Coconut on the beach...

So, I have been in Timor for a week now. It's been an interesting one. Mostly meeting with the commercial services and business development staff. It's been several months since they have had the support that they have needed, so it has been good just to sit down and listen to them.
Life in Timor, at least from what I have seen, is pretty nice. Is is beautiful, but very different than the lush greenery of Aceh. It is incredibly arid now, everything is so dry and dusty. Although, I believe that rainy season is just around the corner.

I found a lovely place to get a good Balinese massage. I already have my VIP card in hand (ok, so it is not very hard to get a VIP card, they offer them to everyone) which is good for my 10% discount. The $20 for 60 minutes and $25 for 90 minutes is steep by Bali standards, bet well worth it in Dili. I even went twice last week. Do you think I can claim that as a medical expense?

I moved into a much nicer hotel, so am feeling much more comfortable. Place is nice enough that there is even internet access. I am writing from my lovely little room right now. It is amazing how I am - at the same time both used to the challenges of international travel, yet appreciate the luxuries - like regular electricity hot water, air conditioning and something so extravagant as internet access. And Timor even has good food. There is a lovely beachfront Thai restaurant and even several Japanese restaurants. I feel so spoiled to get to eat good food in such a nice location.

I went to Timorese wedding this weekend. The ceremony was on the church on the top of the hill where the new Pope John Paul II statue was recently built. It is quite a jaunt up the hill, luckily we were able to drive up the tretuous road instead of walking up the hill. It was a traditional Catholic wedding in Tutun, or at least I think it was, I didn't understand that much of the ceremony. I did find it a little ironic that I got in a little light reading during the ceremony "Will Storr vs. the Supernatural."

This morning I had a nice brunch at a beachfront restaurant. I then took a nice walk west along the beach road. It was so nice to enjoy the scenery and get in a bit of exercise. I also got to see a little bit of local Sunday life, at the beach.

Who needs clothes when you can sit on the beach eating a coconut?
Do not ask for a reenactment!

Timor-Leste

Ok, so I am no longer in Indonesia after my nasty encounter with a 400 pound iron gate. After two months trying to get better in Banda Aceh - which was a miserable failure, I spent the last four and a half months living with the lovely family in DC ... doctors, physical therapy and lots of really bad TV.

I arrived in Dili, East Timor yesterday about midday. I felt fine for the first several hours, although the back was a bit achy. I was desperately trying to stay awake to get adjusted to the time zone, but only made it to 8:00 pm. I did make a quick trip to the supermarket for a bottle of water and some spicy guacamole pringles. The exhaustion may have been helped on by watching the final presidential debate replay on CNN, but after some 40 hours of travel I probably deserved to be tired.

Today I was up nice and early and decided to take a few pictures. I am staying at a place across from the beach. Not the nicest place in town, but it will do for now.