Indonesia some other time?

It is a real disappointment - Bali being bombed, that is - for occasional travelers and tourists like myself. Believe it or not, I have never been to Bali or Medan, places so renown and accessible from where I stay - Singapore - that you would wonder why I've never been to these places. Well, there's more reason now for me to avoid these places. I know I shouldn't, but with a wife and kid in tow, you cannot but think about the 10,000th chance that something untoward might occur. People say that lightning doesn't strike twice in the same spot. Bali has proven this saying to be dangerously inaccurate.

On the other hand, it is right that our PM continues on with his plans to visit Bali today. I am sure there will be heavy security around this visit, but it is also symbolic. The visit says that terrorists might disrupt lives for a while, but their objectives, never ever very clear in the first place, will never be achieved.

Someone told me more than 10 years ago of the tranquility of Medan, that I should pay a visit some time. 10 years have passed and I haven't acted on that advice. Well, it looks like I will have to defer my plans for a while longer.