I’m up at 5am. The hotel provides a transfer to the Airport and travelling through the streets of Dilli in the dark at this time of the day is interesting. There are people jogging everywhere. I’m fascinated by this interest in fitness amongst the locals here and I wonder if it has something to do with the countries interest in bringing international grade sporting events to Dili, like the marathon and the Tour de Timor bike race. For what ever reason it is good to see. While obesity is the least of their worries here, they do need to confront some fairly unhealthy habits, particularly smoking. Alcohol can be a problem. The locals don’t tend to drink beer but there is this indigenous concoction called tuasabu and that translates into English as palm brandy! On one of my street walks I was waved into a carwash where a few guys were sitting and chatting. They offered me this drink, which I assume was tuasab, and it was strong. This was 10.30 in the morning! Car washes are popular in Dilli as they were throughout Java in Indonesia. Keeping the car and bike clean is obviously important.
In the hotel transfer bus with me is an Australian lady who has been coming to Timor Leste on-and-off for the past few years. She has been researching the economics of rural life here for her PhD. On the plane to Darwin I sit next to Zinnia. She is setting up her research into early childhood education in the villages. It is encouraging to see some Australians doing some good interesting work here that will contribute to life in Timor Leste.
From Darwin I fly to Brisbane, then to Cairns! Three flights in the one day is hard work. I arrive in Cairns at 10.30pm.
angusmccoll 