My friend, Eric Wong a hobby currency note collector is looking for a piece of East Timor currency to complete his Asian collection.
I contacted academician and activist Ying Hooi who travels to East Timor frequently, She told me the budding new nation prefers to use US currency. That cannot bode well, just like Cambodia where everything is quoted in USD. Everything became more expensive not just for tourists but for local consumers as well, A worker and even street beggars will ask for “one dollah” for tips.
Update: Ying Hooi says Timor Leste has no own currency because they are a small economy, They currently have coins though. Eric may have shown us a colonial day note which should be more valuable.
Ying Hooi is seen here in the first picture on top of the hill where the statue of Cristo Rei of Dili (or Christ the King of Dili). Beautiful and model like Ying Hooi is sitting on a cliff overlooking the Savu Sea. She also shared a ground level shot of the popular landmark.Her pic of Tai besi Market of Dili is very interesting too. It was a beans seller. 4th pic is supposedly East Timor money from Eric;s Fb.
Timor-Leste, or East Timor had a long hard struggle to independence from Portugal in 1975 and was subsequently invaded and annexed by Indonesia until it was granted Independence in 2002..
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Find a hotel in Dili here: http://www.mycen.my/dili-hotel-deals-finder/
#dili #easttimor #timorleste #island #portugal #indonesia #maluku #islands #cristorei