Rocket launcher or machine gun.
God, so many choices.
I think a machine gun's okay,
if we can do it?here.
The cow's not around here.
The cow may be, like, in front of here.
- We've gotta buy from a farmer.
- Okay, let's get the cow.
All right, good luck.
Oh, gosh,?they're for real.
He's getting a cow.
Which seems outrageous,
but it's happening.
Now that it looks like
it might really be?possible,
I can see that some of my fellow travelers
are not happy.
I don't wanna shoot
when they're allowing that?to happen.
Where you can like pay
to blow up an animal, that's...
- I think, is so disgusting, so...
- It's like a line you won't cross.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
It is different shooting
a target, but the money goes to them...
- Yeah.
- for them to carry on doing this.
Especially, when they've probably
killed people, these guns.
That's pretty bad.
I'm not feeling good about this either,
but I want to know
if the stories are true.
Will they really sell me a cow to shoot?
Essentially,
just funding the military here.
I think he's got a cow.
Oh, yep.
Oop!
Oh, God, they've gotten a cow.
- What about here?
- What about here?
- Okay. Yeah.
- Good place.
You put it where I can shoot it.
You can bring machine gun
through here, as well.
- Okay. You wait here.
- Yeah.
- I'll go get the gun.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
- Okay.
Oh, man, what have I got myself into?
We've got a cow,
if you guys want to come over.
How close do I get?
Just shoot here.
Hold here?
God, that poor cow.
So, it's definitely not a myth.
You really can do this, but I wonder
what kind?of person would?
Does anyone normal really find this fun?
It's just not right.
I'm...
I'm not going to do it.
- I'm not going to do it.
- No?
It's too much.
It's such a beautiful cow, or any cow.
Oh, that's probably the mother.
Imagine if I just shot that cow?
It's like Bambi.
But with cows.
The cow survives one more day!
There's a sense of relief
from everyone, including the Cambodians,
that I didn't shoot the cow.
We can probably untie...
We untie the cow, now!
- Should we let it go?
- Okay, untie.
Release it?
Yeah, I think I will.
I've proven that if you want to,
you can pay to shoot a cow in Cambodia.
Freedom.
I guess sometimes
money can buy almost?anything.
But despite all the bravado,
none of us qualified for this
particular dark tourist badge today.
None of us want to kill a cow
just for fun.
And I'm glad about that
and leave realizing some things
are just too?dark for me.
My next stop is Myanmar,
the country that used to be called?Burma.
It has a dark military past,
but became a democracy in 2015;
and it's only now opening
once closed off areas
to a small number of tourists.
Dark tourists love frontier tourism,
getting in first to see places
that were once closed off from the world.
I want to see the bizarre new future
that this?country has built for itself.
Hi, folks.
When you hear about
something happening in the world
that is so awful,?so violent...
Ten years ago,
Burma was?on everyone's mind
and it hasn't left the news since.
I'm not coming out until Burma is free.
Every celebrity,
from Jennifer Aniston
to Steven Segal to Kim?Kardashian
were campaigning against the brutality
of the?military junta.
I wrote my whole thesis on Burma.
It's a terrible situation over there.
The generals who ran the country
suppressed almost all dissent
and stood accused of human rights abuses.
However, in 2010,
the military transferred power
to a democratic?process.
And in 2015, Myanmar?finally got
its first civilian government.
And for the first time,
Myanmar officially promoted tourism.
So now, Myanmar wants to present
a new face to?the world.
To do this it's built a five billion
dollar capital city, from scratch,
in the middle of absolutely nowhere
and called?it Naypyidaw.
It's quite big.
Despite the new government's efforts
to attract?tourists, no one is here.
It's deathly quiet.
Filming is still monitored
by the government.
So, I'm officially here as a journalist
reporting on tourism.
The next day, I meet the man who will try
to explain this bizarre place,
the very charming Nao Nao.
Is there anything
that's kind of off limits,
?cause obviously this place has been
closed off?for a very long time?
- Mm-hmm.
- And now it's open to the West.
Well, actually it has been opened
a long, long?time ago,
so you mostly can talk about
almost everything.
Okay, what's off bounds?
Well, don't criticize
about the other, like...
like, cruel stuff and other cruel things.
And because the country's opened up,
but the media is not really opened yet.
- So... But it's fine.
- Okay.
We've also been assigned
a government chaperone.
Ni-Ni is a minder from the government
who is?sort of?following us around
while we're here?
