Hippy and treehugger… that’s what I remember people being called when I first joined the Geography program at the University of Victoria. I guess that when you are studying about how the planet works or how the environment can affect how we live, you’re labeled as some sort of “alternative†person (i.e. freak like these … Continue reading I want to donate some money.
Year: 2008
Mountain air rejuvenates the soul.
Here are a few photos from our trip to Maubisse. Most of the photos are from my digital camera or Muriel’s. I’ve taken some from my film camera, but I haven’t found a decent developer in Dili so I haven’t been able to develop my film. If you want to see sets of photos from … Continue reading Mountain air rejuvenates the soul.
Thanks, but I’ll stick to eating chicken
This photo explains it all in Dili, or Timor-Leste for that matter – infrastructure in need of work, flashy UN trucks, sun and sand, and rising mountains in the distance. Outside of these Dili gates, the population decreases dramatically and things start to get calmer, almost tranquil if you don’t have to think about what … Continue reading Thanks, but I’ll stick to eating chicken
There's more than meets the eye.
Had a chance to head to the countryside over the weekend… it is a whole new world out there. Dili is a nice place to hangout, but only for so long. After a month checking out the sites in the capital city, we rented a driver and car and headed out to Maubisse. We weren’t … Continue reading There's more than meets the eye.
What's up Portugal??!
Did you know that over 90% of the people in Timor-Leste are Catholic? I guess after 400 years of Portuguese colonization, people pickup a few things. Religion, culture and language have definitely been affected by this 400-year rule. Even the local language of Tetun/Tetum has bits and pieces of Portuguese injected into it. According to … Continue reading What's up Portugal??!
Learning more about Timor
About one week into my stay in Dili and I’ve found out some things: It’s very hot and dry People are generally friendly Food is surprisingly good and varied (i.e. Indonesian, Thai, Turkish, Chinese, Western) You need a car to go just about anywhere You don’t want to be walking on the streets between 10am … Continue reading Learning more about Timor
Timor Leste, East Timor, Timor Lorosae
The flight was long. To be exact, it was 20 hours of flying, twice changing planes, and an overnight stay in Singapore. There were benefits… like enjoying a nice meal in front of a flat screen TV in business class. Approximately two days after taking off from Vancouver, I arrived in Dili, the capital of … Continue reading Timor Leste, East Timor, Timor Lorosae
How important is Skytrain to you?
Urban transportation in Vancouver is a sensitive but important issue. There are still a lot of problems with the light-rail system in Vancouver, but overall it does a good job. To try to address deeper social and security issues with the system, Translink, Skytrain and other transport authorities in the city came together on Saturday … Continue reading How important is Skytrain to you?
Can you blame me for not writing?
I guess the answer to that is “yes”… I’ve spent this summer in France and didn’t have access to internet for most of the time, and now I’m back in Canada job hunting. The summer was a blast but now it’s back to “reality”. 50 days in France and 21 days (and counting) in Canada… … Continue reading Can you blame me for not writing?
Beautiful British Columbia
It’s been a little over a week since I came back to Vancouver… I’ve forgotten how beautiful it is. The sun is finally shining and the weather has been decent. I felt a bit cold for the first few days, but after spending some time exploring Granville Island and Steveston, I think I’m adjusting to … Continue reading Beautiful British Columbia