Sunset in Dili - April 16, 2009

Tweet This is the view from the parking lot of the little supermarket where I shop. It reminds me of a Hawaiian sunset.

Cabbages and Lettuce

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I met this guy in the Maubisse Market. He sold me lettuce and cabbages. Over his left shoulder are buckets of beans and potatoes. The market is packed on Saturdays. Maubisse is a crossroads town.

Maria, the Timorese Tabby

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Meet Marie.
She's one of at least three cats that lives in our compound. She was born here -- her brother is Antonio, Tony, for short.
One thing I noticed about all Timorese cats is that their tails are broken.
I asked why.
My colleague told that it's because cats are seen as perfect creatures -- and that nothing should be absolutely perfect. You will notice Marie's tail is broken near the tip. Tony's is similiarly broken. Their mom, a calico, practically has no tail.
Marie and Tony's favorite pasttime is eating, playing and getting rubbed on the neck.

Smell the Coffee

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Coffee plants line the narrow road into Maubisse -- a mountain town about 3 hours from Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste. As you drive along, you can smell the coffee. These beans are not quite ready to harvest.

Pushkin on Spring

Tweet Spring rays at last begin to muster
And chase from nearby hills the snow,
Whose turbid streams flow down and cluster
To inundate the fields below.
And drowsy nature, smiling lightly,
Now greets the dawning season brightly.
The heavens sparkle now with blue;
The still-transparent woods renew
Their downy green and start to thicken.
The bee flies out from waxen cell
To claim its meed from field and dell.
The vales grow dry and colors quicken;
The cattle low; and by the moon
The nightingale pours forth its tune.

(from Onegin, translated from the Russian)