The group visits a sacred area on the Bagmati River where bodies are cremated every day. Everyone is also invited to watch this ritual up close. Heaney even put it on his bucket list. “Because I think this ritual is very beautiful. I think birth is a celebration, but in the end you die and that should also be a beautiful thing. This bad thing we have with the cheap coffin and then that horrible dry cake and coffee afterwards.” . It should also be celebrated.”

The closer they got to the sacred area, the more difficult it became for Estavanna. “Don’t you think it smells bad?” Ask the gentlemen. “For the people at home: It smells bad in here. If you see that I’m having difficulty seeing, this smell is not normal.” It doesn’t take long before Estavanna is up a storm, coughing and vomiting. He added, “It’s really a very strong smell. People in the Netherlands: You don’t want to know. (…) And then you have to make sure there is a body.”

At the same time, Estavana is disappointed that she can no longer stay with the ritual: “Do you know what double is? This is also a culture, but it smells very intense. You try to respect that, but it is intense.” “.

Meanwhile, the men watch the fires with admiration. They found it special that everyone was welcomed into the ritual. “Usually you’ll feel like a voyeur,” Heaney says. “But that’s not the case here,” the ad adds. “I also think people are supposed to look at it. It’s public for a reason. It feels like it’s part of everyday life. Death is also part of everyday life,” Frits adds.

Gentlemen are impressed that the Nepalese population thinks of dying in this way. “Of course, there are also cultures where they cry over the coffins and cry over there and throw themselves on the coffin. That’s completely different here. That’s very beautiful,” says Edwin.

Afterwards, Fritz, Ad, Edwin and Henny return to Estavana. There the presenter explains to them that she cannot stand for a second longer. “Then you stand there and it occurs to you that someone is lying there. Then you stand there and you look like a tourist. This smell goes through your marrow and your bones. Then you see the families. You see them walking…”

Click here To watch the episode again.