This story is so long that I have decided to split it into two parts. This first part will be the set-up and the physical transformation, while the second part will be the mental transformation. I will update this page when part two is out, so if you are reading this, it isn’t!
Oliver had always loved to travel, and since he graduated, that was all he had done. He had been to almost every continent, experiencing diverse cultures, tasting exotic cuisines, and capturing the essence of each place through the lens of his camera. From hiking the rugged terrains of the Andes to sipping tea in a traditional Japanese tea house, Oliver’s journeys had been vast and varied.
While his travels had been impressive, his blog, “Odysseys with Oliver,” had been far from the same. His reader numbers had never been close to what he needed to pay for his travels, let alone achieve the influencer status he had always dreamt of. After each day’s travels, he would sit down with his laptop, pouring his heart into his blog posts, embellishing them with vibrant photographs. Yet, the numbers never seemed to reflect the effort. As he checked his bank account and watched the number get closer to zero, despair began to gnaw at him. The dream of being a travel influencer or journalist and being paid to travel still burned bright inside of him, but he needed to act fast to make it a reality.
He knew that going down the well-beaten path and seeing or doing the same thing that everyone else saw or did would not cut it. He needed to find new and novel content to become successful at last. He needed to find someplace both obscure and incredible. Luckily, Oliver believed that he had found just the place.
While staying at a quaint guesthouse in Ubud, Bali, Oliver overheard a conversation between the owner and an elderly local. They were speaking in Balinese, a language Oliver did not know, but the animated way they spoke in hushed tones made Oliver believe it might be interesting. So, he opened a translation app and started recording the two men. The translation was imperfect, but he picked up enough to pique his interest. They were talking about an ancient temple, previously abandoned, that had recently come to life.
It was for this very reason that Oliver had taken three buses to get to a small village deep in the Balinese countryside, and it was for this reason that he walked off the beaten path towards seemingly nowhere, having secured a rudimentary map from the guesthouse owner with a healthy chunk of his dwindling cash. There was a kind of trail to follow, but the jungles of Bali were dense, causing the path to be often obscured by foliage and fallen branches. Only his desire to fulfill his dream and start making content people want to read drove him forward.
By noon, Oliver was hot and sweaty and had gotten through nearly all the water he had packed for the journey. He was beginning to think that he had been foolish and may very well be in danger of dying out in the wilderness: he even finally started to feel the weight of doubt and fatigue pressing down, had his dream driven him mad? At this point of hopelessness, Oliver heard the distant sound of voices carrying on the breeze. These sounds revitalized him, and he picked up his pace, and before long, the dense canopy of trees opened to reveal a mesmerizing sight.
The rumored ancient temple stood in a clearing surrounded by tall trees. Its intricate stone carvings and ornate statues seemed untouched by time. While the temple looked like an old relic, it also bustled with life. Around the temple, a clear stream flowed, with a few women dressed in colorful Balinese attire collecting water. The first thing Oliver noticed was how the clothes were different from the clothes he usually saw at Balinese temples. They did not hide nearly as much.
Oliver caught flashes of exposed, tanned skin as he observed the women. The kebaya the women wore were short and closer and resembled a skimpy tube top from the West: revealing both shoulders and stomach of the women. At the same time, the sarongs the women wore didn’t go down to the ankles like what Oliver typically saw in Bali but instead stopped at just below the knee, revealing the women’s calves in full. These clothes varied slightly in style and color, but all the garments were exceedingly beautiful. The women didn’t wear much other than these two items of clothing, other than some of the women who had flowers in their hair. All the women were barefoot.
Oliver’s heart had raced, not just from the excitement of finding the unique content he craved. No, as he peered down at the women, every one of whom was young and beautiful, he felt the excitement of an entirely different kind. Oliver slyly took pictures of the women, thinking only of the viewers at home and assuming no one had noticed him. After doing so, he made his way to the temple entrance, his heart rate racing as he did so.
As Oliver approached, he could hear a mix of different sounds filling the air around the temple. There was the soft murmur of prayers, a melodic and soothing sound that helped calm the senses. There were also the sounds of people doing daily tasks like collecting water, cutting plants, chopping food, or tending to animals. There were also faint melodic tunes played on traditional Balinese instruments. The combined effect for many would-be both grounding and ethereal, not that Oliver cared much for it, as he only thought of his blog.
Upon getting close to the temple grounds, Oliver heard the patter of footsteps and murmur of female voices as three women came out to meet him. They were a mix of ages, though all remarkably youthful in appearance, with the eldest among them looking no older than their mid-twenties. Their faces, all beautiful and bathed in the gentle hues of the afternoon sun, displayed an uncanny level of happiness and welcome. Oliver, at six feet tall, towered over them all.
“Om Swastyastu!” said one of the girls, putting her hands together like in prayer, which Oliver recognized as a standard greeting in Bali.
“Om Swastyastu,” replied Oliver, making the same gesture.
The same girl who had greeted Oliver then spoke in swift Balinese: “ibukén kéné maréngesang ring sami seseh, Ketujonin ida dados iraga?”
“I’m sorry, but do any of you speak English?” Oliver asked hopefully before adding the Balinese word for English: “basa Inggris?”
