We've got another new-ish country on tap with East Timor. This one is just as old as Peyton! For 24 it had been occupied by Indonesian forces, but it gained it's independence from Indonesia in 2002, and was the first new country of the 21st century. Fun fact 'Timur' means east in Indonesian and Malay, so it's kind of like the country is named 'East East'. You might also know East Timor by Timor-Leste.
A small part of East Timor sits about 50 miles from the rest of the country, but most of the country's 5,700 square miles share it's land boarder with the Indonesian West Timor.
Since it is an island country, there is no surprise our landmark is a nod to the pristine beaches and world class diving. At Atauro Island and Pertamina Pier, you'll find an abundance of fish life and coral, along with octopus, and schooling barracuda right off the pier.
Tourism infrastructure and roads outside the capital of Dili is nearly non-existent, but there's the draw of the rugged mountains and the deserted beaches that still bring a few adventurous tourists.
The former Portuguese colony is an impoverished country, and considered one of the poorest countries in Asia, with many still living off the beaten path in traditional villages. Traditional sacred houses called Uma Lulik are sacttered everywhere (They're often the site of buffalo sacrifices to achieve a balance between the real world and spiritual world.)
Traditional headdresses that are made with rooster feathers are still worn by tribe elders during special events.
They celebrate the tradition of Panjat Pinang, where villages all around the country chop down tall nut trees, stick it in the ground, cover it with slippery oil and place a wheel of gifts at the top. Those gifts range in everything food and clothing.
And the traditional woven cloth called Tais are still made by the women of east Timor. They are brightly colored and covered with intricate patterns, being used for everything from wall hangings to clothing.
As traditional as the country is, they also note their independence. They have their very own 'Christ the Redeemer Statue' which was erected in 1996 and was an independence gift from Indonesia. Though, theirs sits on top of a globe, a top 500 steps.
Our Olympic Schedule for Saturday looked like this:
For Short track speed skating, I made a track with painters tape on the kitchen floor.
Then I marked off a 'short track'.
Mom got the boys their own 'skates' (aka fuzzy socks), so they wouldn't have to use mine and maybe put holes in them.
Then we played a musical chairs sort of activity. When the Olympic Fanfare stopped, if you weren't in the 'short track', you were out. I stopped the music while facing the other way, so the pictures are courtesy of mom. Asa was the judge. If any part of their foot was in the short track, they were still in the running.
In the first round, Calib was the only one in the short track when the music stopped, earning him the gold medal.
In the second round, nobody was in the short track, so we kept going to round number three, where Peyton was the only one in the short track when the music stopped. (If they had both been in the short track, we would have just kept going another round).
Our Short Track Medal Winners.
We tallied up the medals for the day.
And got our new leaders.
We had our East Timor meal as a lunch. We made East Timorese Meatballs, aka Chicken Bakso. These chicken meatballs get boiled, which was kind of interesting.
We also had Balado, a fried egg street food served with a chili paste (instead of making our own, we used up our sambal oelekl), and Rujak (or fruit salad).
This meal earned three spoons up (out of six).
Some people didn't really know how to vote on this one. The meatballs were pretty universally loved. The egg was hit or miss. I mean, it's just a hardboiled egg deep fried. That was it. You don't bread it or anything. Deep fry and egg and this is how it turns out, apparently.
And the fruit salad was good- but full disclosure, I left off the fish sauce, because I just couldn't ruin good fruit that way.
We made a little West Timor off our greenish/bluish/tealish Indonesia, and made a little dark purple East Timor on the eastern end.
That's 188 down, only EIGHT TO GO!
Next Up: Luge & Saint Kitts and Nevis
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