And why is she here? Is she sort of here
just to?keep an eye on what we're saying,
or what we're doing, or...
She's actually trying to help us.
So, because we also like
to promote tourism
in our country?to so many area,
but sometimes some people are just
a bit nervous that?they don't realize
who you are, and what we're coming for,
and what type of program?that we're?doing,
or are you coming to visit, or...
So, they just want to make sure to clear
the path, to be smooth, and easy way.
So, she just come and join us to help us.
I'm not sure why filming
our every move helps us,
but it's one of the rules
we had to agree to.
All right. She seems nice.
- And she's good on the GoPro.
- Yeah, she does.
We leave the sanctuary of our hotel
for the trip to the center?of?Naypyidaw,
its Parliament buildings.
Ni-Ni sticks to us like a limpet.
Having a minder filming my every move
seems a pretty strange way
to encourage?tourism.
Perhaps shaking off a paranoia
of outsiders?hasn't come easily.
However, Nao Nao seems unperturbed
and he's?excited about showing off
the sparkly new city to me.
- This is really cool. Yeah.
- This is cool.
- Big open roads.
- Yeah.
This time it looks a bit quiet,
but this is really good
because there's no traffic?jam.
Like in other big cities
you've got to wait for hours...
- I know.
- ...to go a distance of only 2 kilometers.
If this was Los Angeles
we'd be stuck in traffic now.
But we are flowing.
On the way to Parliament,
Nao Nao insists on?taking me?to one
of their unique tourist attractions,
a road.
Eleven, twelve thirteen, fourteen,
fifteen, sixteen, seventeen,
eighteen, nineteen...
Yeah, twenty.
Well...
this is good for the... Parliament...
on a day when they're busy.
So, there will be no traffic jam.
Admittedly, this humongous
twenty-lane highway is pretty impressive.
The rumor is that this road?was
constructed as an emergency runway
for military aircraft.
Like, it is a bit excessive.
Or do you not think it is?
- This is good.
- Honestly, it's a bit much.
- It's a good amount?
- Yeah, it's good.
To show how?important?the Parliament
building is. Well, the army, too.
It's huge.
There's never going to be
a traffic jam on this road.
I can assure you of that.
I mean, have you ever seen
a highway this?big?
- No.
- No?
Watch out!
You're funny.
- You are, too.
- You're a funny guy.
Naypyidaw is literally
in the middle of nowhere,
built in extreme secrecy in 2005.
The place is so empty
because it's almost?entirely ceremonial,
built solely to serve
the gigantic?Parliament buildings.
Most businesses
are in the old capital of?Yangon,
hundreds of miles away,
So, this is Parliament,
these buildings over here?
Looks like a giant palace.
It does, it looks like
a big theme park. This is so over the top.
Are you nervous?
- Nope.
- No? Good.
Almost in.
The Parliament building has been
off limits to?foreign film crews
for a very long time,
but we've granted special access.
- Good morning.
- Good morning.
Once inside, I am swarmed
by a posse of eager?government officials.
This may seem like a lot of guides,
but as I am starting to realize,
in Naypyidaw,
there is a very particular way
of doing things.
He is the one who can take us
to the Upper?House.
- Okay, so you're Upper House.
- Yeah.
They have different section
and different?people.
Will these gentlemen follow us as well?
Will we all go as a group?
- I don't mind.
- There's...
They also have to wait for other visitors,
if there are more visitors.
So, they all have their own duty.
All right, let's go.
Let's go to Parliament.
I'll follow you.
Or you, or you, or you.
So, they're here all day,
waiting for people to?arrive,
making sure they get to the right place.
And host the representatives
and all the?minister
who wanna join
to the regular meeting, as well.
Well, it's a big place,
so you need a?lot of staff, as well.
- Right?
- Yeah.
What way, this way?
- This way.
- This way.
Maybe this is a day
with not many?visitors.
Maybe.
Stop.
But the only thing is you are not,
we are?not allowed to get...
- In. that's fine.
- ...in. Yeah.
Can I walk in without the camera?
To have a look?
- I can walk in?
- Yeah, we can go.
- It's big. There's lots of seats.
- Not like other buildings.
- Not like town hall.
- No.
This is really important
for the whole country.
This is the red line. Okay, no.
You can stay?there.
So, who sits where in here?
Usually, all the representative
of the military?just sit...
So, 25% is military and they sit up here.
25% out of 660.
No constitutional change can happen
unless more?than 75% of MPs approve.
