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 out front on the sidewalk and usually a phone card dealer or two as well.

On the other side of the street fishermen sell fish, crab, and octopus that they hang from the tree branches. People drive buy and get their seafood from their windows without even leaving the car. It’s kind of like a drive through.

Lately (July 2006) there have not been very many fish vendors but hopefully they will start coming to town again.

In the supermarket itself there are a number of packaged foods from Australia and elsewhere. The prices tend to be quite high but sometimes there is a huge price difference depending on what country the item is imported from.

Breakfast cereals from the Australia can be as high as 5.00 to 9.00 dollars a box, but a box of corn flakes from Thailand might be only 1.10.

Noodles from Indonesia can be as low as 10 cents a package and can be as high as 1.40 if they are from Australia. Meat is expensive and is imported.

Chicken from Brazil is cheaper and the vendors along the beach grill it at night and sell it for 25 -50 cents a piece. (depending on the cut)

Coca Cola is in demand now and is going for 21.00 a case but should drop down soon. In Maliana (near the Indonesian border) you can get it for 10.00 a case because it has been brought over from Indonesia. The border between East and West Timor is still closed (July 7, 2006) so technically the goods are smuggled in.

Chocolates are quite expensive. Indonesian cigarettes are cheap. Beer and spirits are high.

A 900 gram frozen chicken can be had for 2.50.

There are quite a few street vendors starting up again where you can get onions, potatoes, carrots, seafood, spinach and other greens at the roadside markets.

On the other side of the roundabout near the stadium there was a thriving market with a great selection of produce. Many of the vendors were easterners and got caught up in the violence and burning and have been run out of town.

No one will set up there at this time but a small market is starting up on the other side of the street.

Budget travelers can save a lot of money if you shop from the produce dealers and do their own cooking.

East Timor 2006