Fist fight in the parking lot?

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Yet another tiring morning flight, although this time at least I am staying close to the airport. It gets a bit tiring living in a coffer like Yasser Arafat always lugging bags around, so it is good to know that today I will arrive in a place where I can settle down for a few days. I am immensely happy to finally board for Dili, a place I have been wanting to visit for so long. The weather is great and the flight over Nusa Tenggara introduces me to the beauty of the Indonesian archipelago with spectacular views. We pass island after island with rising mountains and shiny white beaches. Volcanic cones crop up from time to time, from very small ones to wide and deformed craters. Quite spectacular.

Dili's diminutive Nicolo Lobato airport is currently the only airport open for traffic. The bigger airport in Baucau has been closed for some time, although there have been plans to reopen it as the main international airport some time in the future. Upon landing we are walked to a barrack erected between the tarmac and the terminal. This is the visa on arrival office. It appears that almost anyone can get a visa to East Timor, as long as you are equipped with 30 USD you can get the simplest form which grants you a stay for up to 30 days. Be careful when filling out your arrival card. I had written that I intended to remain until the 11th and so this exact date was promptly written into my visa instead of a token 30 days. I am not sure if it would have been possible to stay 30 days without having to extend the visa or not, but make sure you add as many days as you think you will need just to be on the safe side.

Having passed through immigration which was slow but simple enough I find myself on foreign soil with a non-roaming telephone. I decide to find the local Merpati office to inquire about how to reserve my return ticket. I ask a friendly security guard about the way and he puts his hand around my shoulder and promptly escorts me there. Extending an open ticket is simple enough and can be done at convenience at the Merpati downtown office. Good, now only two more issues to solve. 1) Obtain a SIM card and 2) pick a hotel. Grabbing a taxi is of course the easiest part and having read that all airport taxis charge the same overpriced five dollars I am happy to go with the first tout that appears after the price has been confirmed. However, the other taxi drivers are not so pleased and soon there is a small mob representing the "official airport taxi service" ganging up on the guy who they consider an outlaw driver.

I have to hold on to my bag as everyone tries to pick it up with intention of throwing it into various trunks. An argument ensues (in Tetum of course) which is both interesting and annoying at the same time. I've consistently been telling the other drivers that I intend to go with the driver I had originally selected but they continue bullying him and it starts looking a bit ugly. A security guard has been summoned but he obviously does not see a problem either and leaves us to sort the mess ourselves. In the end they have successfully driven the lone driver away and I have no other choice than to ride with the "official airport taxi service". Even though they are keen to make it a proffessional and comfortable arrangement it kind of leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Having finally secured a taxi I pick a hotel at random and off we go. The drive through the western part of town is swift and we reach the Farol Hotel in some ten minutes time. Getting a room is no problem and I am happy to see the standard is very good. I am especially thrilled about the water boiler and a TV set with both BBC World and CNN. I stock up on some local maps and go out at high noon to check out the city. I immediately discover that it is very hot. Great going Cousteau! Back inside and put that sunblock on. Back outside I walk along random streets heading eastward and soon stumble on the Motael church, realizing just how small Dili really is. The city is surrounded by the ocean to the north and the mountains on the other sides, so orientation is not a major problem.

There's not really a whole lot of things to see in Dili, but the pacing is nice and for a capital it is rather cosy. Whereever you go though, you will be followed by eagerly honking taxis. Those hawkers that are not sleeping in the shadow will call out Hellomister! as you pass by their wagons. There is also a rather big population of dogs, and they don't think twice about having big fights in the middle of the streets, nevermind the cars. It is a short walk to the little park just in front of the government buildings. Heading downtown to the shops in Colmera I keep looking for the Timor Telecom building only to walk right past its sign and be redirected by an expat lady who noticed my confusion.

Since the U.N. wound down their operations in Timor the expat numbers have dwindled but you will bump into them every now and then, especially in the Eastern part of Dili. Anyway, having obtained a sim card and some more film rolls I decide to walk a bit aimlessly, ending up making a wide circle around town. Following the main roads past busy bus and mikrolet stops, small shops, a marketplace, charred buildings reminding of the 1999 turmoil, more stray dogs, the floating hotel and the small container port, goats foraging in trash heaps on the public beach. The waterfront is really beautiful with a great view of Atauro Island and plenty of big trees to protect from the sun, but it could do with some cleaning up, drowning in litter and rubbish.

In the evening I met up with my friends Manuella and Billy who take me on a nighttime trip around town and invite me to go along to their hometown of Maliana in the western corner of Timor Leste. Of course I accept, and then I realize that my elusive lazy mornings will have to wait a bit longer.

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Comments

[Sjefen]

You Sir...
...are an idiot.

[steve.r]

nice one

[arp]

wonderful
your captures' d best. it reminds me when I was there 4 years ago, the seaview, the airport, hills, bldgs and everything about east timor. G r e a t