A Journey through Hell, an Escape from Earth
Note: This post was originally submitted for the World Nomads Travel Writing 2017 Application.
On the last day of an eventful trip to Malaysia, we visited a Buddhist temple on a hilltop outside of Kuala Lumpur. I had seen many beautiful shrines and temples as I had explored the country. But this one was different.
The day was misty and uncharacteristically cool, the sky thick with heavy clouds. The moisture in the air couldn’t decide if it wanted to be rain or simply fog, sometimes falling to the ground in light sheets. The humidity was thick enough to feel on our skin, a curtain of moisture brushing against us wherever we went. It clung to the dense vines and leaves, and bright pink flowers that surrounded the temple grounds. The deep green of the forest competed with the loud, vibrant colors of the temple buildings — red, gold, sky-blue.
We walked up and down a hilly path, guided by signposts through scenes built with statues, depicting the Ten Chambers of Hell. Garishly painted demons and Hell-goers showed what would happen to you if you were a bad person on Earth — read: nothing good. Demons were throwing people into fiery pits, tearing off limbs, and chopping these poor souls’ heads off. The scenes got progressively more violent and terrifying as we walked along the path, but there was also something strangely comical about them — the demons seemed like they were having such a good time. At the end of all this, a giant statue of Buddha was there to provide comfort and reassurance, smiling down at us serenely. Thanks, Buddha.
After being sufficiently terrified by our trip through Hell, we needed some peace. We found a quiet, almost deserted pagoda and climbed to the top, ascending in circles, until we got to the highest level. We were alone, and the thick white-gray fog that hung around us was utterly still — holding its breath, waiting for something to break the perfect silence. For that small slice of time, we were nowhere. I imagined our pagoda floating by itself through the universe, an entity separate from anything on Earth. Time and space, concepts usually so immediate and pressing in my life, now seemed like distant afterthoughts.
A deep sense of peace permeated the pagoda and entered my mind, calming my thoughts. I wondered what it would be like to stay there forever, what kind of life I would have if I lived on the temple grounds and visited this pagoda every day. I lingered there for as long as I could. Then I turned around and began the descent back to Earth.



