Bali bombing interviews

When I arrived in Bali in January 2003, I set about interviewing Balinese locals, who were present during the bombings and the Sari Club and Paddy’s. Many of those people are still in the area, and I did manage to meet the husband of one lady, who was injured.

Many people told me independendtly that they were scared of loud noises and the dark, after the bombings. One of the recurring memories people have, is the darkness, as all the lights went out, and the panic.

During the mayhem, one security guard told me of his dual role, of helping to stockpile bodies in the Aloha Surrf Shop, located next to the Sari Club, at the same time as preventing Balinese locals from looting the place. There were plenty of stories of near misses, including Ika, who was in a taxi with her sister, coming out of Poppies II. The taxi would be about 20 meters from ground zero, and it was only the cement walls of Aloha surf shop that prevented them from injury.

There was also Nellie, from Timor, who was a translator with the UN. Nellie was inside the Sari Club with 13 friends from Australia and Portugal. One of them wanted cigarettes and Nellie offered to to go Circle K to buy them. While she was in Circle K, the Sari Club blew up, Nellie was uninjured, but never saw any of her friends again. She told me after looking for them she was scared and ran down a darkened Poppies II to the beach. Tripping over something and falling to the ground she couldn’t see what it was. Using the light from her cell phone screen she saw it was a leg.

The bartender of Pub Bagus told me when the first bomb went off, people thought it was fireworks and started cheering. When the Sari Club bomb went off everything went dark and people started running. Realizing he had to close the bar, he went about his business, but kicked something with his foot. It was a head. I’m sure there are stories like this all over the place. I’m also sure there is an equal number of storeis that will never be told, of people who made tat last minute decision to go to Paddy’s or the Sari Club.

An expat friend of mine, told me on the night of the Sari Club bombing, many of the expat kids, who would normally be hanging out there, where somewhere else. Not many expats if any were killed in the Sari Club, which was popular with expats. Most of the damaged places as well as the sidewalks have been repaired and Kuta is bouncing back, with new places opened, including MBarGo.