Here in Bali
Bob from Melbourne
November 2002
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This is a very special report. Bob Marr, who is known to everyone on the Bali Travel Forum as Bob_Melb, was in Bali when the Sari Club was bombed. Bob had started to post reports about his holiday when the bombing took place. We can trace the immediate effects of the bombing through Bob's posts as he observed the aftermath. This was a double tragedy for Bob. Not long before this he lost his wife Anne to cancer and this was his first trip back to the island without her. Into this period of personal grieving came the awful catastrophe of 12 October. Our thanks to Bob for allowing us to read his account again.
Warning: some of Bob's description is graphic. Do not read if you are likely to be upset.
Webmaster
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Here in Bali
Finally back here in paradise. Great flight with Qantas, food & service excellent, so you give credit where its due.
Weather is very hot & dry but with a cool breeze late in the afternoons.
Many people turning up to S & S. Twenty five there on Sunday evening & Monday with thirty five & more people to arrive in the next few days.
The first big organised gathering is tomorrow night Wednesday & promises to even bigger, so if you are here in Bali on holiday come on down & meet other people from the Forum.
Friday night is arranged for the dinner at Dennies at around 7pm. Amanda has gone to lot of trouble to make sure this night is a success.There will be the normal menu available but there is also a Balinese banquet at $12 a head. I will be taking the numbers on Wednesday night at S & S.
The bus is booked for 15th. Its a thirty seater & will cost one million rupiah for the whole day which is less than $10 a head. Give me your names at S & S on Wednesday. More details a bit later.
Wednesday 16th at the Bonsai in Sanur is also a goer.
We watched the Grand Final of the rugby the other night at the Bali Aussie. Very moving when the crowd of two hundred all stood up & joined in with Advance Australia Fair. Thought I was at the MCG on Grand Final day.
Most of us are going to the Hard Rock Cafe tonight to see Jimmy Barnes, so another big night is assured.
Thats about it for now & its time for a Bintang. A beautiful but very hot day here in Bali.
Rate was RPH4850 for the $A in Poppies 2 this morning.
Shocked
We were sitting in Peanuts around 11-30 when I felt a slight shake like a small tremor. A couple of tourists came in & said that was a fire in Poppies Lane 2.
A couple of minutes later Ngurahs phone rang & he said that it was the police & that the Sari Club had just been bombed & was Peanuts okey? By this time Legian St was alive with fire trucks, ambulances & people. All of our crowd were accounted for except for young Jodie & her boyfriend Dean who said they were going back to the hotel but may go up to Paddays & the Sari Club first.
I ran back to the Champlung Mas & found them there safe.
By this time the whole area was in uproar. I decided to go down to the Bagus Bar in Poppies 2 & check out the scene & see if I could help out in any way. I came out in the lane by the Barong Hotel & headed up towards Legian St. All the way up was broken glass caused by windows that had been blown out by the blast, tiles & bits of timber were everywhere. I got to the Bagus & a part of the roof was hanging in. The police were just starting to secure the area but I got through & stood at the corner of Poppies 2 & Legian St. I cannot describe what I saw. Looking across towards Paddays there was only the shell of the place left. People were running in all directions, fire & smoke filled the air & the whole scene was out of control but this was nothing to what I saw until front ofthe Sari Club. The club itself was gone & just rubble left. Bodies covered with blood splattered sheets covered the footpath,two bodies burnt to a crisp were carried out & put in a van. What really got to me was seeing a helmet with a head in it lying in the gutter. Some poor kid riding his bike past when the bomb went off. By this time the police were moving everybody away & even though I offered to help was told to get out of the area & so I went back to Peanuts & spent the rest of the night with Ngurah. I was in a trance & am still very confused at what I had seen but I will never ever forget the footpath out the front of the Sari Club.
I will post more later.
Update
Just a quick update on what is happening around the place.There is a certain amount of tension around the streets.Not many tourists around with most staying in their hotels.The locals are worried & many of the shops are closed.
Two nights ago AT 8-30 I walked from Bemo Corner to Poppies 2 & the only place that was opened was the Mini Restaurant ( not the bar ) with the kitchen staff all sitting out the front in the gutter. Speaking with them they told me that they had only three customers since afternoon.I wasent allowed past Poppies 2 & everything was in complete darkness with a very eerie feeling. A lot of the locals say that the whole area there is full of evil spirits & I must say that I did not feel that I should be there. Most of the area is now completley covered from view while the experts from overseas carry out their work.
The day before I went in the Bagus Bar & was talking to the boss while he & a few of the staff were cleaning up the mess.
He let me climb up to the second level where the pool room is & I had a great view of the devastation Sari Club area. That's if one can say the word "great" What it has destroyed there is unbelievable.
