Timor Leste

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151095371650965.451039.637055964&type=1&l=6b6e32aa0

Whichever way I look, whatever I find here is linked to somewhere else with a new flavour and a special twist which makes it Diliesque and Timoresque.

What a whirl of going places and meeting a really diverse range of people during my first 3 weeks in Timor Leste. Chatting with neighbourhood kids, fishermen, students, and taxi drivers makes learning Tetun fun, and when in doubt Portuguese words help the guesswork! At a tourism training meeting today, powerpoint presentations with a mix of Portuguese, Tetun, Bahasa, and English emphasized the challenges of which official language to use (or not).

 

Bbq fish & beer at the local beach is a great place late afternoon. Yesterday I even saw a humpback whale from the shore. Whilst Dili has a strong local flavour, there's an extensive international community including Cuban doctors, aspiring Portuguese tango dancers, and the last of the UN workers from around the globe winding down operations. The "Kiwi Stone" event marked the departure of the NZ army, and most of the police have been packing up. Meanwhile the VSA volunteer presence has grown to 10 (www.vsa.org.nz).

Last weekend I was lucky to join a road trip to the eastern most part of Timor Leste where we spent a few nights sleeping out under the stars by the island of Jaco (a marine reserve with amazing snorkelling). And it's just the beginning of my journey in Timor Leste...