Gents,
I'm typing this up for you in the spirit of completeness, since the forum does not contain a datasheet on East Timor.
What, Where, When
East Timor was the youngest country in the world until the secession of South-Sudan. It lies within the Indonesian archipelago, and exists because of the Christian majority in the country wished to separate themselves in the seventies from the newly independent muslim nation of Indonesia. This ended badly for them, with Indonesian troops invading, raping everyone and burning everything and subsequently occupying the country for about twenty years.
When the Australian army and the UN finally intervened in the early nineties, the Indonesians again proceeded to rape everyone and burn everything as they left. There were, in 2014 when I was there, still evidence of bulletholes and burnt buidlings.
Languages and currency
High-end government and business is conducted in Portuguese and where possible, Tetum. Bahasa Indonesia is widely spoken, but frowned upon. As for English- I did't struggle with shops/ hotels/ tourist attractions (which are run by expats).
Attractions
The capital city of the country, Dili, registers 200,000 citizens. There is a large, grand mall, but the shops and vendors inside selling cheap plastic goods and non-perishable food betray the extreme poverty of the country. Right next to the mall is a cock-fighting arena, which seems to be the main social gathering point (there are no women here).
I was put into the VIP box to watch my $20 bet cock win its fight, only to be angrily told that I had in fact bet on the losing cock. My interpreter advised me that it is not wise to argue with a man wielding a bloodied machete, whose language you do not speak. I took his advice on this matter.
East Timor is a fantastic diving destination. As it has never truly flourished as a tourist destination (Bali being nearby) the coral reefs are pristine and beautiful. The diving bar on the esplanade, second to the hotel terrace in the mall, is the main gathering point for expats.
Being a Portuguese, christian country, the East-Timorese thought it appropriate to erect a giant Christ statue, visible from the city. There are restaurants and bars nearby with tables on the beach, but they see little traffic.
The women
Most women are native Indonesians- although on the darker and shorter side. I did not see many that piqued my interest. They generally can not speak conversational English unless they work in the hotel/bar.
I did, however, see several portuguese/timorese hybrids at the university, They speak English and are probably the gentleman traveller's best bet. Such a gentleman would do well for himself to post up at the coffee bar across the university (Timorese coffee is fantastic, also their second largest export)
Finally, there is a surprisingly large gathering of expat women that work as teachers or other UN-oriented professions in Dili. They can be found on select evenings at the dive bar on the esplanade.
Conclusion
Not a prime or even tertiary game-destination for the travelling gentleman. If you live in Australia however, have an interest in diving and wish to experience an extremely slow pace of life for a week or so, I'd give it a thought.
I'm typing this up for you in the spirit of completeness, since the forum does not contain a datasheet on East Timor.
What, Where, When
East Timor was the youngest country in the world until the secession of South-Sudan. It lies within the Indonesian archipelago, and exists because of the Christian majority in the country wished to separate themselves in the seventies from the newly independent muslim nation of Indonesia. This ended badly for them, with Indonesian troops invading, raping everyone and burning everything and subsequently occupying the country for about twenty years.
When the Australian army and the UN finally intervened in the early nineties, the Indonesians again proceeded to rape everyone and burn everything as they left. There were, in 2014 when I was there, still evidence of bulletholes and burnt buidlings.
Languages and currency
High-end government and business is conducted in Portuguese and where possible, Tetum. Bahasa Indonesia is widely spoken, but frowned upon. As for English- I did't struggle with shops/ hotels/ tourist attractions (which are run by expats).
Attractions
The capital city of the country, Dili, registers 200,000 citizens. There is a large, grand mall, but the shops and vendors inside selling cheap plastic goods and non-perishable food betray the extreme poverty of the country. Right next to the mall is a cock-fighting arena, which seems to be the main social gathering point (there are no women here).
I was put into the VIP box to watch my $20 bet cock win its fight, only to be angrily told that I had in fact bet on the losing cock. My interpreter advised me that it is not wise to argue with a man wielding a bloodied machete, whose language you do not speak. I took his advice on this matter.
East Timor is a fantastic diving destination. As it has never truly flourished as a tourist destination (Bali being nearby) the coral reefs are pristine and beautiful. The diving bar on the esplanade, second to the hotel terrace in the mall, is the main gathering point for expats.
Being a Portuguese, christian country, the East-Timorese thought it appropriate to erect a giant Christ statue, visible from the city. There are restaurants and bars nearby with tables on the beach, but they see little traffic.
The women
Most women are native Indonesians- although on the darker and shorter side. I did not see many that piqued my interest. They generally can not speak conversational English unless they work in the hotel/bar.
I did, however, see several portuguese/timorese hybrids at the university, They speak English and are probably the gentleman traveller's best bet. Such a gentleman would do well for himself to post up at the coffee bar across the university (Timorese coffee is fantastic, also their second largest export)
Finally, there is a surprisingly large gathering of expat women that work as teachers or other UN-oriented professions in Dili. They can be found on select evenings at the dive bar on the esplanade.
Conclusion
Not a prime or even tertiary game-destination for the travelling gentleman. If you live in Australia however, have an interest in diving and wish to experience an extremely slow pace of life for a week or so, I'd give it a thought.
