I saw a brand spanking new urban style garbage truck today.

The big brown wooden building near the Pertamina terminal on the corner has finally finished building works. I believe there was a grand opening about one week ago but signs have only appeared since then. It is called the “Thai Pavilion” and comprises a Thai restaurant (another) and accommodation. It looks flash from the outside and my card is marked for further investigation.

I tried a burger at “Route 66” outside Landmark Supermarket. A beef burger with cheese comes in at $3-50. The decor is very utilitarian and perhaps explained why I did my burger as a take-away. You get to see the kitchen and cooking technique and I can fault neither for cleanliness and hygiene. As for the burger, it tasted more like what many burgers taste like throughout Asia (of the non-Macca variety) – different.

Directly opposite, the car wash establishment has modified its setup to include a dedicated bay for fitting blast film on car windows. This reflects the new security environment here, where a number of organisations have mandated (or at least recommended) blast film to be fitted on all employees vehicles.

“Castaways” bar/restaurant is undergoing renovation to make more room for tables and to concentrate all service activities behind a long bar running down the western side.

The old “Coolspot” nightclub renovations look complete to me and it can not be long before its new persona is revealed. It looks nothing like its old persona and now has large floor to ceiling doors at the front and bollards to stop cars parking at the front – presumably to prevent blocking the view to the sea.

Timor Gas in the Hotel Dili has moved into a flash new office-style building in the south-east corner of the property. It suggests things are going well.

The influx of new UN police over the last month (in particular) is now quite noticable.

The ANZ bank are planning to put in around 5 new ATM machines to disseminate cash. I’ll take a punt and say, Landmark Supermarket, Lita Supermarket, airport. After that, I am really guessing. Maybe Audian, the Palacio do Governu or Hotel Timor.