Tradition pulls some to Bali volcano, others refuse to leave

KARANGASEM, Indonesia –  Dire warnings a volcano on the Indonesian tourist island of Bali will erupt have caused tens of thousands to flee, but some who survived its last eruption in 1963 refuse to leave the danger zone while others are pulled into it by the power of tradition.

Gede Bagus Ariksa Sudana and Yesi Fitriani, a young couple planning to legally marry in April next year, spent Sunday at Gede's village, Beluhu, inside the area declared off-limits, for a steeped-in-tradition Hindu wedding ceremony requiring prayers at a family shrine.

Sudana, who is Balinese, came from faraway Kalimantan on the giant island of Borneo, where he's a policeman, and Fitriani came from her hometown of Bandung in Java. They were aware of the risks, said Sudana, but had put their faith in God.

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