As you probably all know, more & more people are leaving everyday & the worrying of another bomb seems to be on everybody's minds.
There are only twenty five rooms occupied in my hotel the Camplung Mas.
I will probably stay until 9th Nov as planned. We are still getting twenty five people at S & S, so if you have nothing to do come on down. Rate for the A$ is RPH4950 & the flags are at half mast.
Here in Bali Update
For all the people that have
posted & emailed me about wheather they should come to Bali or not.
During the day I feel very safe walking around the streets & apart from the bombed area its the same sights as ever.From the Sari club site most of the way down to Bemo corner nothing is happening & also a few hundred yards in the other direction. Apart from this area everything else is the normal activity.
Business is down, as there are hardly any tourists left but the shopkeepers are still trying to sell their products & believe it or not still have that lovely smile under the terrible circumstances.
I think that by Xmas a lot of
these little shops will close as the number of tourists declines. Its a
crying shame but money carnt be made if there is nobody to sell to.
There are reports among the locals that there will be more trouble. Not on the scale of the huge bomb that ripped the heart out of the very popular tourist area but much smaller.
If tourists were to be targeted again the obvious two places would be Peanuts & The Bali Rock as these two venues have been packed with probably all the party goes left.
It has been suggested to Ngurah from Peanuts that a new attack would come in the shape of a bomb in a parcel. Not on the same scale as before but enough to cause enough damage & loss of life. Not trying to make this sound dramatic but its easy to work out.
I think that the big trouble is over here as the warning has been sent out big time to Australia to keep out of other countries business.
This is just my thoughts on the matter & I am not trying to stir up things on the Forum.
Most tourists who dont do the club scene keep in their hotels after dark.
We are still getting twenty plus at S & S but this will fall away with no tourists.
If you are still in Bali & want a place to meet up, we are still there around 4-30 every night.
I am booked here until 9th Nov &
havent really decided to leave earlier but that may change all depending on
what happens in the next few days.
The Damaged Area
SUNDAY 20TH OCTOBER.
This morning I went down to the Bagus Bar in Poppies 2 & spoke with the owner who we all call " Mr Bagus " & who I have known for years. He told me that he hopes to have the place running again in two months as they are in the middle of rebuilding it. The structure is still there & so is the upstairs pool table area but the roof & most of the downstairs section was guttered.
He said to please let everybody know that none of the staff were injured.The bar has already been fixed up & a new roof is starting to take shape. He has a lot of people working on it & everybody seems in good spirits even though the insurance company wont pay up.
From upstairs looking down into Poppies 2 there are just heaps & heaps of rubbish up to Legian St.Across from the Bagus the buildings that had Bali Shock Internet, the dvd & computer sofeware & the little mini mart are okey with only a small of damage to their roofs but are closed. The mini mart still has goods in it & is still trying to trade a little. On the right of that all the way up to Legian St all the little buildings, West Coast Leather, The footwear shop & novelty shops have all been destroyed & have fallen down or are in the process of being pulled down but its very hard to see with all the piles of debris everywhere.
Looking from the back corner of
the Bagus into the little lane that runs along side I could see damage to
the roofs & broken windows of just about every building, with most of the
small shops shut.Gita Travel & Indo Dreams seem to be the worst hit.
Mr Bagus tells me that his other place Tubes is closed but will open soon with only a small amount of damage to the roof & kitchen. Speaking to the security guards at the Barong Hotel they tell me that only a small part of the roof was damaged & the hotel is okey. The lane that runs away from the Barong that has the Warung 96 & Warung Wulan was least hit & only suffered broken windows in most of the shops. The Kori & Taman Sari Restaurants near the Barong Hotel are still operating.
In that whole area nearly every bit of glass was blown out with the force of the explosion. It is a horrible sight from upstairs especially looking to the Sari Area.
MONDAY 21ST OCTOBER.
I had an early night last night & got up around 7am. I walked down Legian St to the secured area & turned up a lane & went around the back way to the Dewi Sri Hotel. I went in the back entrance which is the only way into the place & walked out the front down the lane past the Troppo Zone to the corner of Paddays & this is where the full sight of the damage can be seen.
There were three newspaper people standing there ( German I think )& they asked if they could film a bit out the front of the the Sari & to my amazement the police let them through. So they went through with their big video & big still cameras & I followed with my small video & small digital camera. Standing in front of the Sari all I could see was a mass of twisted metal,tons & tons of rubble & a huge earthmoving machine. There is nothing left at all that even shows there was a building there. Looking to the left towards Poppies 2 everything else has been destroyed no surf shop on one corner & no photo shop on the other just piles of debris everywhere.