And with the military holding
25% of the seats,
this pretty much means, no changes
can be made unless generals approve it.
Myanmar may officially be a democracy,
but the generals are still
very much in power.
Right, so that's out of respect.
Oh! Okay.
Oh, no filming?
Okay, we can stop. That's fine.
Thanks for bringing us over here.
Okay, thank you.
I hope we're not in trouble for filming.
Is that?okay?
- Yeah.
- Okay.
We're just passing through.
Nao Nao insists on taking me
to his?favorite military display.
It's a lot to take in.
There's a lot going on in the one image.
Got some ancient warriors.
Got some tanks on the ground,
some tanks floating,
some horses galloping in from the side.
Some more horses from the side.
It's striking.
And this gentleman at the top?
- The senior general.
- Yes.
It sums it all up, doesn't it, really?
I'm not sure how to take all of this.
It's hard not to be impressed
with the?earnestness of the place.
And sometimes, its absurdness,
But it does seem like a good moment
to leave the?corridors of power
and hit?the real streets of Naypyidaw.
As we drive the pristine roads,
I'm struck again
by the emptiness of the city.
The only people in sight
are street sweepers and?gardeners.
And Nao Nao tells me
many have moved to the city
to serve the new capital's needs.
They get well paid,
so they're happy to come here.
There's a lot of work to be done.?I mean,
there's a lot of curbside to clean.
Apparently, they earn
three to four dollars a day,
which Nao Nao says is a better wage
than working?in the countryside.
I told Nao Nao
I'd like to meet some of them,
so he's arranged for us to have lunch
at one?couple's home.
Before we go there,
I offered to pay for any?food.
So, my hosts take me shopping
at the local?market.
This is a very different
Naypyidaw. The streets?are bustling,
vibrant, and full of people and shops.
Nao Nao tells me, the paste
on people's faces is thanaka,
a sunscreen made from ground?down bark.
I feel like I'm in
a real functioning city again.
Even Ni-Ni turns off her camera
and finds a bargain.
We go back to their home,
and the head?of the house?starts cooking.
What are you making in there?
Chicken curry.
Let me know if I can help with anything.
It smells good.
- Yeah.
- It smells really good.
I think this is better
than our hotel chicken.
It's good. It's good.
The 21st century luxuries of our?hotel
and Parliament seem a world away.
And Ni-Ni and Nao Nao
seem at home, too.
They say this is the first time
visitors just?come and...
Oh, really? Well, thank you!
On this trip I've learned
frontier tourism often means
what you see and hear
is managed by authorities.
But when you look behind the curtain
or got a little off track,
you can find a?different,
less manicured world.
Naypyidaw is a bizarre
and seemingly soulless city.
But away from the pristine empty highways,
I found warm and wonderfully kind people,
who make an amazing chicken curry.
I just had to look a little deeper.
After the futuristic theme park
of Naypyidaw,
I head for Toraja,
in the rainforests of?Indonesia
Toraja is the zenith for a dark tourist.
The Torajans practice
some of the most?elaborate
and unusual?funeral rituals in the world.
I've heard they even resurrect their dead,
years after they die.
This just sounds so extreme,
I want to see it for?myself.
But getting there is not easy.
Toraja is extremely remote.
It's an eight-hour overnight bus ride
followed by a two-hour drive through
winding mountain roads to the village.
Other intrepid dark tourists come here,
but this?week I'm the only one.
I'm here to meet Andarias.
He's a local who's agreed
to be my interpreter
and to explain
what's going on around here.
Hey, David. Are you doing okay?
I'm slightly nervous,
because he says he's going to take me
to see?Yusef,
a local villager who's been dead
for quite some?time.
Andarias suggested I should bring
some snacks and treats for the ceremony.
- I tried to get a variety.
- Okay.
These will be fantastic.
So, this gentleman is one of the...
the oldest sons... of the person.
- It's nice to meet you.
- Yeah.
He would like to introduce you to;
we call it?the sick person.
- The sick person. Okay.
- So, let's check it out.
- Do you want to lead the way?
- I will.
- Mind your head.
- Yop!
It's quite dark, isn't it?
- It's busy in here, packed.
- Yeah. It is.
- And so here he is.
- Yeah.
You can say hello.
Thanks for letting me come and say hello.
It's nice to see you.
- I bought these for you.
- Yes.
Cigarettes, old favorites, yeah?
- Urban Mild.
- This is Urban Mild?
