Safety in Bali

(potp: Our safe driver in Bali..strangely, the concept of a seatbelt seems to be a different one in Indonesia..)

PICS

BEAUTIFUL Bali Pictures are online! Please check them out if you like..
Bali Pics by Maik and Christoph

BALI BOMBINGS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Bali_bombings

Well, let's start with the serious topic. Many of you will ask: How on earth can you go to a place like this, where bombs go off in tourist places every now and then?
- Reason 1: Although it sounds like a stupid rule of thumb, I do believe that it is quite safe after the bombing. Unfortunately, these stupid morons got what they wanted..to scare everyone to death and to keep tourists away..which is the real and most important effect, since it cripples this island and destroys many of the things they build up during the last couple of years.
- Reason 2: There was a promotion from Singapore Airlines..just €90 for the return trip. If you hear this, there just cannot be any second thoughts!

(The Island of Bali..just east of Java)

(Kuta and Jimbaran were the two tourist villages, where the 2005 bombings took place)

Georg, Christoph and me booked asap, unfortunately only for 3 days again. There is never enough time for travelling, if you have to work. Which is a real bummer.

Well, one of the first things we realised after our arrival in Kuta (yes, we stayed there and considered it a safe place) was that there were almost no tourists around. I was told a couple of weeks ago that there was not a panic reaction like the one 3 years ago, when most tourists left almost immediately. Instead, many people seemed to have accepted the fact that something like this could happen and at least finished their holidays nonetheless. But apperently, mid- and longterm bookings declined to a great extent since then.

Having in mind that Kuta is THE tourist place in Bali, it was very surprising to see only a few foreigners around on a Friday night. The local pubs and bars were virtually deserted, the only noticable dance club ('The Wave') had only a bunch of Indonesians and a pretty weird local rockband, which did not really meet our taste. This is really a sad development, since this beautiful island had just recovered this June-July from the aftermath of the last bombing three years ago. Cab drivers and shop-owners nearly go nuts these days, because there simply are no customers around, and the only few left are treated a bit like walking moneybags.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND

Of course, nobody really understands why anybody could perform an atrocious act like this. Although Indonesia is the country with the biggest Muslim population in the world (87% of 241m people) the Muslim share is only about 15% in Bali. Most people live the Hindu religion, which is also more open to 'competing' beliefs. I do not say that I prefer Hindu over Muslim belief; to me Hindu religion seems to be more tolerant and less rigid. Even Muslims and Christians are free to enter their holiest temples (like the Mother Temple in Bali) and pray there.

(Besakih, The Mother Temple, Bali)

The biggest problem is that there exists a considerable Muslim fundamentalist basis on the island of Java. They hate western influence, white tourists in general (especially all countries which were or are still involved in the liberation of Iraq) and consider their presence in Indonesia a sacrilege. Their only remedy seems to be violence, that's why they jump over to the Hindu and tourist island of Bali, because they believe that this is a good place to convey their message of hatred. You just have to imagine this..the already poor people in Bali have no chance to counter this kind of terrorism and are helplessly exposed to the resulting decline in tourist attraction.

MOST WANTED

(The one who knows one of the depicted person will get a reward of 100m IDR = €8500, which is a hell of a money.., found as a billboard close to entrance of a holy Hindu temple!)

I did not know whether I should put this on the net. But then I decided to do so, although it is a disgusting picture. But even small Balinese children see this billboard virtually everyday, and it is also a good display of how these terrorists are being viewed. What you actually see on the picture are the restored heads of three of the Bali Bombers. Their identity is still unknown, that's why there is such a high reward on any piece of information. This damn atrocity will haunt the peaceful Balinese people for years again, which is the main tragedy..

Well, this was a different post, but I felt it was important to tell.

Of course, Bali has much brighter sides..wait for the next post, which will be due in 2-3 days!

Maik