The rain in Spain may fall mainly on the plain, but in Timor it’s not as discriminatory; it falls everywhere. At the moment it’s also falling with alarming continuity. Yes, I know, it’s the rainy season, one should expect more than the average drop. The thing of it is this, rainy season usually means one major storm or rain shower a day, usually mid to late afternoon. What we’ve been treated to in the last week is rain with brief interludes of greyness. There’s also been wind – enough to fell trees (which is damnably annoying when they chose to topple across a cycle track).
The worst part is (as I’ve mentioned previously) that someone, in their infinite wisdom, has dug up the roads. I’ve been told that the Japanese government gave Timor the money to dig the roads up. As a friend remarked, as we trundled along on our cycles, mud splattering up our fronts and backs, and as cars sped past, our sides, “Who’s going to give them the money to put them back?” Beach Road used to be a scenic avenue (well as scenic an avenue as you’re going to get in Dili). Despite the potholes, it worked.
I am told that all the work needs to be completed by 24th May when numerous international dignitaries are flying in – probably for the grand opening of all the new pavement. The challenge is that with all the rain, and the rather short timeframe, by Timor standards, the job is set to be haphazard at best. So while the roads might hold up for the official visits, it won’t be long before it once again subsides into the crazy paving we used to love. I give it until June.
While it’s frustrating slipping and sliding along on my motorcycle, I have found a more practical use – and though it might draw a crowd (at least of rowdy Australians), it isn’t female mud wrestling. No, I am studying a mountain biking DVD and trying to work out how to do wheelies onto ledges and then take flight over drop-offs. I’m thinking that a certain street of rectangular cut-outs is the perfect training ground for a beginner.
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