I've got another pack of cigarettes
because you like to smoke, so two packets.
- These are favorites of mine, Oreos.
- Oh, Oreo!
Yeah, these are good.
Everyone likes Oreos, yeah.
Yum.
These are a bit plain,
they're plain biscuits as well.
Coconut biscuits.
Here's a real treat, some nuts.
There's a lot of them.
They'll last for a while.
What did she say?
Well, we can also share that too.
You're gonna share some?
Okay, I'm sure?he'll share with you.
In my world, Yusef is dead,
but,, here, the locals
refer to it as "resting".
- How long's he been resting for?
- Coming November, will be two years.
Two-year rest. That's a good rest.
It's a good long rest.
This is very different
to any funeral I've?attended.
For starters,?the body is two years old.
I sort of expect him to smell,
but I'm told he's?embalmed in tree sap.
And it's all very jolly.
You make sure you give him first chance
to have?these before you take them, okay?
I'll be watching, all right?
Good, I'm just checking.
I've got my eyes on you.
You still got his glasses on.
It's important
'cause he needs to see.
Yusef's two-year rest finally
comes to an end as?his casket is closed.
The funeral rituals
will continue for six days
before his body is finally entombed.
Torajans traditionally believe
that death is not?a sudden
and abrupt event,
but a gradual process
towards the afterlife...
known as Puya,?land of the souls.
The next stage of the funeral ritual
is a buffalo fight.
Bizarrely, the buffaloes are dressed up
in mad?party hats
and spray painted
with their fighting names.
They always try to select
the best buffalo,
not only in size,
but also the buffalo?that can?fight.
That have the best fighting personality.
Okay.
- Like that one.
- Oh, God.
You have to be careful.
So, how to escape?if they?run this way...
- If they start moving, we start moving.
- Yeah.
- Are you a quick runner?
- Oh, I am.
- That's a winner.
- Winner.
- Nabire is the winner.
- Nabire.
The buffalo fight is over.
And the ceremonial sacrifice begins.
- He's nervous.
- You can see it!
- But this has to be done for...
- Oh, yes.
- Ma'nene to start.
- That's right.
Family members from all over
have gathered in the village
to pay their?respects
and take part
in a massive sacrifice and feast.
- God.
- Ready.
It's hard to watch,
but it's an important part
of the Torajan funeral.
Andarias explains to me
that the last breath
of?the first sacrificial buffalo
marks the official death
of the sick person.
The number of animals killed
determines the speed
at which Yusef's soul?will travel
from the village to the afterlife.
Families spend huge amounts
buying buffalo for?the festival.
Andarias tells me
that this was just one
of 50?buffalo killed
as part of this ceremony.
I'm glad I didn't have to see all
of them?slaughtered, to be honest.
David, do you want to also chop it up?
- To do the buffalo...
- Oh, no. It's too much.
Andarias seems completely unfazed
by the?bloodbath,
and tells me it's only just beginning.
As a thank you gesture to the village
for letting me attend the funeral,
I followed advice and donated a pig.
Okay, let's go and tie up the pig.
- Yeah, come.
- Isn't that a really peaceful looking pig?
I hadn't thought much about it
at the time,
but now I realize I am partly responsible
for what's about to happen next.
Oh, God.
I feel bad for the pig.
Do you feel a bit bad for the pig?
You know, you have to understand.
This is...
- This is our culture, so...
- Yeah.
I know, I mean, I eat pig,
but I just?don't have to see it, you know?
It's like they're sort of realizing
what's going?to happen.
You know, pigs are very clever animal.
I mean, I know we gifted a pig.
- Yeah. Hello.
- Oh, hello.
Oh, he's coming to tell us
that they are going
to slaughter the pig now.
- They're going to kill the pig now?
- Are you okay, David?
Yeah, okay. Well, we'll...
Yeah, which one?
- All of them. Yeah.
- All of them?
- Now?
- Yes.
Oh, no. I'd naively thought
it was just my pig.
Who's gonna do the killing?
Does everyone swarm?in at once?
Yeah, one by one,
but sometimes they do it at?once.
Oh, he just poked it in the side.
That's hardly?slow.
Jeez, that's brutal.
And as we all watch on,
he literally shanks?them.
- I'm feeling queasy.
- You okay?
- It's pretty hard to watch.
- Yeah.
It's gruesome,
but this is just the reality here.
Oh, fucking hell.
It's so rough.
But the Torajans
have always?done it this way,
and as their guest,
I don't feel it's my place to criticize.
