Normally I like to include a moderate number of images in my post to supplement my story, just as I did a month ago when I wrote about my visit to Highgate Cemetery in London. During that visit, I took tonnes of photos because it was so beautiful there, and I still have a lot of unused content. I know it sounds weird, as you don't normally associate beauty with death, particularly for Asians. Death is still very much a taboo subject, you don't visit cemeteries unless it's the 'visiting ancestors' grave days'. And to turn cemeteries into a tourist attraction is definitely not on the cards, that would probably make my gran turn in her grave!!
I'm fortunate to grow up in both the east and west, and have learnt to see things from both sides. What may be unacceptable in one culture could be perfectly acceptable to another. Death being one of them, and Highgate Cemetery being a perfect example. Normally when I go to visit my granma's grave in Hong Kong, it still gives me a little creepy feeling even though her grave is in the open with lots of space around her. Unlike the majority of the dead in Hong Kong who are crammed in a small slot in a crematorium. Her's by Hong Kong standards is a luxury. Another word that you don't normally associate with death.
In fact my granma's grave is probably more spacious than many of the residents at Highgate, and dare I say better kept as well. However, gran's grave lacks the style seen here. The intricate stonework, the disorganised mish mash, the blend of nature that continues to grow against the headstones for those who have long been dead. All this makes Highgate Cemetery such a fascinating place to visit.
I hope you don't mind the cemetery image overload today. I don't do it often, but unlike the dead, they don't deserve to be buried in my computer forever.