Looking back over my right shoulder up the lane to the White Rose there are just piles of debris. The huge building adjacent to Paddies (can't remember what it was) is gutted & will probably have to be pulled down. Broken glass, broken tiles & other pieces of building materials are everywhere.
By this time I thought I had
outstayed my welcome as there were all the experts from overseas starting to
arrive & so I retreated to the Paddies corner. Going back up the lane past
the burnt out cars I went inside which was Paddies & is now only a shell of
a building. The stairs are all burnt & falling down, the upstairs dance
floor is half hanging down & the floor is strewn with burnt tables, chairs,
broken glasses, bottles & other bar equipment.
I was told that Legian St will be opened soon for traffic but they have a huge mess to clean up first.
By this time I had had enough of this doom & gloom & wandered off down to the Bali Aussie for a brekky of bangers & mash.
Still Here
Just a quick posting to let you know that I am still here in Bali. Havent bothered to post as nothing here is happening to post about. Went for a walk just before lunch time down around Kuta Square, both Poppies Lanes & Legian St & would not have seen more than twenty tourists & they were European.
Plenty of very sad looking faces from the sellers at their stalls. Talked with some & most of them said they had not sold anything for a few days & had no money to buy food for their families. They seem to be under the impression that if they can hold on until Xmas the place will be full of tourists again & everything will be okey.
What can one say to them? Tell them that this place will not start to pick up for at least another twelve months & destroy the last bit of hope they have.
I went down & paid my rent to my friends Leo & Sue who have Baliboun Tours & they told me they had two hundred & fifty five bookings for the month of November which is a lot down on last year. After the bomb business they now have thirty three. How many other agents are in the same position?
The Puri Raja has six rooms occupied at the monent & the Bali Padma thirty nine & you know the size of the Padma.
My friends Russell & Lyn & their four friends were the only six people that went out on the Bounty cruise the other day.
Sounds like my report is all doom & gloom but I can only post on what I hear & see.
Was down at the bomb site also
today & it was a hive of activity as there were a couple of high ranking
officials inspecting the site all surrounded by FBI personal & the local
military carrying guns.
Most of the little shops down Poppies 2 have reopened but the area opposite the Bagus Bar is history.
I have taken over a hundred prints of the area including inside the Sari site & Paddies. I will probably just keep them at home to remember what that area meant to so many of us over the years as being the heart of activity for joy & happiness. I think everyone in Australia has had enough of the whole thing being shoved down our throats but that's only my opinion. Others may differ.
Still been going to a few restaurants. Wayan & Friends, Kori, Bali Aussie, Uncle Norms, Warung 96 & Warung Yoga & the food is still up to standard.
Looks like I will stay until the 9th Nov as Tony & Jo from the Gold Coast arrive early next week & also Brian from Wollongong.
Ted is still here & we have been having a "few Bintangs" together. Jodie my grandaughter goes home Sunday & also Russell & Lynne.
S & S are still getting a bit of trade but thats about all that is happening on the beach.They have been in their village for two nights for a special ceremony but will be back tomorrow ( Fri )
A big night is coming up tonight as my friend Mr John who has been the chief chef at the Bali Padma for twelve years has invited us around to his flat which is underneath the tennis courts. He has great set up there with a huge TV, DVD Stereo system complete with smoke machine & it belts out out great dvd concerts of the Rolling Stones, Meatloaf, Bryan Adams, Bruce Springsteen & others. A huge hangover is assured for tomorrow when we all go to the International Sports Bar in Sanur to meet the Perth people.
Thats it for now.
Rate for $A is RPH 4950 to 5050.
New Restaurants
It doesn't matter how many times we go to Bali we always find a new place to eat at or a new place to visit.
Here are three restaurants that we visited for the first time.
THE BUSH TELEGRAPH PUB.
This place has been posted about a few times on the Forum & so we decided to check it out.
It is a restaurant in Seminyak that has been styled to what the name says an outback Australian Pub with all the trimmings.
We ate great Aussie food consisting of Steaks, Pies, Chips & Gravy, washed down with Fosters on the tap.
If youwant to see more about this place check out the website on.www.bali.aus.to
When you visit there they will give you a voucher for a free drink on your return visit.
Its a good place to have a look at.
HOTEL PURI TANAH LOT.
This hotel is right across the road from the Camplung Mas where I am staying at & it was only a fluke I ended up in their restaurant after Jodie talked me into going over & trying out their hot tuna rolls. A huge hot roll filled with hot tuna & a creamy cheese sauce. WOW!!!
Two rolls, four orange juices & a small plate of Nasi Goering all for RPH46000.
