Back in Action

Hooray, back from holiday! No, that's not sarcasm....it's merely expressing happiness over the fact that I can now look forward to my next one!
Being away from Dili can, at times, be like getting over the flu:
Once you have it, you're not sure if you can deal with it any longer and it feels like it's never going to end; then, when it's over, you can hardly recall what the fuss was about at the time and you just look forward to getting on with life...exactly how it feels when I'm on holiday.
All the stuff that had bugged me for weeks, the at times unbearable circumstances here, it all fades into a pleasant cloud of distant memories as soon as that plane takes off and you realize you're actually leaving for a while...

Then, as you arrive back things don't actually seem that bad for a moment or two (ok, for a few days, really); but especially this time I was surprised:

There is a lot more color around, stemming from advertising banners, newly painted shop fronts and restaurants. There are construction projects everywhere and lots previously occupied by rubble and shrubs are slowly being transformed into residences, shops and small businesses.
A lot more students are around now, too, and some of the education projects which started off with not much more than a tent have truly thrived...try walking around Comoro Rd near landmark between 3 and 5 in the afternoon and you'll know what I mean: hundreds if not thousands of students on their way home!!!!

Malaes are more and more walking through the local neighborhoods, chatting to locals, incidents of rock throwings are on the decline and, apart from the odd theft or burglary there isn't much to speak of in terms of offending against foreigners.

IT ALL SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, RIGHT?!

Well, it kind of is:
People "in the KNOW" say that this is what it used to be like in 2005, less than 12 months before ET went up in flames....and guess what:
the signs that history may repeat itself are already there and not much different from the ones which preceded "2006-round-1" either.
Trouble within the Police force over various issues; an increasing East-West divide over who should be the next PNTL commander; Fretilin organized and threatened Peace marches being publically labeled as Coup attempts by parts of the current government if held as planned;
pay quarrels over PNTL wages; pre-existing and ever-lurking tensions between F-FDTL and PNTL over tasking and charter issues....the list goes on and on...

Where will it lead? Only God knows, with Fretilin, PNTL, the current Government and the rest of us to find out in due course.

Let's hope it doesn't indeed play out into "2006-round-2". The country truly doesn't deserve this; but as is so often case: a country's population/government is often it's own worst enemy.

The signs are there and as I see it it's a clear fork in the road; never have the two paths been laid out so obviously: one leads to peace and longterm prosperity, the other to utter distruction of hope and any progress achieved.

I dare anyone to make an accurate prediction!

I, for one, hope we will all at least have another peaceful Christmas this year....

Benz Taxi?

Yesterday I saw something on Beach Road that can only be described as the equivalent of the white elephant of Timorese taxis: a freshly painted, yellow 250 SEL Mercedes Benz cab!
At first when I saw it approaching at the usual breakneck speed of 15km/h I thought it was a joke...like a Mercedes hood ornament on a rotten Jap import....but as it go closer there was no denying it: someone out there in the vast slow moving sea of decrepit, bruised, less-than-roadworthy, crazy glue assembled Timorese taxis is driving a nicely maintained yellow Mercedes with "Taxi" spraypainted on its side.
A sign of wealth? A fluke of nature? Timor's first 'corporate' cab business? Who knows....but if anyone else sees this cab, let me know. I just want to be sure I can actually trust my eyes...

Meat anyone?

Thank goodness for supermarkets like Landmark and Cold Store...

One of many food stalls along beach road. The white stuff in the 1.5l aqua bottles, by the way, is palm wine; an acquired taste they say....

"Corner Store" on the way to the beach...

Pleasant surprises

Good news on the accommodation front: my existing landlord, for fear of losing revenue, has yielded to my demands to lower the rent or lose me as a tenant.
As a result I still have my humble abode and am able to save a few bucks each month. Pleasant surprise number one.

