Home in the Blue Ridge Mts

Tweet I've been traveling a lot these past few weeks with intermittent internet access -- in the United States. It feels a bit odd since one would think the US would have very good internet access, but my parents, for instance, live way out in the country in North Carolina -- and rely on a very slow dial-up connection. I have to drive five miles to a cafe in the town of Marshall to get wi-fi.

It's great to be home to visit with family and friends and re-acquaint myself with those wonderful Blue Ridge Mountains. I've been able to do two hikes since getting back -- both were fantastic and familiar trails. One hike was through a sprinkling of snow and fog -- it was refreshing to feel cold air again -- after heat and humidity in Timor Leste.

The hike was about four or five miles each way from US 25-70 near Hot Springs, NC to the top of Rich Mountain. The view was spectacular -- even through the fog. The sun made its way through the dark clouds -- spreading light across some of the mountain peaks.

I could see all the way into Tennessee from the top of the old fire tower -- whose wooden steps creaked as I climbed up. The temperature, with the wind-chill must have been around zero or even a bit lower. It was truly exhilarating!

Low Tide

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Walking the Road

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Sunday at the Beach

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It was an overcast day in Dili today, but the light made for a nice photo-op just outside town along the beach. The tide was out and the reef was teeming with life and color.

Loss of a friend

Tweet I still don't believe it. My friend and colleague Brent Hurd was struck and killed by a bus in Bangalore, India, over the weekend. He had gone to India's third largest city last summer to teach film-making for a year.

Brent was always enthusiastic about what he was working on. In Azerbaijan, where I met him, he had just started work on a film about Sufis. He had traveled all over the country, gathering interviews for his documentary -- and in between times -- he was a broadcast journalism teacher.

He taught our journalism students how to shoot and edit -- how to tell a story with pictures. The students loved him. He loved teaching and it showed in the way he could inspire his students.

I had a chance to speak to Brent just last week -- on a scratchy Skype connection from Bangalore. He told me he was loving his work and had some great students.

Brent, we miss you.

Dili Heat

Tweet The fever finally broke today in Dili -- a cloudburst unlike any I have seen in a long while struck in the middle of the afternoon. It was such a welcome relief after sweltering heat and humidity.

It rained so hard that it was almost impossible to hear the person next to me speak. The rain was accompanied by gentle winds - creating a natural air conditioner.

Thunder roared overhead -- shaking the building - flashes of lightning dances among the banyan trees and the flaming trees with their bright orange flowers against their dark green leaves.

I could almost sense the trees and plants breathing a huge sigh of relief and a very long, hot dry spell -- I know I was.

Sunday Market

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Today's Catch

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Timor Leste Independent Film Festival

Tweet All the speeches had been made, everyone, including East Timor's president, had gone through the breakfast buffet line and settled into their seats for the six films in the independent film festival here in Dili at the Hotel Timor.

As the screen came to life -- suddenly, the room and the screen were plunged into darkness. Another power cut. It didn't last but a few seconds, but it meant re-setting the projector. The host apologized, but everyone seemed to understand. One person said -- "is this some kind of a joke."

He had no doubt attended what was to have been the screening of the films the previous night, when a power outage forced the hotel to crank up its generator. The generator ran for a few seconds before it blew up.

Fortunately, today's outage, followed by two more, lasted only a few seconds.

All six short films were produced by Timorese film makers -- some of the films were quite good.

The theme of the festival was peace.

One film, titled Dear Mom, told the story of an East Timorese student at the University of Hawaii, writing a letter to her mom back home as her country was exploding into violence in 2006. Another focused on the "peace" graffiti around Dili -- and included interviews with residents about what peace means to them.

I had to leave the film festival before the final film was shown. As I walked toward the back of the hall, the lights went out again and the screen went blank.

