Let\’s Visit Asia

Happy Halloween!

by Ruth on October 31st, 2005

Halloween, I believe is still a largely western festivity, but it’s slowly finding its way to Asian cultures as well. As this is the 31st of October, let me set the Halloween mood by featuring this scary (presumably) true-to-life story featured at the Korean newspaper, Digital Chonsunibo:

…Last January, aboard a flight from Sydney to Incheon, a 36 year old housewife who suffered from depression hanged herself in one of the bathrooms at the rear of the plane. The crew quickly discovered the body and did everything they could to avoid any commotion or disturbance among the other passengers.

But two months later, when the same aircraft touched down in Washington D.C., the smoke detector in that bathroom went off. Crew went to check but found no one there. Some of the crew recalled the suicide two months earlier and were scared stiff. Another two months on the crew was assigned to the same plane once again, and they decided to bring some soju — traditional Korean liquor — and sprinkle it in the bathroom to appease the vengeful spirit.

But that did not end the haunting of the aircraft. One first class crewmember describes his extraordinary experience. “On a long-haul flight, a Buddhist monk and I were the only two in first class. Late at night, long after all the lights were out and things started to quiet down, the monk kept muttering and just couldn’t get to sleep. I asked him why he kept chanting sutras, and he told me there were dead people sitting in each of the empty seats. Then he continued chanting.”

Still not enough? Read the rest here. And bear in mind, it’s supposedly a real story, not fiction. Am dying (pun unintented) to know which airline this was.

Trick-or-Treat?

Hat Tip: AnnaBanana

Share This

Related Stories

Halloween Begins at the Hong Kong DisneylandHalloween, Ghost Festival and All Soul’s DayHappy Mothers’ Day

POSTED IN: Culture Shock: Asia