ET in China

There is an International Tourism trade fare happening in Beijing at the moment at which East Timor is strongly represented by Government and private sector types. For details of this event please check out this address.

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Dili Airport

In the past week I have had to use the airport twice. I have to say it’s a bloody disgrace. I was on a flight to Bali last Wednesday and arrived at the airport with about one-and-a-half hours to spare. There is now nowhere to sit outside, the little café is closed down and the toilets are like an open sewer. Upon checking in and going through to the departure lounge, after being told that if I was a diplomat I wouldn’t have to go through any security checks, I found that I couldn’t even buy a small bottle of water. Duty free booze is on sale but you are not allowed to open it in the airport.
Upon returning from Bali the arrivals procedure is just as bad. In ‘baggage reclaim’ I counted 16 trolleys for more than 100 passengers. There are no fans or air conditioning and one small old guy was unloading 4 trailers of luggage.
This airport is the first/last sight most visitors have of East Timor. It used to be quaint and a bit of a ‘people watching’ place around lunchtime each day. Good espresso, people arriving/departing, somewhere to sit. The airport manager (if there is one) should be given a kick up the jacksie and then sacked.
There, that got that off my chest.

You Had To Be There

Overheard in the pub tonight during an Aussie rules football game on the TV. One of the patrons was getting quite upset:

Patron: Oh no, he manhandled him, come on referee, f**king hell!

Barman: What do you mean he 'manhandled' him? It's a f**king man's game. Did you want him to touch his rectum?

Patron: I hear Melbourne do that....

It made me laugh.