Bali After Bomb II

Article by: Ryan Ver Berkmoes, October 2005

'It's a crime, not a tragedy,' says American author Jamie James, who lives on Bali and owns a restaurant. 'Why do people keep calling it that?'

Indeed, James's plaintive question is echoed often on Bali by locals, ex-pats and tourists alike. Unlike the bombing of 12 October 2002 which killed hundreds and left the island in a state of shock that lasted more than a year, the Saturday night bombings of 4 October 2005 have caused anger and inspired resolve.

Among travellers, the mood this time is different from 2002.

There's the usual 'we can't let the terrorists win' bravado that has become a familiar refrain - too familiar - after 9/11, Madrid, London et al. But there is also much anger.

In a word, the Balinese are pissed-off. Angry that others have come to their island (no one suspects locals) and again caused violence, angry that security seems too slack, and angry that they again face real economic hardship. Few were untouched by the 2002 bombings which caused tourism to collapse, hundreds of businesses to close and thousands more to be unemployed. For better or worse, Bali is utterly dependent on tourism and when planes filled with visitors stop landing at the airport south of Kuta, the effects are felt by virtually everyone on the island. The years of 2003 and 2004 were very tough for the Balinese, not just economically but spiritually as well. Gloomy reflections on the state of things back then are typical conversation openers.

When I was here earlier this year doing the next edition of the Bali guidebook, life had once again taken on a vibrancy that had been missing. The planes were full and frequent and the streets abuzz with tourists and commerce. Nyoman, a waiter in Ubud, sums up the concerns simply: 'We have been busy and that is good. I don't want a repeat of the last two years. We cannot allow our Bali to be affected by others.'

How such resolve will manifest itself remains to be seen. Certainly government officials are scrambling to seem in charge. New security measures have been announced for the Jimbaran seafront restaurants (a locking-the-barn-door measure that fools no one), police are slightly more in evidence and a warship bobs off Kuta Beach. Yet Bali is still Bali and measures like checking bags at building entrances - routine in terrorist-wary places such as Manila - are rare. Entrances to hotels may boast gates for car-bomb checks but the adjoining exits remain as open and unblocked as ever.

Among travellers, the mood this time is different from 2002. Bali's airport was not packed with people fleeing the island after the bombings, although many have moved away from the southern tourist zones and hotels have reported a surge in room service orders. On the Friday after the blasts, the popular Ubud Writers and Readers Festival opened with only a handful of no shows. The fact that Galungan (the 10-day period when the gods join the Balinese on earth) began shortly after the bombs, only gave the island a more reflective quality.

Still, some travellers are cancelling their visits for the months ahead, governments have issued new and stronger warnings about travel to Indonesia (controversial gestures often derided as so much bureaucratic butt-covering after the fact) and businesses are rethinking expansion plans. Hopefully Bali's plans for the future aren't postponed for too long as travellers return to enjoy the paradisaical island of warm welcomes and cool beaches that I'll come back to again and again.