Dili 2001 Hotel

C'e' una sottile linea che separa passione ed ossessione. La stessa linea sottile che divide determinazione e testardaggine. Sempre la stessa linea separa spirito d'avventura e semplice stupidita'. Molte volte, durante questi mesi, ho camminato in punta di piedi in bilico su quella linea. Ma stavolta e' diverso, stavolta dovrei prendere una rincorsa, chiudere gli occhi e fare un balzo dall'altra parte. No, non ha proprio senso rischiare tutto per realizzare un sogno; meglio ...

We started a new program in Timor-Leste, in the area of rural water supply and sanitation. The purpose of this program is to help build the capacity of the Timor-Leste government in the provision of water supply and sanitation services. The team will be working with the Ministry of Health (which is responsible for WSS) and other donors in all districts. This was my first visit to the country which has gone through great civil unrest and violence over the last 18 ...

Our Bus ride to Dilli was pretty Much a doddle and i really enjoyed it we headed straight through a range of mountains in west timor and i found the scenery pretty stunning most of the way we got to see some really remote villages and the locals waved us past and chased the minibus everytime we went through a village of Beehive shaped huts. Again not a tourist in sight even when we arrived at the border town of Atumbua where we had to arrange trasport to ...

... all the faces of the people behind us in the cue waiting to get there chance to go in front of the Commander Genral. Mikes grumbles something like put a few dollars in your passport that always does the trick, thats all he wants a little bit of kickback, 20 should sort him. I am contemplating the 20 dollar bribe when Travolta sticks his head out of the serving hatch on the caravan and shouts us over. OK Mr Smirk from Manchester. 11 days you want ...

... de Passage auszufuellen und zu stempeln hatte - obwohl East Timor nicht als Carnet Land v**m**kt ist. Danach **oeffnete sich ein fast menschenle**es und bettelarmes, ab** unglaublich freundliches Land mit fantastischen Landschaften und imm**-laechelnden Einheimischen. An menschenle**en Straenden und vom Tourismus unb**uehrt ging es nach Dili. In Dili wurde in d** einzigen, ab** ganz sympatischen billig- Unt**kunft East Timor ...

Jan. 19, 2007 We left early this morning with Claudia and our driver for a day trip to East Timor's second largest city Baucau. On the way we stopped in just about every village. Metinaro had an interesting market where we bought some strings of goat meat jerky which had been hung up for the flies to walk over. These might have been the cause of Irina's first case of tourist stomach this evening. Or it could have been the dried ...

Jan. 18, 2007 Things aren't all bad in Dili. There are some good restaurants for instance. One of our favorites is the City Café, not far from our hotel and near the place where we saw the rock throwing gangs in the street. Seafood is of course plentiful here. There's an open air fish market directly across the road from the Hotel Torismo. You can watch the fishermen bringing in their catch. We found a nice Malaysian restaurant and hotel called the Ocean ...

... Timorese boys are born with a rock in their hand. The joke among the UN troops is that they go to mass in the morning and begin throwing stone when they leave. This morning we set out to find Jim Richards, a travel agent here in Dili who we'd had e-mail contact with months before we left the states. His office is in the Tjing Fatto Building on Rua Belarmino next to the ANZ bank. It's Sunday and we wouldn't ...

... conversation with Neil, another guest house long-termer who was trying to put together a documentary on the country. Apparently Neil had been in an interview with the Minister of Immigration the day after we left and mentioned our problem, the Minister told Neil we should come to his office to have our visa sorted out. When told that we had already left, the minister asked "Why didn't they come to see me?". What a cool country!

... people are saying the equivalent of "I am stupid and Jesus is smart. He was very sick for me..." They just don't have a big enough vocabulary so everyone always sounds like five year olds and the fact they are excited by simple things, like bullhorns and balloons. Christmas day we went back to church in the morning and then afterwards had a big feast. All of my host dad's children came in from school and he was so happy to have all 9 of his children under one roof. He actually ...