Sunday, November 20, 2005

it's been long time since i wrote in this posting weeks ago. thanks to some who sms-ed and writing comments asking how i was since the postings haven't been up to for quite sometimes.

first, it was lombok then to bali to do some photo sessions and i took the Hari Raya break to just do nothing -- taking a much needed break for my body and soul -- before embarking to awaiting assignments.

a month ago, i flew to bali just two weeks after the second blast that shook us all. aside with the photo sessions that enclaved me and my team inside a beautiful resort, i have a personal mission to know and to learn the effects of the incidents.

we all learnt from the media that this bombing wouldn't be much an affect compare to the first one as the tourists weren't flocking to the airport the day after the blasts. it was true for a certain part, but not the other way around.

yes, after the incidents, the visitors stayed. but, as they stayed, virtually speaking, lots of reservations that have been made were cancelled.

as i talked to some people in nusa dua, jimbaran, and kuta areas, anguishes could be seen through their humble faces - a deep concern to the fact that why this incident would happen to them for the second time as they just recuperating from the first one.

a taxi driver that took me to discovery mal was holding his anger when he said, "ini bali, mas, bukan lebanon! mas dari media kan, tolong tulis, jangan kirim bom bunuh diri ke bali! apa salah kita-kita di sini?" i could see his emotion through the reflection of a driver side mirror -- he hasn't had any passanger hailing his cab since the morning.

once, i saw a middle aged lady sweeping the floor of a resort. as i walked closer to where she stood, she was smiling at me radiating a humble aura. i said 'hi' to her and began to chat to her.

"saya ini tadinya terapis di spa, mas," she continued with a heavy balinese accent, "tapi sekarang jadi bantu-bantu kebersihan."

it turned out that the resort outsourced people for cleaning service department - kerja kontrak - as we might be familiar with. when the revenues down because the tourist stop coming, the first thing they cut was the outsourced people and who will they be replaced with? the employees like the middle aged lady i talked to. she said, no tourist, no spa guest, no job, either you stay home or do different job.

i usually flew out of bali with a lasting impression of an island so beautiful i wanted to fly back. yet, the last time i visited bali, i felt something was missing missed -- it was the smiles of its people.

it's one of the most beautiful islands this planet ever has and it becomes one of the destinations you have to visit before you die. but, we tend to forget that bali is not just an island people from around the world love to visit, it is one of Indonesia's treasures that we, the people, need to safe guard it for the sake of this country.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

i was in bali too about the same time as you.
i also can feel the extrem different between before and after the bomb.
jadi sedih ya... :(

November 21, 2005 2:37 PM  

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