Dili, Timor Leste still. Today something caught our attention. So far there were three sailing boats docked in the harbour, and now there is a forth one. There's no jetty, so we were waiting until someone will come ashore in a dingi. Finally I lost my patience, jumped into water, and swam over. Unfortunately the boat actually came from Darwin, and they're heading to South Africa. But there is a storie going around, that there will be yachts at the end of the month, however the season for sailing to Australia is actually said to be in November. At least that's what they say. I don't like passive waiting. Since a few days ago I'm a volunteer, teaching English, so at least I have a place to stay, food to eat, and opportunity to do something usefull. However there is a fought in my head to go travelling to Papua, anyway I'll try to hold on to this place end eventually catch a lift to Australia.
It's a good opportunity to mention a few words about the country. Until 1975 it was a Portugese colony, later on brutal Indonesian occupation (however the Timorese were brutal for themselves as well), finally a referendum in 1999, and from 2002 independence. There are international interests clashing here, there are Chinese, Americans, Australians. Not until the end of this year the local police will take over the responsability of keeping the country in order, at the moment there are still international police in control (UN). There are big oil resorces here, so potentially the country is rich, and the GDP is growing quite fast. But the common people are living poorly, and for a random meal we pay usually around 1.5 USD (bit more than in Indonesia). People don;t have initiative here, just waiting for employment, and all the business is usually ran by the Chinese minority.
It's a good opportunity to mention a few words about the country. Until 1975 it was a Portugese colony, later on brutal Indonesian occupation (however the Timorese were brutal for themselves as well), finally a referendum in 1999, and from 2002 independence. There are international interests clashing here, there are Chinese, Americans, Australians. Not until the end of this year the local police will take over the responsability of keeping the country in order, at the moment there are still international police in control (UN). There are big oil resorces here, so potentially the country is rich, and the GDP is growing quite fast. But the common people are living poorly, and for a random meal we pay usually around 1.5 USD (bit more than in Indonesia). People don;t have initiative here, just waiting for employment, and all the business is usually ran by the Chinese minority.
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