Electricity

This is one of the greatest gossip items in Dili right now. We are being subjected to more and longer power cuts. Not a day goes by without out at least one power outage, normally of around 3 hours duration. Sometimes we even get 4 a day. Now, we all know we are living in a developing country with a developing country’s problems, not to mention the current ‘crisis’. But I just wish the buggers who are turning off our power could at least put an ad. in the paper, at least once a week, just to let us know when the power is going to be off. I figure they must know when it is going to happen because they cuts are pretty uniform as to times and durations.
Lots of gossip as to the reasons for outages too. Some are saying its just basic incompetence: i.e. no routine maintenance of the generators, no spare parts etc while others are saying, and this has been ‘reported’ in the local press that the fuel for the generators has been watered down by upto 65percent!
Whatever the reasons, it’s been costing me a fortune in batteries, candles and going out when I would much rather stay home and watch a movie.
Anyway, today I bought a generator, cost me just under USD 2000 but at least from now on, I hope, I’ll be able to sit under a fan, get a cold drink and watch whatever the hell I want without holding my breath waiting for the power to go.