Pleasant surprise number two was eating out on the weekend:
Went to Bangkok Spice on Saturday night; well worth a visit!
For those that do not know where it is (and its easy to miss):
Coming from Tiger fuel and driving towards Colmera you will notice Wasabi restaurant towards your left just as you hit the big roundabout. Turn left directly at Wasabi and keep an eye out for a smallish green sign on the left, about 50-80meters down that road.
As I said, it's easy to miss, but if you're focused on that little rectangular sign "Bangkok Spice", you're sure to find it.
One of the more pleasant restaurant settings in Dili, it features a courtyard with water features pretty furnishings and a bar, as well as a dining area inside with proper linen & place settings, air conditioning and an allround relaxing ambience.
Its menu is short and to the point, the service reasonably efficient and the food neatly presented and of very good quality. In short, a dining experience well worth repeating.

On Sunday then I went to the Long Beach restaurant, one of many Thai restaurants east of pig bridge along the waterfront. The setting, although neither spectacular nor unique among the 6 or 8 other restaurants along that stretch, is pleasant enough and the sunset certainly looked good from our table. Ordering as it turned out was an adventure and, had we not known that the place had been in existence for quite some time, we would've sworn we were the first ever customers...
Panic ensued with every inquiry and every attempt to place an order, but unlike other restaurants in Dili, where this could easily become so frustrating that it would spoil the evening, here none of the frustrations arose largely thanks to the cheerfulness and friendly smiles of the staff who were truly falling over each other in trying to get it right.
Eventually we actually gave up asking what was available (some things we were told weren't) and abandoned our attempts to create a balanced Thai meal and simply asked the staff to order for us what they thought we would like.
What followed was a truly enjoyable dining experience with plate after plate of coming out of the small kitchen; each one better than the last. There were different soups, fresh seafood, traditional minced pork dishes, fried whole fish and stirfry's... and abundance of fresh herbs, lemongrass and chili...simply delicious.
We couldn't have ordered like this ourselves.
Eventually we had to call the food caravan to a stop as we all struggled to eat another single tasty bite. In full anticipation of having to pay a small fortune we approached the counter only to be pleasantly surprised yet again: we had had a feast for around $20 per person including drinks (of which we downed a few!!).
The kind hostess obviously could see how full we were and promptly offered to book us in for a traditional Thai massage, which, one can endulge in at a separate part of the small venue; alas we couldn't as lying on one's stomach was not the preferred position for the remainder of the evening nor so short after this voluminous dinner.
Maybe next time, aye, as we will most certainly return to Long Beach restaurant!!!

Searching for accommodation

Now that I have been here for 9 months, I am starting to adapt to the living conditions and have moved twice as a result: My first apartment was quite luxurious, almost western and therefore inordinately expensive; so much so that there was just no justification to maintain such a lifestyle in light of the few hours I actually spend at home each day.

My second place was a little simpler, smaller, but still quite western (swimming pool, balinese furnishings etc.).

Now, after another 6 months there I am ready to simplify yet again.

In the last few weeks I have been hunting for a room, apartment or house in and around Dili; well, actually not around Dili as I would still like to live relatively central...

The first thing I noticed was that rents in general have gone up hugely since my first arrival in 2007. To get a one bedroom style unit under $1500 a month can now be considered luck.

Of course there are cheaper ones available, such as local houses which can easily be rented for around $300 a month, but the capital outlay required to bring them up to a reasonable standard defeats the purpose of trying to save money by moving.

Another trend is for people to have houses built: For around $3000 to $5000 one can acquire a brandspanking new domicile. The initial outlay then comes of the rent, so not a bad deal if A) one has that sort of money lying around and B) stays long enough for it to make economic sense and C) the security situation doesn't deteriorate.

I was offered a one bedroom unit for $1000 a month (little compound down a dirt road left hand side of Landmark supermarket): included are electricity, cable tv, internet, laundry and cleaning; the furnishings are fairly modern and the compound is well maintained (even comes with a mini-gym). So that is option 1.

The other option is a hotel room at one of the beachfront hotels: one bedroom, similar conditions (laundry, tv etc.) and $800-$900 a month.

Which one to choose!!!!

One thing is for certain: the longer I am here the less I need in terms of western comforts. Who knows, another 6 months down the track and I am ready for traditional Timorese living...NOT!

It will be interesting to see what happens when the gradual pullout of Australian troops and UNPOL begins. No doubt this will have an enormous impact on the accommodation and hospitality industry. I for one will hopefully still be around to go flat-hunting then....