Hotel on the Hill

Tweet This is probably the nicest hotel in Timor-Leste. The Pousada sits on a hill overlooking Baucau.

Heal

Tweet

The Road from Baucau

Tweet In the distance, you can see a man walking with a young boy. The man is carrying a rooster in his arms. As he passed our SUV, the little boy's mom ran out and grabbed the boy -- apparently trying to keep him from going to the cock fight. The boy grabbed the man's leg and refused to let go. I'm not sure how it wind up. We pulled away amid the struggle.

Still Recovering

Tweet There are hundreds and hundreds of buildings in Timor-Leste that look like this one. Many were burned after the August 30, 1999 referendum in which the vast majority of East Timorese citizens voted for independence from Indonesia. Just after the referendum, anti-independence groups, organized and supported by the Indonesian military, launched a scorched-earth campaign.

Dust Storm

Tweet A woman crosses the road trying to reach her truck and escape the dust storm. Just a 100 yards further along, the dust reduced visibility to just a few feet. We encountered this storm near the town of Manatuto -- between Baucau and Dili.

The Tamarind Seller

Tweet I met this elderly woman along the road from Baucau. For one dollar, you can buy a lot of tamarind. For those who have tried it, it starts out tasting a bit sweet, but then, after a few seconds, tastes sour. The tamarind is in the date family.

Lovely Baucau

Tweet Baucau is Timor-Leste's second largest city. It is cooler and more beautiful that Dili, the capital. The trip to this beach is through a canopy of tropical trees along a narrow road that twists and turns down to the water. Baucau sits on the hill, overlooking the water. This is the warning that awaits you at the foot of the hill -- at the beach.

Machete Shop

Tweet This shop is located about five kilometers west of Baucau. You can also take a rest after a long, hard day of work.

Snake on the Beach

Tweet This cute little guy was on the beach near Dili. He slithered up out of the sea, checked out the dunes, and then slipped back into the water.

The Beach - Oecussi

Tweet Fishing boats like this one are still used all over Timor-Leste. Some have motors attached, most fisherman, however, use oars.

Alegria Restaurant - Oecussi

Tweet This little eating establishment in Oecussi served up fresh vegetables, meat, rice and ice-cold bottled water. The cold water felt good since there was nothing between us and the hot metal roof. We eventually moved to the back garden -- where it was much cooler. We ordered lunch at 3:30 -- it arrived at 5:30.

End of the Day in Oecusse

Tweet Not a soul on this beautiful beach in Oecussi at sunset. Oecussi, one of the 13 districts of Timor-Leste, is separated from the country. It is surrounded by West Timor, Indonesia and the sea. It's a nice place to come and relax. I traveled there with my colleagues to establish a Media House for journalists -- a place where they can access the internet, use computers and take part in trainings. Internet was virtually non-existent in Oecussi until Friday.Rice fields are common in Timor-Leste, but I enjoy photographing them. I spotted this field just 75 yards are so from the beach. It's adjacent to a memorial marking the spot where the Portuguese first landed in 1515 and laid claim to Timor. At the front of the marker are the words: "This is Portugal."

Bloggers Jailed in Azerbaijan

Tweet It's been nearly a month since two Azeri bloggers were having dinner in a Baku restaurant with their friends when thugs showed up and started a fight. When the two victims, pro-democracy activists, managed to get away they reported what happened to the police. They are now in jail. One of them, Adnan, was able to get this note out.



State-controlled media, increasingly almost all of the media in Azerbaijan, have made these two men, Adnan and Emin, out to be criminals.

As I was leaving Azerbaijan late last year, the government was beginning to crack down on hard on the media. It kicked Radio Liberty and BBC off the broadcast airwaves. In February, it pulled the plug on an independent online news agency. The news agency is back -- under new pro-government ownership.

The Azeri government continues to jail journalists and uses the state-controlled media to try to destroy their reputations.

Now, the government fears bloggers.

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.