It is very unfortunate that such a tragedy had befallen on tourists that have come to enjoy the island's beauty. The terrorist attack on Bali has caused much suffering - not only to the victims & their families, but to those who earn a living from the previously bustling tourism industry there. Tourist numbers have collapsed overnight and many locals are struggling just to feed their families. As if things weren't bad enough, then came SARS that threatened tourism the world over, and now the bird flu virus is threatening the whole south-east asian region just when things are beginning to pick up.

Yet beyond the suffering is always hope - And for the Balinese, despite the damage done in Kuta, and the threat of potentially epidemic diseases, they still have all the assets that make their little island one of the most magical & beautiful islands in the world. I hope to illustrate this through my photos, taken from my trip there in the Year 2000. The Balinese have been a very resilient people, having preserved their way of life for many, many years. No doubt life goes on. Although the aggressive souvenir pedlars and the odd con persons (women included) may present an unpleasant experience, Bali has much to offer any traveller. And I hope that travellers will again one day go and experience for themselves, this beautiful & exotic island that the Balinese call, their Home.

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All the photos here have been taken with a 35mm point-and-shoot camera (Pentax Espio 928) on Fuji Sensia, Provia & Velvia slide film. These have been scanned on a flatbed scanner (unfortunately, we do not have a proper slide scanner) , and has been colour-corrected, somewhat, on Adobe Photoshop to the best of my ability. This method does not accurately reflect the slides' true colours but I think it is good enough to give a pretty good impresssion. I welcome any comments and am open to corrections on any of the information I have presented here. Please note that things may have changed since my trip there in 2000.