Cremation in Chiang Mai for myself

[elgordo38]

I am now 76 and looking at planning for my eventual demise and not leave it in the hands of my loving g/f soooo any recommendations on crematoriums here in the city that do a good job are reasonably priced (have heard some horror stories on this) I just want something simple maybe a few words by a monk. I do not want a 3 day party. Do not wish to sound gruesome but do they have a tendency here to not completely burn the body. Do they leave big bones in the aftermath? Do they provide urn service. 

 

Thanks

[96tehtarp]

When my MIL moved on to the great yonder 60 liters of diesel fuel and a donation at the wat of our choosing covered it. We also did the 7 day party and the band and the works.

 

We were given a small ornamental urn. The monks at the wat know how to deal with any leftovers, tooth fillings, prosthetic joints etc. They deal with this on an almost daily basis.

 

I've never heard of a commercial crematorium in Thailand. Every temple I have seen has a crematorium attached to it in a nearby building. Look for the ornamental smokestack.

 

Seriously, talk to an abbot at the wat of your choosing. Also if you are not married and have no next of kin in Thailand you may want to check with your embassy's consular section to find out what paperwork is required to have your wishes carried out without getting foreign ministries involved.

 

There have also been some topics here on TV regarding "Living Wills" which you might find interesting.

 

I hope your day is still a long way off.

Edited August 13, 2014 by 96tehtarp

[h90]

3 day party....Never seen such a short one. 7-14 days often. But people bring something, donate and at least these I have seen alcohol had to be bought.

So I think it isn't as expensive as it seems....let them have a good party....anyway you don't need the money anymore.

[harrry]

If you live in Chiangmai you can also consider getting buried in the foreigner's cemetatary.

 

On re-reading that I should add after you die.

[Jip99]

I think that whatever you want may be largely irrelevant. It will depend on your GF (and maybe pressure from the family) to "do it right" - that is their right not your right.

 

'dressing' the ashes/bones afterwards is quite fun and it is deemed lucky if someone finds a tooth as they scramble  amongst the charred remains.

 

 

If you are English make sure you marry your GF first so she can obtain UK bereavement benefits.

[Cuddlycat]

Had you ever considered donation your body for studies? I did it a decade ago with Thai Red Cross Society.

Here is details: http://www.redcross.or.th/old/english/donation/self_donation.php


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[northernjohn]

Had you ever considered donation your body for studies? I did it a decade ago with Thai Red Cross Society.

Here is details: http://www.redcross.or.th/old/english/donation/self_donation.php


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

 

Seems as that is a Bangkok Hospital. Did not see any thing about to old. Is there an upper age.

 

When I go it is immaterial to me. I am trying to convince the wife to just throw my body in the Ping. Not going to happen. the funeral and all is for them so I am not pushing to hard. Besides I might out live her. Said case what ever it cost it will be paid as it is her family that will be doing the arranging.

 

I have told her not to waste to much money on the services as she will need it to continue living on. I really don't expect her at her age to go out and get a job. I have made arrangements for some invested money back home to come to her that should do her if she doesn't go crazy with it.

[beau thai]

Had you ever considered donation your body for studies? I did it a decade ago with Thai Red Cross Society.

Here is details: http://www.redcross.or.th/old/english/donation/self_donation.php


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

 

You can go to the Body Donation Room at Chiang Mai Uni Hospital and become a card carrying member for free- and they are very grateful. The doctor explained to us how important it is for medical students to have a real body to practise on, even if it is old and tired. They treat the bodies very reverently and say prayers etc before they get the knives out if that is important to you
 

[Beetlejuice]

Down my way I have sadly been to many cremations of some of the locals over the years and I can only describe the whole cremation process that they choose as gross.

 

They place the body in a decorated coffin and the coffin is placed inside a sort of decorated high structure that is plonked into the back of a pick up truck.

 

Once at the cremation ground that is undistinguishable from a local authority rubbish tip, litter, plastic bottles, old food wrappers and overgrown weeds all over the place, the structure and the coffin are placed on a piece of concrete ground. On the ground there is loads of ashes laying everywhere, probably remnants left over from previous cremations. While the monks are conducting their service and chants, some locals start piling old motorbike and car tyres, bits of wood, newspapers and any crap that will burn onto the structure. Once the monks are done, the locals then pour petrol onto the decorated structure and set the whole caboodle ablaze. Black stinking smoke bellowing out everywhere and even before it all becomes dust to dust, ashes to ashes, most of the so-called mourners have gone home.

 

I have pleaded with my family that when i die, whatever happens, please, please do not let me go out in such an undignified fashion like out. I told my wife that if she does that to me, I will come back and haunt her.

 

Definitely worthwhile taking the wife and making inquires with the monks, explaining what standard of funeral you expect if in the event of your death and getting this all sorted before it`s too late.

Edited August 13, 2014 by Beetlejuice

[CMX]

Hate the thought that I'd contribute so much to global warming.  Always preferred the thought that being fertilizer would be more romantic, but then, helping to educate medical students would be contributing too - but how do they dispose of the various parts later?? 

 

Anybody (so to speak) know?

[Dante99]

A lot of bad information posted already.

 

Several and possibly more of the city crematoriums are electric now, no wood, no gasoline.  There is not one at every temple.

 

If the body is donated to the CMU medical school, they take good care, pick up the body after services, keep parts together, and after finished arrange a cremation for you, letting family know when where and accommodating their wishes or letting the family manage it if they prefer.

[daoyai]

Just had a friend cremated at wat Pa Phaeng in CM...  cost 3500 baht,  4 monks chanted 10 minutes,  100 baht each.  coffin bought at hospital 1500.  tranportation of body and coffin from hospital 200.   Bone remnants were rather large. 