Of Rats and Man

Tweet I'm temporarily staying in a hotel until my apartment is ready and as I was sitting at my computer the other evening, I caught sight of something black and furry out of the corner of my eye. A few seconds later, it reappeared from behind a large vase in the room -- a fuzzy black mouse. A short time later, I spotted another one as it scampered under my bed.

The next morning, I notified the maid and she nodded that she understood and would take care of the problem.

There'd been a huge gap between the bottom of the hotel room door and the floor, but now, someone had nailed a piece of rubber to the bottom of the door. No more mice.

Tonight, as I sat at a table across from the hotel's outdoor bar -- sipping a beer and talking to a friend -- I saw a huge rat run along the floor in front of the bar. A huge Australian guy was standing at the bar -- talking to the female bartender -- when suddenly the rat started moving toward the guy. My friend and I watch as the rat climbs on the top of the guy's sandals and sits there for maybe 10 seconds -- before running under a huge planter. The guy at the bar didn't even notice. The rat was half the size of a cat.

Fishing at Low Tide

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I'm living in Hotel Dili for the next week or so and often wander across the street where a short walk through the trees takes you to this view. Fishermen are out early with their nets and boats. Fishing, as an industry, is virtually non-existent -- which makes for lots and lots of fish. The land mass in the background is Atauro -- an island that also belongs to Timor Leste.

Horse Power on the Sea

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The young man rode his horse out into the water -- just off Dili. Moments after he passed the boat, he jumped from the horse and let the horse pull him through the water. He held onto the tail and the reins.

The horse seemed to enjoy it. Just before coming to shore, the rider bathed the horse's face with water. The horse was rather reluctant to leave the water.

12, November Dili, Timor Leste

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Loy Krathong (To Float the Raft)

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Loy Krathong is originally a Hindu holiday, but taken over by the Buddhists. It's about renewal -- removing the things you don't like about yourself and sending them out to sea. In this photo taken near Dili, Timor Leste several dozen people have launched candle-lit rafts -- made of the trunk of banana trees. Loy Krathong is held on the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar. In the western calendar this usually falls in November.

East Timor (Timor Leste) - First Impressions

Tweet As the Silk Air flight from Singapore touched down in Dili, East Timor, the Timorese on board applauded and cheered. The plane began to brake almost immediately and rolled down the short runway and made a U-turn -- and headed for the tiny airport. A sign aboard the covered outdoor walkway said "arrivals."

Standing in the humid air, a young Asian couple was just ahead of me and suddenly the young man went into convulsions. I had never seen anyone go into an epileptic seizure, but I am currently reading Oliver Sacks' book Musicofilia -- which deals, in part, with the brain, music and epilepsy. So, my first thought was this was a seizure -- he immediately began to fall toward me -- as the convulsions continued. I broke his fall and his sister helped make him as comfortable as possible. Blood began to ooze from his mouth and he began to turn blue. I shouted for a doctor and fortunately there'd been one on the flight and was standing ahead of us in line and he came over to help. After some time, the young man was able to stand up and was taken to a local clinic. His sister told me he was going to be ok.

These were my first minutes in Dili.

As we made our way to the office, there were fruit sellers along the road -- some walked with baskets dangling from their sides -- baskets full of freshly picked mangoes. Mango season has just begun. Banana trees grow everywhere -- as do coconuts.

There are still signs of what the anti-independence militias did in 1999 -- after East Timor citizens voted for independence from Indonesia. There are burned out and abandoned buildings in Dili. I saw several on my way from the airport.

Most of the people in Timor Leste speak Tetum -- one of 16 indigenous languages -- Portuguese, the other official language, is spoken mainly by the ruling elite.

Some four hours after my arrival in Timor, I feasted with my friends on the beach -- fish, grilled shrimp, spicy salads, potatoes and carrots -- and orange-and-mango juice -- and we were treated to an amazing sunset -- brilliant reds, purples, oranges filled the evening sky -- and reflected onto the water in the bay.

I think I'm gonna like this place!