I don't think
I could get used to it. Ever.
- No? Okay.
- I think I've seen enough.
This is intense.
But really, what did I expect?
A peaceful day at the petting zoo?
- Hey. You all right?
- I'm all right.
Just thought I'd get away
from the squealing.
Yeah, well, he's happy.
Can we let this one go?
- That one?
- Yeah, maybe untie him.
Let them free?
Would that go down well?
- Would we get chased out of the village?
- Everybody's watching.
- So, there's no way to do.
- Yeah, okay.
Everywhere there's, like, bits of animal.
And, like, people and other animals
eating them.
It's just a different way of looking
at death, I?suppose, to what I'm used to.
It's all out in the open here, you know?
Until I came here, I'd never even seen
a dead?body before.
Okay.
So, that's even quite weird for me,
I think.
I mean, how many dead bodies
have you seen?
- Me? Many.
- Yeah.
- How many? Like, two?
- No, hundreds.
Hundreds?
You see,?I've just seen one now.
I'm gonna go vegetarian.
Actuals.
I realize my urbanized life in the West
has become sanitized
from the realities?of life.
I eat meat.
Maybe I should be reminded
where it comes from,
every now and then.
Finally, all the pigs have been killed.
Now it's time for the chanting
and singing?part of the ritual.
Part of it is, like, a story of
the person who died?when he's alive.
- It's like a celebration.
- Yeah.
- I feel too tall.
- Yeah.
- I feel too tall for the circle.
- You have to be shorter.
Thank you.
- You light it later.
- Yeah, all right.
I try to hum along,
but my mind keeps replaying
all those pigs being?shanked.
How long does it go on for?
- Hours. Yeah.
- Hours?
- Literally hours? Amazing.
- Yeah.
Have a sit down, please,
and we'll have a break.
- A little break?
- Is it okay?
Finally, after all these rituals,
Yusef is ready to leave home
and be taken to his final resting place.
All of us, the entire village,
friends and all the relatives,
we all set out on our way
to the ancestral?tombs,
where another ceremony is taking place.
It's called Ma'nene,
which is the ceremony of cleaning?corpses.
It happens once a year,
and it's a time to show their love
and respect?for their ancestors.
This will eventually happen to?Yusef.
But now we are visiting Grandma.
She's been in this tomb for 17 years,
and it's time for her spring clean.
Oh, there she is.
Once uncovered, she's dusted off, groomed,
and wrapped in new clothes.
It's a thorough
and also very tender process.
Are they just kind of airing her out?
- Freshening things up?
- Yeah.
People seem so casual and relaxed
looking at a?mummified corpse.
I have?seen so much death on?this trip,
but I realize I'm the only one
who thinks this?is strange.
Granny's up.
See that? Granny's standing.
If you want to give some money,
you can give it to her. Like, you know...
- You know, offerings.
- I don't have any money on me.
The one time I need money.
You wanna...
I can give you the money.
- If you want.
- Okay. I'll borrow a few.
Put it there.
That's for the betel nut.
- Thank you.
- It's okay, grandma.
- I'll pay you back.
- No worries, mate.
It's quite unusual getting so...
I sort of?touched her.
Is that okay?
I'm not that into it.
I just didn't want any arms
to fall off or?anything.
Hey, you know, you got lucky.
Everyone's taking photos.
- Sorry?
- They're taking photos.
It's such an odd mix of ancient ritual
and new technology.
Where are all these photos going?
Facebook, I suppose.
I've never seen a dead body
like this?before.
And she'll just be put back in
until next year?
Yes.
I came here wondering if people
really do dig?up their dead relatives.
And they do.
But in this place
it seems totally natural.
Death seems to be very in the open,
whether it's pigs dying,
or chickens, or buffalo.
You know, getting dead people out again.
You know, it's not hidden away?
No. So, it's always... We say,
life is always the mixture
between laughs and?sadness.
I kind of agree.
Death here among the?Torajans,
it's violent and macabre,
but it's also vibrant and poignant.
I feel like I've seen
more dead things the last couple of days
than I have my entire?life.
I definitely have.
Okay, so...
do you mean you would like
to come back again to?see more?
What? No, I think I was...
In the West we fear death,
but here they celebrate it
as a normal part of?life.
Maybe this is why dark tourism
is becoming?popular.
People want to challenge
their fears and?preconceptions
by coming to extraordinary places
like this.
I'll never think of death
in the same way again.
Subtitle translation by: