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and betel chewed it was hard not to be drawn into this way to form an understanding that we are merely just passengers on a ride that will take us wherever it wants us to go. It became somewhat of a metaphor as maps and positioning devices were put away, we were guided by the locals in whatever they saw as our journey.
Falling deeper into the rituals of the people it became easier to ask why do we need a collection of books, often more fanciful than a JK Rowling novel, and written by a crusty old man tucked away in some stone library a thousand years ago, to guide us how to live? Here were a people being guided by that around them, their interactions with the natural world, with each other, and what they saw as the correct path to take. It led to a realisation that while official figures state that almost one hundred per cent of the Timor-Leste population identify as Catholic, I’ m
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