Bali Bombing

It's 10pm in Bangkok and I just finished watching How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, so I thought I'd flip through the channels. I landed on the BBC and heard the horrific news about the Bali bombing. I'm shocked that it happened again, just three years after the first attack. I visited Bali in 2004, ate at a fish restaurant (pictured below) in Jimbaran Beach where one of the attacks occurred and stayed in a guest house in Kuta, just a block from Kuta Beach (also pictured below) where the other blast took place. No matter how many times things like this happen around the world, it's still difficult to believe that there are sick and twisted people who choose to kill innocent people and destroy the livelihood of local people who rely on tourism to put food on the table. The Balinese were struggling economically when I visited in 2004, two years after the first attack, I cannot imagine what affect it will have now.

There are at least ten people from TCIS who already booked their flights to Bali for October break. I just got off the phone with Tysone and he said a friend had already called Rico so they were aware of the news. As of now, they are still planning to go, but I strongly encouraged them to change their plans. Before today, I didn't think they'd strike in the same place twice, but I was obviously and unfortunately wrong. I wouldn't risk going there at this point. It still stands as one of my favorite places in the world. The people are wonderful, the sights are phenomenol, and my experience was nothing but memorable. It's a shame that others won't be able to experience Bali.

**This is a photo I took of the memorial honoring the 202 people who died in the 2002 Bali nightclub blast. It's in the original location of the nightclub with the names of every person who died listed underneath their country of origin. Other than this memorial, nothing was rebuilt at the site of the blast.