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Summary for: Video: Czech tourists in Bali slammed for using holy water to wash privatesForeign tourists in Prague have garnered a negative reputation in recent years, especially given the recent rise of alcotourism in the Czech capital.
Last month, a pair of German tourists in Prague drew the ire of locals after spray painting historic centuries-old landmark Charles Bridge in an evolving saga that has yet to be fully resolved.
But what about the behavior of Czech tourists abroad? A few weeks ago, a trio of Czech hikers in the mountains of Slovakia gave the country a bad reputation after performing some needlessly dangerous maneuvers up a mountain ladder.
This month, a pair of Czech tourists in Bali, Indonesia have stirred controversy for disrespecting a holy shrine.
The controversy stems from video posted to Instagram by Sabina Doležalová and Zdeněk Slouka, who are both described as fitness trainers on social media.
In the video, Doležalová and Slouka can be seen posing in front of a Balinese Hindu temple in Ubud before Doležalová hikes her skirt and Slouka splashes water from the holy shrine on her bottom.
Unsurprisingly, the video hasn’t been well received by locals in Bali.
“Bali will drown if we can’t protect ourselves and be selective with the types of tourists that visit the island,” Balinese designer Niluh Djelantik commented in an Instagram post that re-shared the original video.
In a subsequent video, the pair offered an apology.
“We are so sorry about the video from yesterday, we dishonored the holy temple and holy water in Ubud, and we didn’t know it,” Slouka posted to Instagram.
In a conversation with Niluh on Instagram, the pair blamed their actions on ignorance, claiming that “because we are atheists it’s hard for us to recognize which place is [holy].”
The pair’s apology has also been criticized.
“Atheist does not mean you can disrespect others’ beliefs,” commented Instagrammer @_cunique.
“And Bali is known as Pulau Dewata [Island of the Gods], so Bali is holy. ‘Not knowing’ is not a valid excuse to disrespect a religion. This is frustrating.”
On Sunday, Doležalová and Slouka met with officials from the village in which the shrine is located. According to a joint public statement, the matter has been taken care of to the satisfaction of both parties.
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Still, locals in Bali aren’t satisfied with the resolution.
“How convenient, a mere apology on Instagram and everything’s fixed,” Jerinx, drummer for the Balinese band Superman Is Dead, wrote on Instagram.
“See what happens if we do something similar in their country, the result will be different. Bali has been disrespected too often by tourists.”
