While some laws are written, some others don't. Those that don't, are considered part of a local culture, a custom the locals expect anyone to obey, regardless of who they are.
Someone who visits other country as a foreigner, needs to understand this, or face the wrath of the locals.
And this time, a popular Russian influencer faces the prospect of six years in jail time and a hefty fine.
That happened after she posed naked in front of a sacred tree in Bali, Indonesia.
The image, taken at Babakan Temple in the regency of Tabanan, showed yoga influencer Alina Fazleeva.
On an Instagram post, she was seen posing naked at the base of the weeping paperbark tree, known locally as Kayu Putih, pushing her breasts against the tree's 700-year-old bark.
The tree in question is considered sacred by locals, and her post on Instagram angered many Balinese.
When Alina's photo went viral after people reshared her post, outrage happened.
Alina who realized her mistake, responded to the public backlash, by deleting the post.
She then posted an apology, in which she showed herself fully clothed and praying at the base of the sacred tree while she stated her "regret."
“I apologise to all Balinese and Indonesian people, I regret my actions,” she said.
“I’m so embarrassed, I didn’t mean to offend you in any way, absolutely no knowledge of this place.
“I just prayed under a tree and went straight to the police station to explain this incident and apologise.”
She then temporarily put her @alina_yogi account on private.
After that, she turned herself in to the authorities.
The authorities said that Alina could face up to six years in jail if she’s prosecuted under local pornography laws under the country’s Information and Electronic Transactions Act (ITE).
If convicted, she could also be fined Rp 1 billion (~$100,000).
It is later reported that the police has declined to charge her with a crime, and has turned her case over to immigration officers.
Alina is not the first influencer to get themselves in trouble by ignoring local standards of dressing appropriately while holidaying in Bali.
Just before Alina, Jeffrey Craigen, a Canadian actor and self-proclaimed wellness guru faced deportation from Bali after a video of him dancing naked at Mount Batur, a volcano considered holy by many Balinese.
Jeffrey was detained and questioned after social media users accusing him of disrespecting Balinese religious values.
When Jeffrey was awaiting deportation, it was realized that he was not vaccinated against COVID-19, explaining why airlines were reluctant to transport him home.
After he can eventually fly, Jeffrey is put in a blacklist, in which he is prevented from entering Bali for the foreseeable future.
In 2021, Alesya Kafelnikova from Russia, was slammed after posting a photo of herself lying naked on top of an elephant in Bali.
Then in 2020, an influencer was slammed for being “ignorant” and “inappropriate” after an onlooker filmed the woman appearing to be creating a workout video alongside a group preparing a daily offering.
In 2019, two naked West Australian men went viral after riding a scooter into a pool in Bali.
And also that year, a Czech couple were widely condemned after a video showed the woman laughing at a Balinese temple while her partner splashed her buttock with holy water.
Bali is no stranger to badly behaved tourists.
"To all foreigners who visit Bali, please act accordingly by respecting our law and Balinese cultural values," officials said.
Tourism in Bali had been crippled by the COVID=-19 pandemic, but has started to bounce back after the island scrapped quarantines for vaccinated tourists.
With the country opening its gates to foreigners in many countries, the number of tourists coming to Indonesia, especially to Bali, is expected to rise.
