Asia travel stories: 1 girl, 1 perv on a bike (Bali’s Monkey Forest, be careful girls!)
You travel to a tourist-friendly place. You know you have a good head on your shoulders. You never drink more than you can handle. You think you’re absolutely safe. And then it happens: you become someone’s prey.
THE MONKEY FOREST ROAD AT NIGHT
On the last day of my last travel to Bali more than a year ago, I decided to get ice cream before going to the airport. It was at night, but I thought, “I’ve walked around at night a million times before, so nothing could possibly happen during a 5-minute walk to the ice cream shop.” Well, something did happen and I got one of the most terrifying experiences in my life.
It wasn’t like I was acting stupid, going around inebriated/smashed/pissed and with hardly any clothes on. No, it was nothing like that. I was just walking along Monkey Forest Road—like a few other people in front and behind me—when I got spotted by man who looked like he was in his mid-20s to mid-30s. He was on a motorbike, headed in the opposite direction. He should have been looking ahead, but he gave me the dirtiest wink that annoyed the hell out of me. I thought he was just being “harmlessly” gross and he would go away after that, so I told myself to ignore it. Little did I know, the horror was about to start.
A DANGEROUS MOTORBIKE TANGO
A few seconds after that, I heard a motorbike getting closer behind me. Next thing I knew, the gross man was in front of me and masturbating on his bike. I was about 3 meters away and I could tell what he was doing. I didn’t look down or look him in the eye, thinking this would be a clear signal for him to stay away. I just muttered “gross” and walked farther to the left so he wouldn’t be right in front of me. He moved to the left, too. I moved to the right next and immediately afterward the gross man did the same. I turned around to walk in the opposite direction this time, but he blazed in front of me again. The gross man wasn’t going to let me pass.
Looking around for an alternative way, I suddenly realized the people I saw walking behind and in front of me were gone. The security guards / police officers who were all over Monkey Forest in the morning were nowhere to be found, too, and the locals all seem to be inside their homes on this poorly lit road. I was totally alone and this guy on a bike could run me over. He could have planned something even more sick than that. I had to do something.
PERVS ARE BASICALLY COWARDS
Grab something to hit the gross man with? That would have taken time and could have provoked him into hurting me in self-defense. Run away? He’s on a bike and I would have acted exactly like a prey, which could have prompted him to act like a predator. There was no way in hell I would let him use me, contact or no contact, to satisfy himself sexually. I had to do something now. I had no weapon and at that time felt like David facing Goliath, but I was also ready to fight and I had to let him know that.
There’s an interesting post on Rocket News 24 about pervs targeting people who seemed meek and wouldn’t give them a hard time doing what they wanted to do. And that night I was anything but meek. Angry and with adrenaline rushing through my veins, I looked at the gross man straight in the eye and let out a powerful roar. I wasn’t fooling myself: I knew having other people there would help immensely. I was trying to attract other people’s attention, but I made it clear through my stance, clenched fists, and expression that I wasn’t afraid of him. But he started to move his bike closer, so I did it again. This time he stopped his bike—it seemed like he hesitated—and then sped away, leaving me there still angry and with adrenaline rushing through my veins.
I looked around to see whether other people were coming to help or something. No one. I ran as fast as I could to the well-lit nearby area where the tourist-filled bars/restaurants were. Ice cream didn’t seem like a good idea at that point. I didn’t want to go through that area alone again, though. Shaking from the adrenaline rush, I approached the first woman I saw, an Australian lady named Jane who was walking back to her hotel after yoga class. I told her what happened and she offered to call my hotel for me so someone could pick me up right away.
DISGUSTING ATTITUDES TOWARD VICTIMS
Finally someone offered help. A million thoughts were going through my head, but I will never forget Jane’s face. When we got to the hotel, Jane immediately told the front desk clerks, local males, what happened and asked whether they could report the incident. She also mentioned that there have been other women who were “assaulted” in that same area.
What one of the employees said about it is another thing I will never forget: It’s natural for men to get attracted by “beautiful” females. I saw his lips curve upward as he modified females. As if getting attracted means terrifying someone by blocking their way with a bike. As if his “beautiful” was a compliment. As if the incident was something natural—something to be expected. Oh yeah, they ignored my request for help to make a police report.
With only hours left before my flight, I decided to just go back to my hotel. Jane was very sympathetic and we talked for about half an hour. When someone from my hotel came to pick me up, Jane told me to call her ASAP before saying goodbye. I also told the employees of my hotel about the incident, but they just gave a nervous smile and said absolutely nothing. Never felt more helpless in my life.
Exhausted and with still a few things to pack in my suitcase, I went straight to my room. I lay down on the bed for a while first and thought how crazy the world can be. A few seconds later, I got up and started dialing Jane’s number.
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