What happens in Bali stays in Bali.. Photo / Instagram
To search #GatesofHeaven on Instagram is to be confronted by an army of clones, more than 15,000 of them. And it's even faker than usual.
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The pictures, taken at the Pura Lempuyang Luhur temple in Bali, Indonesia, have become increasingly popular among Instagram "influencers".
Namaste, Michellle, you've been busted.
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It was a shocking revelation to Polina Marinova, an editor at Fortune Magazine who made a beeline to the temple during a recent trip to Bali.
Before her trip, Marinova had searched on Instagram for Bali attractions and kept seeing the Gates of Heaven "over and over again," she told INSIDER.
"It looked absolutely breathtaking," she added. "But of course, it being Instagram, no one had included in the caption that it wasn't real, so I just assumed there was water there."
The line to get a photo, as this visitor's photo shows, is a drag and a half.
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In case you didn't know, water doesn't look like that.
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The illusion is created by a man who sits under an umbrella and holds a mirror underneath an iPhone. Sorry to spoil the fantasy, Dorothy.
Marinova said her guide told her that few visitors want to know about the history of Pura Lempuyang Luhur anymore — they just want a photo in front of it.
"That's really disappointing because the Lempuyang Temple is one of Bali's oldest and most highly regarded temples," she said. "So to see so many people waiting hours to take their photo rather than walking around the grounds of the temple says a lot about what we value in 2019."
Tourists line up for hours to take the popular Instagram shot, and are seen practicing in line because they are only allowed five poses at the site.
"There is a long winding line on the side, and hundreds of people are watching you pose at the Gates of Heaven," she said. "There were definitely people who had prepared for this moment. Some did yoga poses, others jumped in the air, and on several occassions, people did a redo because they didn't like how their pictures came out. I mean, it was over the top."
Some are exta photoshopped, taking the fantasy to the next level.
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Marinova said she was heartbroken when she got to the site and realised the lake had been an illusion, one that could be purchased for a donation.
Proof that Instagram influencers have ruined everything👇
— Polina Marinova Pompliano (@polina_marinova) July 4, 2019
My hopes & dreams were shattered when I found out the “water” at the Gates of Heaven is actually just a piece of glass under an iPhone 😭 pic.twitter.com/oiahI5VCIo
I'm sorry Balinese culture couldn't accommodate your Instagram expectations 😭
— Ppusher (@Ppusher3) July 4, 2019
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