Level 5.10 ??

OK, I now get the drift.  Level 5 was the correct call after all.

Yep, I went out twice today to do shopping – even bought rice from Landmark.  No problems.  But a friend told me things went to crap in the Delta area late afternoon.

There was a flurry of SMS warnings, all tending towards the stay at home, doors locked variety.  That was cool – nice big comfort dinner planned (a week ago) at home anyway.

Very late afternoon, the SMS flurry heightened.  At around 7:30pm, there were many “gunshots”, some quite close and I admit to a little bit of gastric agitation.  This was followed by the tell-tale banging of metal light poles (of the lights that don’t work anyway) and a bit of “whooping it up”.  For about 1/2 an hour there, I thought things were as bad as last year in May.  But I think the reality is that the “gunshots” were all from the security forces and not from anyone that was going to cause me harm.  Anyway, this is what you tell yourself.

So you start tucking into a really nice meal, red wine and good conversation and try to ignore the gunshots.  After about an hour, all went quiet.  The streets were absolutely deserted and you could hear a pin drop.

A topic of conversation was just how was one to get an adrenalin rush back in the western world after all this is over.  I suggested finding the local “blood house” (ie extremely rough bar) and sup gin and tonics while watching the action.  Maybe returning to become a world championship wrestling fan.  And tomorrow morning, I will wake up.

PS  I think OZ volunteers are being asked to leave.  Some will be happy but an awful lot will not like it.  And no-one else outside TL quite understands this.  I think the best way I can describe it is – “home is where the slippers are”.  Mine are here – even though I can’t find a reason to actually wear them.

4 thoughts on “Level 5.10 ??

  1. Daughter had to leave Taubisse today due to the all night (and all day) rioting, burning tires, pole banging & level of tension; she’s now at the “safe” Dili Hotel. Her NGO (actually under the Ministry of Agriculture) plans to go day to day and not evacuate at this time. Since it is located in the Fomento bldg, I doubt they’ll get to work by 9, but they are a committed group and will continue tp hold on. I say get rid of the rubber bullets and take out the scrotes (FOS’s astute name for the gangsters) with real ones…so those who care about this troubled country can get back to work, school and their lives. These idiots are bringing down their own country and getting all the press. The majority of Timorese want to move forward. Worried Mama

  2. Sorry SOL Mama but I didn’t realise my anti-spam software was holding your posts and waiting for me tho approve them. I like Hotel Dili.

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