morning impressions

the other morning, taking a night bus from viqueque on the south coast to baucau on the north coast i had the good fortune of watching dawn break over the beautifully-named "mundo perdido" mountains. the sun rose slowly over the crest of mt. matebian, the sacred mountain of the timorese, bathing the landscape in a soft light. groups of people wrapped in blankets against the cold were making their way to the market, carrying bundles of vegetables and other produce. the lush vegetation of the highlands was a welcome change to the dry coastal strip which is now more reminiscient of dry african savannahs than of the equatorial tropics.

its on mornings like these when i think i really should make more of an effort to enjoy them more often. as jim morrison put it, "no eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn."