JP/18/DISPLY

JP/18/DISPLY

Murdani Usman
The Jakarta Post
Denpasar

The Indonesian Independence Day celebrations on Aug. 17 offered
the peace-loving Balinese a joyful reprise from the trauma and
economic hardship that the Oct. 12, 2002 bomb blast delivered.

Foreign holidaymakers have begun to return to the island but
the tourism industry, which is the heart of Bali's economy, is
still recovering.

On Aug. 16 and Aug. 17 the atmosphere in Bali told a different
story as people just wanted to have fun. They flocked to the
public parks. They crowded the bale banjar (village community
centers). They played on the beaches of Sanur, Kuta and Nusa dua.
There was a pretty tough looking game of tug of war (top on left
photo), decorative bicycles (bottom on left photo) with
carnivalesque canopies and a tree climbing race.

Foreign tourists also took up the invitation to party. They
were seen sharing the happiness of the locals, laughing and more
than hopeful that the good times were here to stay.