Edited August 13, 2014 by daoyai

[beau thai]

Down my way I have sadly been to many cremations of some of the locals over the years and I can only describe the whole cremation process that they choose as gross.

 

They place the body in a decorated coffin and the coffin is placed inside a sort of decorated high structure that is plonked into the back of a pick up truck.

 

Once at the cremation ground that is undistinguishable from a local authority rubbish tip, litter, plastic bottles, old food wrappers and overgrown weeds all over the place, the structure and the coffin are placed on a piece of concrete ground. On the ground there is loads of ashes laying everywhere, probably remnants left over from previous cremations. While the monks are conducting their service and chants, some locals start piling old motorbike and car tyres, bits of wood, newspapers and any crap that will burn onto the structure. Once the monks are done, the locals then pour petrol onto the decorated structure and set the whole caboodle ablaze. Black stinking smoke bellowing out everywhere and even before it all becomes dust to dust, ashes to ashes, most of the so-called mourners have gone home.

 

I have pleaded with my family that when i die, whatever happens, please, please do not let me go out in such an undignified fashion like out. I told my wife that if she does that to me, I will come back and haunt her.

 

Definitely worthwhile taking the wife and making inquires with the monks, explaining what standard of funeral you expect if in the event of your death and getting this all sorted before it`s too late.

 

I know what you mean, but for me, this beats the commercialism in the UK. 

 

At the Crem , you get a 30 minute slot, so when your 'party' arrives, the 'party' from the previous slot is just leaving, and not in a happy state as you can imagine. You then watch your proceedings, say a couple of prayers, listen to a  brief eulogy, watch the coffin slide through the curtains on the conveyor, (very final) and depart, to co-mingle with the 'party' for the next slot. It's just a job-done deal, and not cheap - not that that matters. Shelling peas comes to mind. And in my mother's case, they had managed to send the flowers top the wrong funeral so she had a bare coffin, not that she would have cared, but we did.

 

I cant find the words to describe it really but all pretty undignified.

 

I prefer Thai style, fireworks et al.

 

 

[northernjohn]

Down my way I have sadly been to many cremations of some of the locals over the years and I can only describe the whole cremation process that they choose as gross.

 

They place the body in a decorated coffin and the coffin is placed inside a sort of decorated high structure that is plonked into the back of a pick up truck.

 

Once at the cremation ground that is undistinguishable from a local authority rubbish tip, litter, plastic bottles, old food wrappers and overgrown weeds all over the place, the structure and the coffin are placed on a piece of concrete ground. On the ground there is loads of ashes laying everywhere, probably remnants left over from previous cremations. While the monks are conducting their service and chants, some locals start piling old motorbike and car tyres, bits of wood, newspapers and any crap that will burn onto the structure. Once the monks are done, the locals then pour petrol onto the decorated structure and set the whole caboodle ablaze. Black stinking smoke bellowing out everywhere and even before it all becomes dust to dust, ashes to ashes, most of the so-called mourners have gone home.

 

I have pleaded with my family that when i die, whatever happens, please, please do not let me go out in such an undignified fashion like out. I told my wife that if she does that to me, I will come back and haunt her.

 

Definitely worthwhile taking the wife and making inquires with the monks, explaining what standard of funeral you expect if in the event of your death and getting this all sorted before it`s too late.

 

The only one I witnessed was about a three day ceremony. I attended two of the one hour services and wound up being given some silly thing to give to one of the Monks sitting on the side. We then had a procession over to the crematorium and I saw nothing BJ described. We had a brief ceremony there and then every one left and the Monks took over.

I have no idea of what happened after we left. Maybe a ghoul or some body stuck around but the ceremony was over and as far as I could see every one had left.

[northernjohn]

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A lot of bad information posted already.

 

Several and possibly more of the city crematoriums are electric now, no wood, no gasoline.  There is not one at every temple.

 

If the body is donated to the CMU medical school, they take good care, pick up the body after services, keep parts together, and after finished arrange a cremation for you, letting family know when where and accommodating their wishes or letting the family manage it if they prefer.

 

Thank you for a well informed post.

[Sparkles]

Just had a friend cremated at wat Pa Phaeng in CM...  cost 3500 baht,  4 monks chanted 10 minutes,  100 baht each.  coffin bought at hospital 1500.  tranportation of body and coffin from hospital 200.   Bone remnants were rather large. 

Well for those of us that are likely to fall off the perch shortly this is indeed quite depressing news. Bone remnants rather large. Whenever I have seen an urn its been quite small,does that cost extra ? I think that any large remnants remaining would be quite depressing for family members.

 

I seem to remember a while ago a discussion about McCormick Hospital providing such a service but I could well be wrong

[DaamNaam]

Donation to CMU sounds like the post with the most amount of common sense.

Great idea.

Just dust or worm food otherwise, a waste.

[daoyai]

 

Just had a friend cremated at wat Pa Phaeng in CM...  cost 3500 baht,  4 monks chanted 10 minutes,  100 baht each.  coffin bought at hospital 1500.  tranportation of body and coffin from hospital 200.   Bone remnants were rather large. 

Well for those of us that are likely to fall off the perch shortly this is indeed quite depressing news. Bone remnants rather large. Whenever I have seen an urn its been quite small,does that cost extra ? I think that any large remnants remaining would be quite depressing for family members.

 

I seem to remember a while ago a discussion about McCormick Hospital providing such a service but I could well be wrong

 

 Most likely they can do, if you wanted longer burn or post cremation bone crushing, they crushed my friends bones, no way they could fit in the little terra cotta pot they provided, we just took them in a white cloth, for a nature return.

Edited August 14, 2014 by daoyai