European tourists apologise for peeing on sacred mountain in Indonesia

A European couple are under fire by Indonesian netizens who are not happy that one of them peed on the sacred Mount Bromo in the Tengger mountains in East Java, Indonesia.

According to Coconuts, the pair posted a video on Instagram of their trip to Bromo National Park. In one part of the video, the male tourist is pictured weeing on the peak of the active volcano.

Indonesian netizens say that what they did was offensive to both Hindus and the Tengger tribe, who believe the mountain to be a sacred site.

The couple has since apologised, saying in a video that they “didn’t think”…

“We come from a small country in Europe and are used to being in the mountains. We are always outside and do a lot outdoors. We really did not know what kind of holy temple the Bromo is for the Hindu community.”

“Sadly here in Europe we do not get in touch much with the Hindu culture and have a serious lack of knowledge here.”

The couple didn’t say which country they come from, but apparently they speak German.

The apology has not been accepted by everyone – with netizens arguing that if you are travelling to a country, you ought to do some basic research about their beliefs and customs.

Luckily, the pair have already left Indonesia, so it is unlikely that they will get in trouble with the authorities.

Tourists causing trouble is nothing new in Indonesia. Shortly after cannabis was decriminalised in Thailand in June, a Brazilian student was arrested in Bali for smuggling 9.1 grams of cannabis into Indonesia from Thailand.

The 25 year old student was charged with Article 111 and Article 113 of Indonesian law and is facing at least four years in prison, which would be quite lucky as drug smuggling can land you the death penalty in Indonesia.

In May, a foreign woman in Thailand made headlines when she used a spirit house as a table as Thais around her lit incense and paid their respects to the spirits. Although it could be taken as offensive to Thai culture, most netizens were entertained rather than annoyed at her cultural faux pas.

SOURCE: Coconuts