Landing Point

Tweet Nearly 500 years ago, on an August day in the year 1515, the Portuguese set foot on Oecusse, what is today an enclave of Timor-Leste. Oecussi is separated from the rest of Timor-Leste -- there are three ways to get here -- take the ferry, fly or drive through West Timor, Indonesia. The photo above shows the monument marking the spot where the Portuguese landed. It's a peaceful place with goats roaming around under the trees -- and along the trench in the photo below.
The Portuguese found Oecussi rich in sandalwood. The Portuguese used trenches like this one to float the wood down to the sea where it was loaded onto ships. The trenches filled with water during high tide.

In Memory of "Mama Kat"

Tweet A familiar face at our compound passed away today. Mama Kat was here before I arrived in November. The vet told me she was at least five years old. She gave birth about two months ago to six kittens, just one survived. It's healthy and very playful. Mama Kat's legacy lives on.

Remembering Mongolia

Tweet Hiking is a favorite sport of mine and I did a lot of it in Mongolia during my nearly two years there. Most weekends were spent in the hills around Ulanbataar -- in the summer (a few days in July) walking in the meadows with thousands of wildflowers -- in the fall -- among the yellow-leafed birches and -- in winter -- dressing for temperatures down around minus 20 or 25. This photo was taken on January 9, 2005, in the hills above a Children's Retreat -- a ways outside UB.

The photo below was taken a few days later at what was, at the time, one of the only dairies in Mongolia. It was operated by two New Zealanders and several Mongolian families -- including the family of this little girl. It was relatively warm that day -- about minus 20. The whole family in their Ger -- the frame consists of wooden poles and posts, usually a plank floor, canvas as the protective covering and a small stove. The family used animal dung as fuel.The Steppe. This is the main road from Ulanbataar, the capital, to Khentii, an eastern aimag (province) and the ancestral home of Chinggis Khan. This was snapped in 2004.Khovsgul is located about 900 kilometers west of Ulanbataar and has a huge fresh water lake that freezes over in the winter time. Trucks use it as a short cut during the long winter months, ocassionally a vehicle breaks through the ice. The gentleman in the photo below lives in a Ger in Khovsgul and was about 90 years old. He writes poetry and is also an inventor.

Downtown Maubisse

Tweet This photo was snapped on July 18 after the fog had started to roll in. A few thousand people live here with the Maubisse market being the biggest attraction.
It takes about 2 to 2.5 hours to get here from Dili. These days the road is rough and even if you are not prone to motion-sickness, you may get car sick from the seemingly endless zigs and zags.
I love the juxaposition of the chilis and lemons at one sellers' spot at the Maubisse market.

Cats

Tweet I had viewed cats from afar, until I moved to Timor-Leste. I inherited three cats upon my arrival. A tabby called Maria, a big yellow male named Tony and an older calico, named Mama Kat, that has had a zillion kittens in her day.
Mama Kat had six kittens in May, but four fell through the ceiling and died and one just disappeared. Now, she has one. We're calling the kitten Rosa for now.

Maria is spooked easily, she is always watching -- when Mama Kat comes near -- she growls -- aggressively. Mama Kat just gives her a "look" and moves on -- occasionally, Mama Kat chases her away. Most times, though, it's just growling.
Tony, the big yellow cat, is something of a diplomat. Being a male, he travels in both circles and gets along with both Maria and Mama Kat. He's the healthiest eater of them all -- although, little Rosa comes in a close second. She's no longer nursing and usually eats in the bowl with Tony. Rosa also plays with Tony a lot -- whereas -- Mama Kat just seems really tired.

Maria is now pregnant and will have kittens soon. She has become more friendly and never misses a meal anymore. She used to skip dinner. Now that she's eating for herself and "others" she's a regular on the back porch.
None of the vets here in Timor can spay or neuter -- so there's not much to be done to keep these cats from multiplying.

They're calling me. It's time for dinner!

Mangoes and Wind

Tweet I was watching a movie this evening when suddenly I heard this sustained pounding sound outside the window. I opened the door and caught the tail end of a strong wind. It had knocked a dozen or so mangoes out of the tree at my front porch. The mangoes had bounced onto the tin roof just under the tree that covers the power generator. (As you can see from this photo, there are plenty of mangoes to share!)

