Had dinner last night with some UN people, and they talked about taking the UN helicopter to Oecusse, the lone enclave/district of Timor-Leste surrounded by Indonesia. The only way in and out is by a) driving 8 hours through Indonesia, b) taking a 12-hour broken down ferry, or c) taking a 45-minute helicopter ride along the coast. The last option is usually only for the UN, but even inside the UN system, some people have more priority over other people. In some cases, people get bumped off the helicopter when the UN needs to send supplies over to Oecusse… and that sometimes means, among other things, cases of beer.
A walk along the harbour in Dili at sunset provides some of the best sunsets I’ve every seen. The colors are striking and vibrant. Even better is if you can get out of Dili towards Christo Rei where the scenery is more natural. A 10-minute drive and/or a short walk can take you to rugged hills full of goats and no one around.
