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Nov 28 East Timor

Independence Day – East Timor
Nov 28 is celebrated by some groups as Independence Day.
The ASDT political supporters were in traditional garb playing musical instruments along the beach.
I am told that there are several different independence days depending on what political party you are affiliated with.
These folks were from the Same sub-district.
Some of them had been [...]

Wood shop in Dili

Wood shop in Dili
The wood shops in Dili make their furniture from scratch.
Large pieces of timber are brought in from Indonesia and the area in East Timor around Los Palos.
It is not kiln dried but worked down to size where it dries naturally.
The wood has a beautiful grain and looks sharp when made into tables [...]

Dili to Darwin

Overland Travel – England to New Zealand driving a Toyota Landcruiser.
A British couple, Maz and Alex and showed up at the Backpackers Guest House in Dili a couple of days ago.
They had a great trip across Europe, the Middle East, through Iran and Pakistan, across China into Laos and across Indonesia via Borneo and Sulawasi [...]

Internet Cafe update

Dili Internet cafes
Update 19 dec 2006 – Timor Telecom has lowered the internet rates to 2.00 an hour. They are also in the process of putting in a new internet cafe in the Landmark supermarket office. The Timor Telecom near the post office has 5 computers and the connections for 2 laptops.
Internet cafes are relatively [...]

Leader Supermarket

Leaders Supermarket
Leaders Supermarket is near the Comoro bridge on the other side of the street from Landmark Supermarket.
Here is Rita, the manager of the Backpackers checking out the oranges at Leaders Supermarket near the Comoro Bridge in Dili.
There is a big frozen food section with frozen fish, chickens, and other meats.
It would be ridiculous to [...]

Xanana Reading Room

The Xanana Reading Room
This library has a lot of information about East Timor from 1975 till the present.
The current president of East Timor, Xanana Gusmao, was actively involved in the resistance against the Indonesian occupation.
There are some photo displays on the walls dedicated to the memory of those that died. It is very moving.
The lawn [...]

Arte Moris

Arte Moris – Dili, East Timor
Arte Moris is a non-profit art school just past the Comoro bridge heading out towards the airport.
It has a number of refugees living on the grounds now and there are 5 soldiers with rifles guarding the entrance but visitors are welcome to have a look. (July 2006)
There was a lot [...]

Landmark Plaza – Merpati

Landmark Plaza – Merpati Airlines Office
On the way out of town towards the airport you pass the Landmark Plaza. The Merpati Airlines office and the Landmark Supermarket are inside this complex.
Next door is a hardware store and then a petrol station.
Many structures past the gas station has been burned down during the past 2 months. [...]

Lita’s Supermarket

Lita’s Supermarket in Dili
Lita’s is one of the places in town where you can get imported goods.
It is on the far side of the beach road on the way to the cape. They were open most days even when things were shaky but would close a bit earlier than usual.
There are always vendors selling oranges [...]

Money

Dili – Banks and money
There is an ANZ bank in Dili that changes American Express travelers checks for a fee.
If you are using a taxi just tell the driver ANZ and he will get you there.
It doesn’t seem that anyone uses street names and there are no signs to get you oriented anyway.
Dili is not [...]