I never expected to come to Bali during long weekend around August 17, 2006. It’s completely a surprise. My aunt passed away on August 11. Quite shocked, that’s what I felt though I believe there’s time for everything including a time for birth and a time for death. I consulted it with my mom, ‘her’, and my boss as well. They all agreed that I ought to come to Denpasar. One thing I also wanted to do was to meet some relatives I had never met at all. Two aunts were two persons I would love to meet. They’re my dad’s older sisters who never come to Jakarta.

So, I booked two airplane tickets for me and my mom and eventually arrived in Monang-maning where my aunt’s family lives. I had decided to make this funeral ceremony as the object of my photos, but I was a bit wrong since I didn’t only become a photographer but also a videographer (my cousin asked me to videotape the ceremony). It’s time to put this valuable and once-a-lifetime moment in photos and video.

My encounter with my aunts was a bit sad, unimaginably being able to meet them for the very first time. I was also a bit surprised to see two nieces coming from Australia, oops their language is a typical language for kids being raised abroad. The blend of English and Indonesian was their daily language.

After the funeral, I spent many days traveling across Bali and also spent one night in Baluran National Park in Banyuwangi.

In short I did enjoy this journey, so memorable and I managed hundreds of photos for the funeral and got a video for it (it’s truly my debut too).