Dili is the capital of East Timor, a pleasant, lazy city with a
Portuguese touch with villa-lined beach roads and a massive old garrison, built
in 1627. Most of Dili was destroyed in 1999 and just about every remaining
building bears some sort of scar of the violence that took place. The last three
years has seen it slowly being rebuilt.
The long stretch of its waterfront remains a place of commerce and leisure
and popular for evening walks and weekend outings.
The Dili region has several good beaches with snorkelling below the headland.
The most popular area is the sheltered cove of Areia Branca, also known as Pasir
Putih or 'White Sands', is about 3 km east of Dili.
Atauro Island, visible from the waterfront, is accessible by boat, including
a ferry service once a week giving several hours on the island and time for a
look around or a swim.