Deja Vu

We've booked our flights to Bali for end of November. A trip I was looking forward to. It'll be our third trip there and our second this year. Hearing about the blast feels me not with a sense of fear but sadness. The tragedy that befalls Bali once again, just as when things are looking better. We assumed wrongly that lighting will not strike twice on the same spot. We've assumed wrong. A friend of ours got our guide's contact for one of his friend. He wanted to book a hotel near one of the site initially, but the guide recommended another, how fortunate for him. It's his first night there, and from what he has seen, it was total chaos.

I wanted cheap lodging, but not for this reason, I wanted to see once again, the friendly faces, the sandy beaches and of cos the great bargains. Will we still go ahead with our plan? Most probably. Our first trip there was two months after the October 12 2003 blast, never once did we ever imagine that we will be visiting Bali after a blast once again.

Senseless bombings? To us maybe, but to the bombers and the mastermind, their message is very clear. Do not ignore them, be complacent and let your guards down. They have proved that lighting does strike twice on the same spot.

Will there be another memorial park and monument like those in Kuta? Grim reminders in this popular haven.

There's a Chinese saying, Yao4Zhi4Biao1Yi2Ding4Yao4Zhi4Ben3, to treat the ailment, you must find the root of the cause.

Our prayers are with the Balinese and the victims of this blast.