Helicopters

With all the chaos in Dili, it felt good to get out of town and into the districts on Thursday. It was a relief to be in the high, cool, open mountains, an escape from both from the heat of Dili and the "situation."

That is not to say that I encounter or witness violence frequently. From my seat in the courtyard, my only direct indication of trouble is helicopters moving overhead, sometimes hovering in the distance over some clash. It reminds me of watching terns hover over patches of dimpled water; I know that something is going on beneath the surface, but all I can see is the bird waiting above.



So my knowledge of the roadblocks, stone throwing, and gangs comes through my computer or cellphone (text messages from the US Embassy), and were it not for the helicopters it would be difficult to connect the reports to the very here and now; the sun is still shining, roosters are still crowing and the mangos are still falling, rotting.

But in Quequerasa, Aileu district, there were no helicopters flying.



Note: The above picture was taken in Suai by the World Food Program in 2000. It has nothing to do with the Blackhawks that I see in Dili, but I liked the picture.