The girls looked at each other, and then the one who had spoken gestured for Oliver to follow her. She led him into the temple grounds. As he followed, he took no notice of where he was walking and instead admired how the woman’s beautiful shiny calves and shapely behind moved as she walked. He didn’t even glance at the details of the temple, which was made from a dark volcanic rock and decorated with many carved images. Oliver thought some nice pictures of these beauties alone would drive clicks and started thinking of the best way to photograph them.
Eventually, she led him towards a shaded part of the temple where a large ornate stone bench was placed, surrounded by a pond and the soothing sound of trickling water from a nearby fountain. On the bench was a woman who, while also young and beautiful, seemed to radiate a deeper level of wisdom in her eyes. Was she the leader? Oliver thought to himself as she greeted him in heavily accented but otherwise perfect English.
“Welcome, stranger,” she said, patting the space on the bench beside her. “Please sit.”
Oliver followed the young woman’s command and sat on the bench next to the woman. After he did so, the English-speaking woman nodded at the woman who had brought Oliver, who then smiled at them both warmly and left. Oliver carefully watched her go, once again admiring her body. The English-speaking woman waited for Oliver to finish ogling, causing Oliver to feel a little embarrassed as he turned and realized she was watching him.
“Name?” the English-speaking woman asked.
“My name is Oliver,” he replied.
“I am Ayu,” replied the woman. Ayu’s smile continued to be warm and friendly as she spoke, even after what she had just seen Oliver do. “And what brings you here, Oliver? Do you wish to join our temple?”
“Oh, no,” replied Oliver. “I just wanted to see your temple.”
“Ahh,” replied Ayu, a twinkle of sad recognition in her eyes.
Oliver noticed the change in her expression. “I mean,” he added quickly, “I am very interested in learning about the temple and its customs. I greatly respect Bali’s ancient customs and want to learn from you and experience your rituals.”
“Yes, our temple is special.” Replied Ayu, her face suddenly became stern. “And it is for that reason that tourists like you cannot be allowed here.”
Oliver’s heart sank. He had come so far, and the prospect of being turned away without getting the content he craved would be a massive setback. He quickly tried to recover, mustering as much charm and lies as possible.
“I assure you, I’m not just a tourist. I have a deep respect for cultures and traditions. All I want is to learn from you and be transcended by your beautiful rituals,” Oliver replied, thinking it was best to hide his intentions of writing a blog from Ayu.
Ayu studied him for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly. “You are not just here to take photos like most people who come to Bali? Are you not here to tell your friends they should come here too? You must understand this is a sanctuary for the women here. It holds secrets, traditions, and rituals that are sacred to us.”
“That’s not me,” Oliver lied. “I am not interested in taking photos or sharing your temple with the world. I am just here to learn! Please, there must be a way I can learn without intruding or violating the sanctity of your temple. I promise to keep your secret safe.”
Ayu seemed to contemplate his words for a while. The air was thick with tension, and the distant sound of the temple seemed to intensify the silence between them. Finally, she sighed. “The only way would be to join our community. That is the only way to see our ways. Our rituals are not just… what did you say, transcendent? No, our rituals are truly transformative.”
Oliver laughed to himself silently; this wasn’t the first temple in Bali to claim this kind of thing. All the temples claimed to be a spiritual journey that left you changed, and all the temples ended with a donation box. “Please, I don’t want to join; I only want to see your traditions so I can learn!”
A smile curled on Ayu’s lips. “Very well, you at least experience one ritual without joining. But first, you must be cleansed, or you may not see our ways. We have a purification ritual that everyone who wishes to join us must undergo before they can take part in our rituals.”
“But I am not joining your community…?” Asked Oliver, unsure.
“Don’t worry; you can go through the rituals and leave after. We do not compel anyone to join us. I promise.”
“Are you sure I can leave?”
“Oh yes, but whether you will want to…” Ayu trailed off, grinning widely. “Please wait here while I make the preparations.” Said Ayu, standing up. She gave Oliver one last smile before turning and walking away; Oliver could not help but stare at her swaying ass as she went.
Oliver sat there, looking at his phone and again ignoring the view. Sitting there, he wondered what the rituals could be and why they were such a big deal. Being able to leave after the ritual freely meant that he could just formulate a plan to see as much as he could and covertly take pictures or write where possible. After seeing enough to write about, he would tell the women thanks but no thanks and leave. What harm could he do by writing a blog about this place? Isn’t everywhere in Bali a tourist trap? Why is this place so special? He sat there, making notes on his phone about what he had seen and planning a blog post and how he would advertise it. After being there for a few hours, someone finally came for him.
It wasn’t one of the women he had seen before. This new woman was just like the others, both young and beautiful. She smiled at Oliver and then gestured for him to follow. Oliver got up, following her deeper and deeper into the temple. He smelt the incense, heard the melodic music and singing, and wondered whether he could use that as a hook for his blog.
They eventually reached a large, secluded courtyard. A stone pool filled with crystal clear water stood at the entrance courtyard. Floating atop the water were countless frangipani and lotus blossoms, their fragrance infusing the surroundings. Along the edges of the pool were lit oil lamps, their flames dancing gently. In the middle of the courtyard stood a stone platform about the size of a bed, beautifully decorated with carvings and inscriptions. Next to the bench stood four other women, one of whom first greeted Oliver at the edge of the temple, and another was Ayu. The woman leading up to this point gestured for him to wait before joining the other women. The women proceeded to chat happily for a while as Oliver waited.
Leave a Reply