Beauty in Bali: how sexiness and serendipity

by Mokgadi Phiyega (South Africa)

I didn't expect to find Indonesia

During the 6th month of what would become an endearing romance, my partner and I decided on impulse to to take a trip to Bali. This decision was taken not long after Lombok had been devastated by an earthquake and Mt. Batung had erupted. These factors, weighed alongside the infancy of our relationship, made for a very gutsy and ultimately life altering decision. I could muse endlessly about the cornucopia of sights, sounds and experiences. I could write about the enchanting sun set dancing across the ocean stage as the entire island paused for the show or the might of nature brandished through the roar of a giant waterfall. Instead, I reminisce most over a moment of incredible human connection that shifted how I view myself, my body and my beauty. A human connection with a person so ubiquitous with Bali. A social media influencer. My partner and I had taken a guided day trip to Aling Aling Waterfall and after over an hour of "mild" hiking, we made it to our first waterfall. Against the backdrop of the most extraordinary natural beauty, we observed the true entertainment unfolding: a woman having a professional photoshoot, draped in a white shirt whilst sprawled across a floating unicorn pool toy. The unicorn was being dragged about by a gentleman who diligently tried to stay out of the shot whilst the keeping her from tumbling over the edge of the waterfall. Not too far away, another passionate couples shoot unfolded that made the rest of appreciate the irony of being in close proximity to a cold shower. After having a laugh over the hilarity of the situation, we continued about our day and moved onto the second of 7 waterfalls. As with any popular tourist hangout with several people visiting on the same day, we inevitably crossed paths with many of the same people during the hike including the seductive couple with their photographer. The photographer looked at us for a while then cautiously approached. She explained in limited English that she was a photographer from Russia and wanted to take my picture. In trying to encourage my trust in her, she proceeded to show me her Instagram page and its 20k followers, a 21st century promise of legitimacy. I was flummoxed, I couldn't understand why. As a very curvy, dark skinned woman with very short hair, I looked nothing like her subjects of the day. My partner was even more concerned fearing I was about to be trafficked. But, on a whim, I agreed. It only took 5 minutes, she guided me into sensual poses using hand gestures as I stood beneath a stream of water. Afterwards, we exchanged numbers and promised to keep in touch via whatsapp and went about our day. 2 days later, she published the pictures on her Instagram page in 2 separate posts. Within hours the posts had garnered over 5000 likes and hundreds of comments. Some curious about the exotic subject, many "trolling" my African-ness and a few raunchy propositions in between. I was swept up in the hype, I even recall vacillating over quitting my job to become a full time model. It was a heady mix of adoration and affirmation. I felt intoxicatingly powerful, sexy and revered. I never did quit my job or pursue that modelling career but I maintained the new found confidence the photographer gifted me. I had the most cliche experience in Bali, a serendipitous meeting that lead to a spiritual awakening. The 15 minutes of fame didn't hurt either.