Friday November 28, 2008

I deliberately didn’t do a lot today after my big one yesterday. It probably took most of the morning to write the previous bloody day up anyway. For most of the arvo I divided my time between the net café trying to upload yesterdays video and my bed catching an awesome poppy nap. Pretty boring hey and that was just what I was after. I spoke to Tezza in the earlier evening and was just about to hang up anyway when my call waiting beeps started. “OK baby, I’ll catch ya later. Much love… mwah” I said my goodbyes and answered the other call. It was Tav and Meags they had just managed a shower after their day and wondered if I had eaten, although I had been grazing all day and really could of missed dinner, I didn’t want to miss out on hanging with them so we arranged to meet at the Kebab Place again.

The Kebab Place is kind of halfway between our two Hotels. If you’re ever in Dili it’s just a few shops towards the water from the ANZ bank and well worth your time. Antonio the owner is an excellent cook and an awesome character. He has lived all over the world, including a few Australian cities and has settled here, for now, in East Timor. He has a young, adorable looking, little daughter with his girlfriend and big plans for their futures. We gathered for beers and some nibbles being a bit late to catch his kitchen still open and have our dinner there. Antonio kept us entertained with his stories as we relaxed in his atmospheric little shop. Before long we were on the subject of weed and it’s availability here in Dili when Tav grins madly and states, “I have a little something I managed to get hold of today.” We couldn’t believe it! Tav you bloody legend. Antonio used to work in Amsterdam at a pot café rolling spliffs for a living and was keen to share his prowess. He grabbed Tav’s little bit of ‘Natures Own’ and immediately set about his task of assembling the best bloody roll I have ever had the pleasure to wrap my lips around.

And that was how it came to be that just 24 hours after the most terrifying day I have had so far I was peering through eyes that would only just open, at some mad new friends hidden in a cloud of sweet smelling ganga smoke, rapidly becoming drunk and stoned, in a tiny Turkish restaurant on a side street in Dili. It was heaven.. perfection.. nirvana. This trip keeps a fella on his toes let me tell ya. You never can predict what is just around the corner. I hadn’t had a ‘Happy cigarette’ since Darwin and this sucker hit all three of us hard. We are, all three of us, such lightweights now hahaha. We laughed and chatted, going through Antonio’s photo album. “One thousand, three hundred and sixty-three” was his proud reply when I noted he had quite a few photos. We didn’t see them all but I could of easily. It was great fun checking out his life.

It took a while for us to regain focus and realise that the munchies effect was kicking in, with full force. Antonio wanted to get home anyway so we parted ways for now after making rough plans to catch up tomorrow and maybe go out for a drink. Us three, very stoned and well wobbly peeps made our way to our best chance of a feed at ‘One More Bar’. There we found an open kitchen and proceeded to demolish a small nations monthly rations worth of food. The music was loud and our brains had slowed so conversation lulled into a comfy silence as we fed and drank. I would look around the table and see two relaxed smiles that I knew was also wearing. It was easily one of my better nights so far and so out of left field, which only ever makes the whole experience that much more amazing.

It was very late when we finally called it a night and when I returned to my Hotel the huge front gates were shut and locked. Luckily I’m just a skinny assed fella and could slip through the gap in the gate just below the chain. I was giggling and congratulating myself when I noticed the actual door way was also gated and locked. Uh oh… I didn’t know what to do. I stood and scratched my head for a few minutes and then noticed I could squeeze my bony arm thru the bars of the gate and unlock it from the inside. Whoooo hooo! I felt like a Bogan James Bond, partaking in a stoned game of break and enter. I was so pleased with myself, so I re-enacted the whole thing with my camera out taking photos hahaha. Realising I was probably being a bit of a noisy bugger I started climbing the stairs to my room going “Shhhhhhhhh… shhhhhhhhhhhh” as if it wasn’t me making the noise to begin with and I was being a responsible kid reminding non-existent company to keep the noise down. I made my door and laughed out loud as I caught myself still shhhhhh-shing myself. It was so funny I took another photo haha.

Inside and on my bed I have vague memories of conducting a short but vigorous text frenzy. I don’t know to whom I sent messages or what I said but let me apologise right here to anyone who happened to suffer a drunk dial, hit and run from Monsta. My bad! The first phone that comes out with a sobriety lock I will be purchasing without a doubt!

---

---