As I grabbed half a dozen of the mangoes from the front stairs -- some guys walking along the street pulled themselves up over the fence and grabbed a couple of mangoes -- shouting obrigadu or thank you!

I watched as they crossed the street and ate their mangoes under an awning -- sheltered from the rain. Just as the wind blast, came the heavy rain. It's not supposed to be raining this time of year -- it's the dry season!

I'm off now to eat a couple of those mangoes!

Rooster Cogburn

Tweet One of my staff gave me a gift today -- a rooster. As you can see he's a handsome soul. He's from the enclave of Oecussi. My staffer carried the rooster over on the ferry -- the only way you can get from Timor-Leste to Oecussi without going through Indonesia.

In the hour or so that I have owned my first rooster, he's been crowing up a storm. Maybe he misses Oecussi or maybe he's just happy to be here!

I was told that he's trained to fight, but I have announced his retirement from the cock-fighting ring. Now that will give him something to crow about!

Bird's Eye View

Tweet I had never flown in a helicopter until the other day when I climbed aboard a Russian-made MI-8 and flew from Dili on the north coast of Timor-Leste to Suai -- a town on the south coast. It's a ten-hour ride in a four-wheel drive on a horrible road. In a helicopter, it takes about 30 minutes. Flying at about 4500 feet is fantastic -- you can easily distinguish things and get a real sense of the lay of the land.One of the things I immediately noticed was just how many people don't live along a roadway. Many villages are accessed by foot paths -- along the ridges of hills and mountains. There are areas where there are dense forests, but many other areas that have been stripped -- often done illegally.This particular helicopter was piloted by three Russians -- working for the UN. They were from the Siberian city of Khabarovsk -- spending four months here and then returning home for four months.

The passengers this particular morning included a couple of Americans, a Timorese, an Australian, a German, a Bhutani and a Frenchman.

Ants in the Pants

Tweet I have always liked that James Brown song, but until this morning I had never lived it. This morning, seconds after pulling on my underwear -- the stinging started. Talk about getting hit below the belt -- have you ever had ants in your underpants?

I'm not sure where they came from -- tiny little ants with a mighty bite -- almost the same color as my burgundy-colored underwear.

Ants seem to be everywhere in the tropics -- marching up the wall, mobilizing under the kitchen table -- heading for that big bunch of red bananas.

Everything into the refrigerator!

Woman Praying at Yeh Pulu, Bali

Tweet The deity that she is praying to is Ganesha --carved into the solid rock. Below, is a story carved into another section of this rock. The story appears to tell about a successful hunt. Directly in front of the wall carving are terraced rice fields.

Fire and Trance Dance

Tweet This was the best performance that I saw in Ubud. It was called the Kecak Fire and Trance Dance. It's a special dance accompanied by the human voice -- about 50 men sitting around a circle -- chanting. The human voice is the only instrument. Before they begin chanting, a priest dressed in white blesses each row of men.

The performance features many characters from the Ramayana -- including Garuda. One of my favorite characters is Hanoman, the Monkey God, below.The performance concludes with a pile of coconuts set on fire in the center of the circle and one of the characters dances in the fire -- kicking the hot coconuts around the stage -- and occasionally into the feet of members of the audience.After the performance, the fire dancer takes a much-deserved break -- check out his feet.

Door at the Ulun Danu Bratan Temple

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The Market at Bedegul

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Water Temple

Tweet The Ulun Danu Bratan Hindu-Buddhist temple at Bedegul sits on two tiny islands. It was founded in the 17th century and is dedicated to the goddess of water. It was actually chilly on this particular June day -- and as you can see -- overcast.

The Rice Workers

Tweet These women near Ubud, Bali are harvesting their rice crop the old fashioned way. Several women use sickles to cut the rice, another bundles it and then the woman on the left beats it over a big basket -- catching the rice. Their work began before sunup. Below is ripened rice.
The photo below is a terraced rice field on the way to Bedegul, Bali.