Day Trip to Liquica

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The town of Liquica sits on a hillside overlooking the sea about 35 kilometers east of Dili, the Timor Leste capital. The first thing you notice are the colorful buildings as you arrive at the T-intersection. Not much to do in Liquica, but the second thing you notice is the quiet. It's a nice, refreshing break from the noise of Dili.

On the way over to Luquica, the road hugs the hillside above the sea part of the time and then turns slightly inland -- where you encounter one fruit and vegetable stand after another -- freshly picked bananas, artichokes, giant cucumbers, a purplish red fruit (Rose Apple) that has a potato-like texture, but is refreshing on a hot day -- particularly if it is chilled.

Back in Dili, it's late afternoon and the first few raindrops hit the tin roof of my house -- suddenly it's a deluge. The rain is pounding the roof so hard that I can't carry on a phone conversation. My mom, on the other end, asks "what is that noise?" It is truly deafening, but there is something cozy about the rain -- it also cools down the air for a while. The rain has eased up, but I can still hear the car tires meeting the asphalt on the wet street below.