My first day in Dili and two taxi rides down. After a brief and futile attempt to barter the fair, both times I opened the door sharply and without thought. Both times, I successfully damaged the taxi - although this is of no consequence, many of them are so poorly maintained that they barely crack 20 km/h - as well as the object that got in my way.
The first time I hit the short sea wall that separates the beach from the road and thought nothing of it. The second time I hit an old man wheeling a food stall and resolved to be more careful..
So, my first lesson in what will be countless learned in the next nine months (or 276 days) of travelling was simple, but important. And in the days following, my first lesson proved embarrassingly easy to forget. I've hit many more objects, stationary and moving, in the last couple of days with my wily passenger door and in the interest of full disclosure, not all of the doors have belong to beaten up old yellow cabs, one of them may or may not have been an official UN vehicle.
Another lesson: when you agree to go on a Timorese road trip, set your comfort-expectations to low. Do not be so bold as to expect to reach your destination before bedtime, even if you leave at 6pm on a three hour trip. The intermittent proclamations of 'yeah, of course we're nearly there' will only disappoint you. Do not expect to stop for sleep for more than an hour and certainly do not expect to sleep anywhere but on the side of the road. Relish these times, as the cool breeze and the protective mats outside definitely trump the hot and stuffy experience of sleeping in the car. Do not expect your own seat. At some points there may well be 7 people in a 5 seater small 4wd with a boot full of supplies as well. Do not expect a smooth ride, do not expect to exceed 60 km/h and do not expect any different on the trip home.
But whatever you do, DO NOT say no to this gracious offer. I did it all with a mild stomach ache and a strong propensity to car sickness, but the beautiful landscape - when you eventually get to see it in the daytime - is amazing. Take every opportunity to visit the districts (the Timorese way of describing rural areas, or any place that isn't Dili) because the way the people live there is both shocking and inspiring. The school we visited in Atabae had no tables or chairs, almost useless blackboards and no spare pens or notebooks. Reflection on the poor state of rural services, particularly education, health and roads, is especially poignant at the moment given the recent 10 year anniversary of independence. I spotted Crisna - the founder of Sao Miguel school where I'm volunteering - several times sigh at the lack of state services with deep and affecting sadness.
Having said that, arriving in East Timor, I immediately perceived a sense of excitement and change. On our way back from the west coast we passed Jose Ramos Horta, cruising in his pimped out old porche, waving at the passers by. I got the impression from the people in my car at least that he is still well respected as a political figure, but there is also an air of excitement about the incumbent president and the upcoming parliamentary elections. Certainly the roads in Dili have recently been dramatically improved - they are fully paved now and pothole free(!!) In any case, the next two months are sure to be a very exciting time to be in Timor-Leste and I'll try to keep you all up to date with the rapidly changing conditions. My first few blog posts are sure to be somewhat naive and ill-informed, but please bare with me as a get to know this country and get used to this intrepid lifestyle.