Only two on-location episodes Bourdain’s CNN series remain.

It’s impossible to watch without thinking of the natural disaster. In September, an earthquake and tsunami devastated the country, killing more than 1,200 people. But despite the scenery, this is still a heavy hour of television, filled with disconcerting moments, such as footage of cremation, and references made by Bourdain that are haunting now that he is deceased. The culinary scene is diverse and takes influences from many different cultures, and the food on screen looks delicious. The capital city of Jakarta is bustling, and Bali is a tourist destination offering resorts, picturesque beaches, and historic temples. The episode as a whole fits into this concept. There is always some good and some evil, some heaven and some hell, and there is never a singular triumph of one side over the other. This art depicts the conflict between good and evil, heaven and hell, and it, too, is not so black-and-white in its message. Shadow-play puppetry, a cornerstone of Indonesian culture, is prevalent throughout the episode. Death begins a new journey in the afterlife, and one day, the soul will be reborn in a new body. Instead these believers view the end of time on earth as a mere transition. On this week’s episode of Parts Unknown, the third of the show’s 12th and final season, late host Anthony Bourdain visits Indonesia, the fourth-largest country on Earth.īourdain meets spiritual people who have a much different view of death than many Westerners.

Parts unknown