end of an era in timor

it was with a heavy heart that i heard the sad news from timor leste today: aaj's (pronounced "double-a-jay's"), dili's premier establishment for the desperate, destitute and very drunk; the place where warm beer met crap karaoke; where poorly made-up transvestites mingled with gay cops on the pull; where underage sex workers and overage foreign contractors swayed awkwardly to what passed for music; the place that put men back into mendicant; the cape of no hope; the beacon of dim neon light in the dark tropical night has closed its doors forever. or at least for the time being.