In Reply to: leaving aust with ashes posted by sonyal123 on Thursday, 21. April 2005 at 18:48 Bali Time:
in 1998 and had no problems at all with customs. We literally rolled into the airport with the Urn all taped up and told them what it was and off we went. I can actually imagine that in 1998, 20 people walking through Bali airport with red eyes, half pissed off a plane from Melbourne and an Urn probably wouldn't look too suss but nowadays, even after my experience, I would certainly be getting letterheads from the Funeral Director and what not. Its probably wise to somehow prove what it is, I guess 7 years ago we never really thought about it.
As far as scattering the ashes, its not disrespectful as long as its done within reason ie. water/Kintamani. We hired 2 boats which were organised by the hotel so they knew a couple weeks in advance and we went out the back of the hotel beach in Sanur, tipped some Bintangs in the water, Steve's ashes and then followed that by the dried rose petals off his coffin from back home. It really was a beautiful ceromony and every year when I sit on that beach, I smile, I laugh and I cry. He is happy there, it was his paradise and still is now. Mind you we did keep half of his ashes back home so he's a bit here and a bit there!