And maybe parts of Thailand, too.
And forget about Malaysia.
On the other hand, prices are going to be even cheaper. Youi could try the Philippines too. All of the terrorist acts down there seem to be limited to the southern islands. Everything north of Cebu seems to be ok. Boracay is ok also. And you can be sure that they’re only going to be getting stricter with security. Bottom line? White sandy beaches are going to be cheaper and less crowded, and security is going to be tighter than ever before. Just be aware of where you’re going. 8)
Sorry Maoman, I don’t think that’s completely true about the Philippines. True, the Abu Sayaf seem to be mainly confined to the island of Basilan in the south. But there have been bombs and killings in Manilla and Cebu. I know this because I did a little research before traveling there last year. We flew to Cebu and took a boat to a small island. It was very beautiful, the food was great, and we had a terrific restful time. But I was a little nervous. Although we all know George Bush is an evil bastard, I do wish he would invade the Philippines (forget Iraq, who cares about them?) and miraculously rid them of the damn A.S. because there are so many beautiful islands to explore there and it is so cheap and close to Taiwan. Same for those other countries. 
Where were the bombs? Kuta and/or Denpasar? The media reports I’ve seen seem to think both are the same place, which they’re not.
You’re right of course. I just think that many tourists overreact when they hear about unrest in other parts of the country. Last time I went to Boracay (just after 9/11), people were asking me if I wasn’t afraid of being kidnapped. I’m still not afraid of being kidnapped in non-Muslim parts of the Philippines, but bombs can happen anywhere, as we’re learning to our horror. It’s a different world now.
Does anybody have any friends who were in Bali over the weekend? Are they ok? I know that most of the dead were tourists, and although Taiwanese don’t venture far from the hotel discos, it would be very possible that some of Taiwan’s foreign residents would have first hand knowledge of yesterday’s tragedy. Here’s hoping that all of our friends and acquaintances are ok. 
Goddammit ! What are these guys doing messing with our favourite holiday destinations !? Come on Dubya, none of us were going to Iraq anyway, give us back the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia !
I remember being on holiday in Malaysia, and taking a little 2 day trip up to Hat Yai in Thailand. Just hours after I left someone blew up the train station. When talking to my mum the next day she pointed out how lucky I was not to have been anywhere near that (good old CNN). I had to reflect on the irony of someone from Northern Ireland going to Thailand and being blown up in a car bomb !!! 
So many people dead and injured. I will never be able to understand the mindset of people who do such things.
I guess this spells the end of my planned Christmas getaway to Bali with my wife. I can’t bear spending Christmas in Hsinchu but other than Thailand are there any safe places left?
Shit!
I don’t know what to do. Last monday I picked up my ticket to Bali for Chinese New Year. Due to the fact that it was free because of frequent flyer mileage rewards, I had to pick it up earlier than usual. Now, I am confused. I don’t know if they’ll let me change my plans.
What should I do? I still really want to go. Will it be unsafe to arrive at the airport and then scurry off to the middle of the island (mountains, rice paddies), instead of the beach, because it would be less touristy?
Should I head to Lombok, instead? Should I go to the airline and demand a change of ticket?
I’m so disappointed that the world has become like this. 
What makes people think Thailand would be any safer than Bali?
Ko San road would make a likely target if what happened in Bali on the weekend is anything to go by. Thailand, in the south around Hat Yai, as Hexuan pointed out has for many, many years been an unstable area. There are frequent bomb attacks conducted by moslem sepratists.
I’d go. I spent the 70s and 80s in Northern Ireland and never got blown up once. The chances of them hitting Bali again soon are slim. They’ve made their point and hightailed it back to the dugouts. Bail’ll be like a police state for at least six months - you should be fine.
Maoman is right that risk is relative. Statistically one is probably more likely to be killed by bee stings or feral cats than by terrorists even if one travels to Bali. But if SE Asia seems too scary, I would think Okinawa might be a good alternative. Not the same as Bali but still lots of beautiful beaches, good food and different culture. Plus, I doubt that any radical muslim groups live there and airport security is probably as good as it gets. 
Bali is now the safest place in the world for tourists.
The act has been committed and it’s over. No terrorist would plan to hit Bali again. The place will now be far too ‘hot’ to contemplate another strike.
The added effect is that it might thin out the crowds a bit for the next couple of months.
Taiwan’s semi-pro ex-pat rugby team was in Bali this weekend competing in a tourny. 5 of them are currently missing, at least one (a co-worker of mine) will be returning to Taiwan with injuries.
Spooky!
Where were the bombs? Kuta and/or Denpasar?
According to the German media it was in Kuta, a pub/disco called “Paddy’s”. And you are right, Kuta is not the same as Denpasar nor is it a suburb of it.
(For those who don’t know: Kuta is the main tourist place and a town on it’s own.)
Bali is now the safest place in the world for tourists.
The act has been committed and it’s over. No terrorist would plan to hit Bali again.
You should not underestimate those idiots, especially if they are Muslim extremist and on their own playground …
It is quite sad, a few weeks ago I was recommending some local friends to go to Bali, saying it has always been safe and never been affected by any unrest like so many other places in Indonesia. My friends never went there but I still can’t grasp it … no place seems to be safe anymore.
Personally I would stay away from all places close to Muslim extremist or pre-dominantly occupied by Muslims, i.e. southern Phillipines & East Malaysia, Indonesia, Southern Thailand etc.
I stayed 7 years in Malaysia and never felt threatened, but then again it has just been proven you cannot guarantee your safety anywhere.
[quote=“wolf_reinhold”]Bali is now the safest place in the world for tourists.
The act has been committed and it’s over. No terrorist would plan to hit Bali again. The place will now be far too ‘hot’ to contemplate another strike.
The added effect is that it might thin out the crowds a bit for the next couple of months.[/quote]
if crowds and prices were everything anyone cared about, sure. but there’s a smoldering grave and hospitals full of people and body parts. not my idea of a relaxing getaway. seems downright heartless to be enjoying yourself in that kind of atmosphere.
Rascal, i’m pretty sure that the main explosion was at the Sari Club rather than Paddy’s.
Yes, they just corrected it to “Sari Club” at Kuta Beach.
Thailand may not be any safer, I saw on the Chinese news a few days ago there was a bomb in Bangkok that killed about 4 people, but they never said anything about whether it was related to terrorism or not, I never heard anymore about it. Did anyone else hear about this?
what i saw on yahoo news is that it was not terrorism related. it occured in a government office outside of bangkok, and may have involved some personal dispute.