I wouldn’t be the only one to be breaking out of town to check out life out of TL at this time of year.  Apart from a couple of very touristy/rest trips to Darwin I haven’t re-acquainted myself with life in OZ for over 2 years.  So I am doing a south-east OZ tour of old stamping grounds and mates.  (The things you have to do to reduce the OZ wine lake !)

If you thought that arriving in Dili was a bit of a shock, the reality is that going the other way is every bit as shocking.  I certainly was not prepared for the 1st grog shop visit where there were more beers on offer than wines.  What happened ?  It seems like very man and his dog is brewing beer.  Not that this is bad, but get a grip guys, beer has never been so expensive.  Hint – start brewing in Dili boys.  Dili Draught … Becora Bitter … Maubisse Mild … Same Stout … Palacio Pilsener … are you with me ?

And OZ tomatoes  … perfectly red, round and tasting like cardboard.  I miss the gnarled but tasty Dili tomatoes already.

And everybody tells me I need to consume.  You know, buy stuff I don’t really need.  Replace those shorts I have worn for ages in Dili.  And that mobile phone is just so OLD.  And those t-shirts look oh so naff.  Get a grip – I am not going to buy a new car for the good of the country.  Besides – every man and his dog in Dili seems to be buying blue jeans in Colmera.

I went to a local suburban club with some old mates and was amazed at the apparent dagginess of the premises until the beers kicked in and the band transformed from ho-hum to rock legends.  It could have been related to the fact that the local hairdressers association were having their Christmas party and hit the dance floor.  I was more than prepared for a trim right there and then.

And the internet speed – WOW.  See you next year (1000 Gigabytes later.)