Some words of sanity from a Bali veteran

trying to find list of victims? no info out can you direct?

Bali, a Hindu island in an Islamic ocean, and that seems to be its crime. Hindu pacifism is what got Bali into this mess in the first place.

Israel - another non-muslim island in an Islamic ocean. And Singapore is yet another.

Bali is a beautiful place. I’ve been there a few times (a short hop from where I lived in Tokyo). Saronged women drop flowers on the doorsteps each morning.

It’s a crying shame.

With considerable regret I’ve cancelled my planned November/December holiday to Bali. I’m not intimidated by terrorist acts but my wife wouldn’t go after the bombings, fortunately the only out of pocket expense will be the deposit on the hotel. Instead I’m going to the Philippines next March /April 2006 and staying with my inlaws, plan to spend time in a place called San Fabian - about 5 hours north of Manila. Still plan to go to Bali sometime in the future though.

Dear Nick,

Tomorrow Balinese Hindu is going to celebrate the Galungan day, suppose to celebrate the victory of Goodness over Devil…

I have a family friend in Kuta, she said that the offering would be changed to the death offering instead of celebrating Victory of Goodness over Devil

Sad, innocent Balinese are the real Victims

Can anyone give me an idea of the curent mood in Bali - Not to be naive but I would expect people who remain there are those that say we will not be dictated to… Does that mean that people are doing there best to restore a sence of normality to this island.

Glen, Philippines?! Good choice considering the Bali bombs! It’s much safer there… if you happen to meet any Abu Sayyaf member, be sure to give him my regards.
It seams your wife is Philippine, so you don’t really have a choice, but being afraid of going on vacation to Bali but more than willing to go visit the Philippines seems like a contradiction.

What a shame Glen cancelling your trip, but i cant say i blame those who have doubts.

I mean the Sari club being bombed when it was packed to the rafters with people mostly Westerners and the biggest percentage drinking and a good deal drunk is far different from people having a nice idylic meal on the beach at Jimbaran.

I mean lets face it folks if you had of been sitting there with your loved one or ones enjoying a meal and a few drinks with the surf lapping the sand in the background would you or could you really of thought something as horrible as a suicide bomber would have beenn wandering about the place. No ! just as i thought and probably what 99.9% would have thought.

I mean after the Sari bombing my thoughts were that if there is a terrorist threat then lets minimze the odds by staying out of packed bars and nightclubs and just frequent places like Jimbaran bay where there is no chance of a bomber lurking. Yes well how wrong would i be, but folks come on you just wouldnt of believed it would yous.

This leads me on to the question that must and would go through peoples minds as they are sitting down in a restaurant or bar and that is ,
That bloke looks suspicious or i wander what in that rucksack. ? I found myself asking myself the same question whilst riding the tube in London after 7/07 bombs. I would be looking at people of a Asian appearance and thimking to myself i wander if !

Not a nice feeling to have and probably why some people dont ride the tube anymore and also why some people who use to frequent Bali will have second thoughts.

But i must say i admire people who just dont let it bother them or stop them doing what they want to do, because after all folks this is letting the terrorist have the effect he wants and set out to do isnt it ?

Intersting topic folks i think. I suppose everyone is different and therefore will have different views and reactions to the Bali suicide bombers. Blowing themselves up the bombers is to good an exit for those scum as i would rather hang them upside down from a celing and just leave them there till they die. Slow and horrible as thats all the scum deserve isnt it folks ?

Mark Spark

Thanks for your comments Godinho and Mark. It’s true that the Philippines have there fair share of problems and security risks but I’ll be there with my wife and family (and extended family) so they’ll know the areas to avoid. Also I’ve been there on many occasions so I’m pretty comfortable with the situation. I can recommend the Philippines as a good place for a holiday, great beaches, friendly people, English is widely spoken (for those from Australia, England etc), San Miguel is a great beer, probably not as cheap as Bali but still good value for money, there is surf but it’s harder to get to than Bali surf spots etc etc.

Bali is just a quick six hour flight from Tokyo, equivalent to a flight to the Bahamas from a northeastern US city. So when I lived in Japan I used to go there for vacation. Thailand was the first choice for most expatriates, but Bali was even less developed, more raw, a Hindu island in the middle of the Islamic ocean of Indonesia.

Most of Indonesia had at one time been Hindu of course as the ruins of Borubadur attest, and I wondered (aloud to local fast friends I made when visiting that massive structure, whose every surface is carved with Hindu gods) how it felt to look at the gods worshiped by your ancestors, even as you enter the local mosque. The inquiry was received with a polite silence. The Islamic wave has pushed the Hindu remnant back, century after century, to its last redoubt in Bali, where it long maintained its customary monarchy and aristocracy, still reflected in its social structure today.

There are not three but five different greetings given during the day, based on the time of day, “Salamat pagi,” good morning, is the first. During rainstorms the locals pull palm and banana leaves to use as makeshift umbrellas. After a week there you can identify weavings by the Indonesian island that produced them, based on distinctive patterns. The Hindu mythology is reprised in six traditional plays, performed by masked dancers, including the famous young Balinese girl dancers. The locals seem to know every gesture of each play by heart and watch enthusiastically from the wings, where they all stand, allowing the seating in the main hall to be taken by the tourists.

I don’t want to overly-romanticize Bali’s Hindu culture, romantic as it feels to be there. It’s not all flowers and fruitbowls, even if each day does begin with saronged women dropping small prepared bouquets at each doorstep, where they remain all day. They drive like maniacs. One Balinese told me of being badly injured on the street, and watching his fellow countrymen drive past him for hours. I had to bribe a taxi driver to slow down, shouting the Indonesian word (there is a Balinese language, but it is complex, and business is done in Indonesian) for slow, while showing him a fistful of rupees, and then shouting the word for fast and showing him only our agreed fare.

Still, they don’t deserve to be bombed, indeed bombed again, by the same muslims who have already pushed them into an island enclave.

We perceive ourselves as strong and predominant, just as strong and predominant as I’m sure the Hindus once felt in Indonesia. But will our descendants find themselves surrounded, assailed, besieged, as the Balinese are today?