A massage in Bali – less on than I bargained for…

Posted by Rosemary on Wednesday, July 2, 2008 · 4 Comments 

 

The Hammock on Bali Daybreak on Bali Bali

 

As I was gently swaying in my new best friend, the hammock, a Bali girl came up to me and said, are you ready for massage? Oh, yeah, I kind of forgot… didn’t I say maybe?? What the hey, it’s $5 and the little massage area is right out on the shady lawn and it is late afternoon. However, if I get more relaxed I will surely slip into a coma. So I walk over a few steps and she says “take off.” I think, take off what? I only have on shorts and a tank top. So after a moment of awkward silence I say, “let me go put my swim suit on…”

Out I come with my swimsuit and a sarong wrapped around me and lie face down on the massage table and then she proceeds to take OFF my swimsuit! Oh my God, in broad daylight – outside – in public! Outside I was calm but inside there was a primal scream going on. At least she stop pulling my tinsee bit of clothing off just at the edge of my buttocks!! The lower edge. What could I do?

I just went, in my head, down to the beach and walked around (fully clothed) and enjoyed the gentle waves lapping the shore…and eventually spaced out. After about 30 minutes of this – and I had grown accustomed to it quite nicely, very relaxed – abruptly I was startled with her saying, “face up”. WHAT? I’m naked! I wanted to yell. Outside in broad daylight in public!?

Remarkably my swimsuit had been returned to around mid belly, so I am merely topless with may face to the sky. I kept me eyes tightly closed and reminded myself that I will never see any of the people that may be strolling the grounds ever again and probably will never even see the countries they are from. My only comfort was in the old technique of childhood, if you keep your eyes closed then no one can see you. Once it was over I took my oiled self and tried to walk nonchalantly off to my room…20 feet away.

If God had wanted me to walk around naked He would have given me a 20 year old body for life.

Susan Collins

Trip to Armada Bungalow Resort, Candidesa, Bali

In 2008 Susan left her home in Florida to travel alone in Bali and New Zealand for a couple of months

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Comments

4 Responses to “A massage in Bali – less on than I bargained for…”
  1. Chris says:

    I had a similar expirence some years ago on the beach in Kuta, topless eyes tightly shut , my children were laughing and giggling. I thought it was the fact that their mother was topless on the beach. After the massage I asked them what was so funny, they then told me that the group of Japanese tourists the were further along the beach now were taking photos as they passed.

  2. I would love a massage in Bali! What a funny story, thanks for sharing!

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  1. [...] For someone never considered to be a real traveler, this experience is quite amazing for me. Especially since I got here by way of Indonesia. Not only am I not a seasoned traveler, most of my traveling has been in my head, where I have been many places and done many things! However, towards the end of March 2008 I decided that I wanted a change in my life and I wanted to go somewhere far away and rather exotic! By the third week of May I was settled in a Guesthouse in the middle of Ubud, Bali. Bali was beautiful and I enjoyed each new sight sound smell and sensation offered me. More on my Bali Trip [...]

  2. [...] For someone never considered to be a real traveler, this experience is quite amazing for me. Especially since I got here by way of Indonesia. Not only am I not a seasoned traveler, most of my traveling has been in my head, where I have been many places and done many things! However, towards the end of March 2008 I decided that I wanted a change in my life and I wanted to go somewhere far away and rather exotic! By the third week of May I was settled in a Guesthouse in the middle of Ubud, Bali. Bali was beautiful and I enjoyed each new sight sound smell and sensation offered me. More on my Bali Trip [...]



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