We have been back there a few more times to try out other things on their menu & found good quality, good quantity & good prices.Its in the lane that runs off Melasti St down the side of the Legian Gardens Restaurant, not far down on the left hand side.
LAZAR SPORTS BAR SANUR.
We visited this restaurant as one of our organised gatherings & all credit must go to Helen from Adelaide for choosing the venue & arranging the night which turned out a huge success. It has a big screen & a few small monitors to show any sportng event or anything else of interest. A huge drink & food menu is there to choose from.
Also there is an internet cafe hooked onto the side incase you need to do a quick posting on the Forum.
Their address is JlDanau Tamblingan 82 Sanur. Tel 288807.
Ask for Made Wetha or Gede Harumbawa to arrange your night of entertainment.
Two Thank Yous
HELEN FLAVEL
I would just like to thank Helen
Flavel from Adelaide for her help to me in arranging our get togethers which
were thrown into confusion after the bomb ripped the heart out of the
nightclub area in Kuta.
I wish the world had more people in it like her & I am sure the ones that have met her will agree with me.
BALI SHIRTS.
For this trip to Bali many of us had special Bali shirts made up to remind us of the trip.( excuse the wording!!! )
Jetset from Rowville in Victoria had donated $A200 towards the cost & we were going to have a huge big free booze up one evening.
Speaking to everyone after the bombing we decided to donate the money to the Red Cross Bali Fund.
Thanks one & all & when I return to Melbourne on the weekend I will make sure you all receive a copy of the receipt.
On TV
Now first off, yes it was me on Bali TV & no it wasent done at Peanuts.
Ngurah from Peanuts ( you did meet him on that trip ) took a few of us down to the Arena Sports Bar in Sanur for a big fundraising night which featured a lot of the top bands from around the traps. It was great to see all together the bands I know including Crazy Horse from Peanuts & ones I have never heard before.
They made a lot of money on the night & it was really great to see the locals putting into the fund what they could afford as most of them are on the povety line & didnt even buy a drink.
At the end of the evening, as usual Ngurah gave his speech & then sang My Beautiful Lady which he always sang to Anne & which put a lump in my throat the size of a football.
He asked me before we left would I & a couple of other visitors just speak to the TV crew about what we still think about Bali etc.
I told them that everybody back in Australia & all visitors here were shocked at what had happened but please dont give Bali away as it would die etc etc.
Next day walking through the streets so many of the locals came up to me & said they had seen me on TV & thanked me for trying to help them.
The Australian Government may not like what I said & I dont care as I felt really good to at last see a few smiles on their faces.
I remember the other day when there was a small tribute ceremony at the bomb site, a woman ( dont know what Government she was attached to ) was waving her clipboard as a fan & made a remark in broken english about having to be in this hot dump of a place. I felt like telling her it was a damn lot hotter on a certain night around eleven pm but she had a guy standing next to her with an automatic rifle so I shut my big mouth for once. But it really p....d me off.
Anyway thats it for now as its Bintang time.
The Last Day
Well the dreaded last day of a holiday has finally come around on this trip number sixteen.
Just had a big steak at Wayan and Friends & as usual the food was superb.
Had a walk down Padma & surrounding streets doing the last bit of shopping for DVDs etc. Picked up my cards from Nengah & coin jewellery from the Bali Aussie & all I have to do is now pack the case & thats the reason Amanda is coming down to the hotel.
A bit of a lump in the throat good bye at S & S & off down to Poppies 2 to say farewell to my friends there.
Yesterday was a huge day down at Sanur with the "Jolly Boys" & we all went to the Golden Lotus at the Bali Dynasty for dinner & then downstairs to the Irish bar after.
First time I have been to the
Golden Lotus & loved it. Great Chinese food, a bit pricey but well worth it.
Thanks My John from the Padma for the choice.
People have emailed me about the bomb site area asking what is happening there. Well they have erected a huge stage like structure on the site that was the Sari Club & it will be used in the "cleansing ceremoney " on the fifteenth. All that area is still closed to traffic but you can walk through as hundreds of people are doing, taking photos & video footage of the ruins. A lot of it has been cleaned up but there is still enough there to show what a mess the bomb made.I have been told that the coming ceremoney will be one of the biggest ever seen in Bali.
Well I had better get back to the hotel as one of the Peanuts cars will be picking me for the trip back to the airport & I still have a heap of things to do.
Just in closing I would just like to thank everybody that was concerned for my safety & that of my friends after the bomb. My phone was jammed with messages & calls for just on twenty four hours & we all really appreciated your thoughts.
And so ends another trip to our
beautiful but broken island in this year of 2002 that I wish never existed.
God bless. |