My Hotel, and a Little Adventure

The hotel was nice. Probably it was at the high end of Dili, price wise at US$85/night.  But it was popular with westerners so I always found people to talk to.  It was the local haunt for western expats, a few of whom I chatted to.

It was decent, and the staff were great.  Maybe I didn’t need the young man to hit on me – he assumed no wife, so obviously I was fair game.  I noticed he had more luck with an elder Dutch gentleman a night or two later.

It had a big sprawling area to sit and relax, to have a drink and to eat. The pool was good.  Everything worked.   For me, putting my toe in the water of the what will be my life for the next couple of years, it was a pretty perfect transition.

I did have a little adventure.  I’d had my car for maybe a day.  In Dili, they sometimes have these big holes in the footpath.  God forbid you’re heading home pissed at midnight! There was one outside the hotel – I hope the image shows it.  How I was parked, I needed to reverse into traffic – something I was still uncertain about.  People don’t stop, they keep coming, toot there horns and generally just make it tough.  I learnt later just reverse out – that’s what they expect, they’ll stop.

But this time I was tentative.  Stressed.  I pulled out a little and then put it into drive and swung around on the footpath.  But I forgot about the bloody hole – the one I’d just walked around.  I dropped the front passenger wheel straight into it.  It was deep, so basically the bottom of the car smashed into the concrete surround.

Do you remember in an early note I’d said, having picked up the vehicle, I was in a bit of a fog??  All the stress fell away??  This is a direct result of that fog.

I was stuck.  No way out.  I went forward, I went back.  Nothing.  I was thinking, two days in and I’d already need a towie.  The humiliation was intense.  But…  I remembered my 4WD training.  I set up the controls appropriately and did what I was taught.  It worked, thank goodness.  I managed to back it out.

Thank you, Toyota Landcruiser Club!!  Thank you .

I googled the local Toyota dealership and drove over.  I was terrified the wheel would fall off or the axle was broken or the engine would fall out or some other catastrophe would hit me. But Toyota Dili was fantastic.  They put it up on a hoist, checked everything out, showed me the scrapes for posterity and sent me on my way – all for US$20.

I am sorry I didn’t think to take a photo of the truck in the hole.  Quite honestly, I had a few other things on my mind…