It soon became apparent this ship was going to Singapore for no good reason. Gb hung his string hammock in the standing rigging for his last night aboard this beautiful ship run by fools. Just peering down into the galley was enough to set the stomach swirling. The only safe place was in the bunk. There one could slip into semi consciousness all the while the boat tells you in great heaves and shudders, that making headway is always fraught with dismay.
He jumped ship in Dili after a few unfortunate happenings with Yolanda on the Atlanta. She was beautiful but unwilling to share her feminism with the single guys. After he got his balls back he moved into a hostel. A few days there and he gathered that the separatist movement was based on the mass shooting in the cemetery a few years ago. Dili was now occupied by soldiers..
He jumped ship in Dili after a few unfortunate happenings with Yolanda on the Atlanta. She was beautiful but unwilling to share her feminism with the single guys. After he got his balls back he moved into a hostel. A few days there and he gathered that the separatist movement was based on the mass shooting in the cemetery a few years ago. Dili was now occupied by soldiers..
The United Nations came to protect the fragile peace from the extremists in the Indonesian government led by Sukarno. Many of these UN personnel are so bored, that they become addicted to narcotics. They come from Africa and are very comfortable in their air conditioned pristine white SUV's smoking dope.
The only refuge from the heat is in the air conditioned internet shops. These are always crowded with schoolies and other me people with time on their hands. You pay for your computer time through the nose meaning before you ever sit down you must pay. It takes a long time to reach the web and send email. It is the same all over the world. These shops have a sideline. It is stealing data. If you log on to your bank website make sure you restart the computer to erase the data.
Gb really had some time on his hands now that he had left the ship of geriatric fools. The young guy who helped him find the great hostel that served food in an enchanting garden wanted Gb to go to Atauro Island offshore of Dili to live with his brother's family. It was a welcome departure.
The only refuge from the heat is in the air conditioned internet shops. These are always crowded with schoolies and other me people with time on their hands. You pay for your computer time through the nose meaning before you ever sit down you must pay. It takes a long time to reach the web and send email. It is the same all over the world. These shops have a sideline. It is stealing data. If you log on to your bank website make sure you restart the computer to erase the data.
Gb really had some time on his hands now that he had left the ship of geriatric fools. The young guy who helped him find the great hostel that served food in an enchanting garden wanted Gb to go to Atauro Island offshore of Dili to live with his brother's family. It was a welcome departure.
He even convinced a beautiful, I'm young Korean girl to make the trip with his entourage. Soon they were aboard the ferry that serviced the island. Little did they realize, this would become a truly remarkable adventure into the wilds of Indonesia. The new President of East Timor was aboard this ferry. He was bringing rice to the starving populace in a humanitarian gesture after we contacted his office describing the suffering. This should be a regular occurrence now that he has seen the desperation that starvation brings.
The first thing one sees upon raising the island is the giant Banyan tree. This tree provides shade on the hot afternoons for those waiting for the ferry. Everyone comes to this ancient tree. It has been the meeting place for as long as anyone could remember. This Banyan tree saw the signing of the charter for the Dutch spice trade and the liberation from the Japanese. Generations of Ataurans have stood beneath these strong limbs. Many a canoe was constructed here. It is the giant umbrella that shelters everyone.
I managed to get around on foot and see other hostels surviving on the few divers that came over. I took a look at the condition of the sea. All I could see was piles and piles of dead coral. There was no sea life near shore. The centuries of occupation had long since turned this body of water into a desert.
I managed to get around on foot and see other hostels surviving on the few divers that came over. I took a look at the condition of the sea. All I could see was piles and piles of dead coral. There was no sea life near shore. The centuries of occupation had long since turned this body of water into a desert.
They were just beginning to grow seaweed from rafts like the Japanese but those operations take many years to begin producing. There were other attempts at growing fish in weirs. The few gardens did produce greens for the table. These were like the old victory gardens of the United States that were family affairs that fed only themselves.
There were many coconut trees. The young guys learned to climb them for coconut water and a little food. Rice growing was a possibility but you need a steady supply of flowing water to maintain the rice fields. The few Australians who provided medical care, were always overworked and only came on a Wednesday once a month. You either got better or died quickly in the heat. Everyone was very friendly.
There were a few experiments with purifying drinking water by first settling and filtering the sediments of runoff then bottling it in the recycled plastic soda bottles. They would lay these bottles on a sheet of roofing to bake and bake in the sun for a few days. The ultraviolet light killed the pathogens. I never tried to drink this but the proponents said it worked well. 3 drops of bleach to the gallon does the same thing.
The town is planned with street grids and a rudimentary water supply. Nothing fancy for these people at the far end of Indonesia. Most live on small farms that are simply subsistence places of a nondescript variety housing extended families.
There were a few experiments with purifying drinking water by first settling and filtering the sediments of runoff then bottling it in the recycled plastic soda bottles. They would lay these bottles on a sheet of roofing to bake and bake in the sun for a few days. The ultraviolet light killed the pathogens. I never tried to drink this but the proponents said it worked well. 3 drops of bleach to the gallon does the same thing.
The town is planned with street grids and a rudimentary water supply. Nothing fancy for these people at the far end of Indonesia. Most live on small farms that are simply subsistence places of a nondescript variety housing extended families.
I parted with a T-shirt because someone asked me for it. It said I'm from San Diego' which peaked everyone's interest for I was the first American touring there for sometime. I was welcomed and given the run of the place.
I wanted to see was the medical care being dispensed by the Australian NGO. I managed to find housing for this group of clinicians that were now making Atauro a regular stop. The Australians are very kind to the many regional tribes in these remote areas.
I wanted to see was the medical care being dispensed by the Australian NGO. I managed to find housing for this group of clinicians that were now making Atauro a regular stop. The Australians are very kind to the many regional tribes in these remote areas.
One night fifty of us were watching one TV in someones' yard when, out of the corner of my eye, I see a man carrying a body wrapped in a blanket. This unsettling sight began to make sense when I noticed the man's age and the frail shape of the corpse. I surmised that this was a relative being transported to the cemetery under the cover of darkness. No fanfare, no wailing or gnashing of teeth accompanied this sad affair. Only with quiet respect is a death like this acknowledged. The time had finally come for this old soul to depart the physical world for some other realm that we do not perceive.
Life is simplified into death. The conservation of energy states that nothing is ever lost only changes its vibratory state. We all go through this transformation. With or without our desire to remain here forever.
I stayed there for a month investigating the island ways. My hammock was my bed. I slathered myself in insect repellent until that ran out then slept near a smoky fire to drive away mosquitoes. You make the fire smoky by placing green grass in the fire. We used to do the same thing with Spanish Moss in the swamp lands. The island is a charming departure from the hustle of Dili. Fare thee well.
I stayed there for a month investigating the island ways. My hammock was my bed. I slathered myself in insect repellent until that ran out then slept near a smoky fire to drive away mosquitoes. You make the fire smoky by placing green grass in the fire. We used to do the same thing with Spanish Moss in the swamp lands. The island is a charming departure from the hustle of Dili. Fare thee well.
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