It was a blast heard ’round the world.
Just one week ago today on Monday, August 17th, a TNT bomb detonated inside of Erawan Shrine, a popular tourist attraction in Bangkok, Thailand, killing 20 people and injuring more than 100 others.
This senseless act of violence is disturbing and infuriating even under the best of circumstances; Thailand is a place that is very near and dear to me, and right now I cannot imagine the suffering the victims and their families are experiencing as a result of this act of terrorism.
My heart aches for the lives that were lost. My heart aches for Bangkok.
Perhaps the very worst part in all of this is that no single organization has come forward to claim responsibility and the circumstances surrounding the attack are complicated and unclear; the Thai authorities are now left with quite a mess to clean up, and with such a poor track record for effectively dealing with crises like this (and that’s putting it kindly, I might add), public confidence will only suffer further the longer it goes unresolved.
When a second attempted bombing less than 24 hours later was met with the suspicion that the attacks were being carried out by a well-organized team rather than just one or a few individuals, the situation became even more unsettling.
Tourism will most likely take a hit as well, at least initially, over safety concerns.
As for me, well, I’ll still be boarding my flight from Stockholm to Bangkok as planned come September 8th, in little more than two weeks from now.
But I’d be lying if I told you I hadn’t had my doubts.
Truth be told, I’ve never traveled someplace so soon after a tragedy of this scale has taken place. I don’t entirely know how to feel. I have no reason to believe that further attacks on the city will take place, yet at the same time I can never rest assured that they won’t.
In the very same breath, I know that this is just one of the inherent risks of traveling (hell, of life)–bad things can happen anywhere and at any time (yes, even in places that most people would deem “safe,” such as…err…an Ikea in Sweden) and I would never let this knowledge keep me from doing what I love.
And while some travelers may have the option to reroute or change their plans entirely, this just isn’t feasible for me, even if I wanted to. As much as I know I’m going to love Sweden, I just can’t afford to get held up in Stockholm–I’m sure all my fellow fledgling freelancers out there can relate.
Not to mention that with friends waiting for me in the Thai islands, I’d be devastated to go anywhere else.
Having spent more time in Thailand than any other foreign country I’ve visited, in many ways, it does feel like my second home. What I do know for sure is that I’m still immeasurably excited for my return and am looking forward to showing my support for this country I love so dearly in any way that I can.
Not losing faith would be a good place to start.
See you soon, Bangkok. My wishes for healing and hope in the aftermath of this tragedy go out to you.
