Apa kabar, ikan bakar?

I just made up this phrase, it's a tongue-twister /slash/ street talk, it means "what's up (what news), grilled fish?"

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One of my last fond memories of Bali was a brief conversation with an old man, the owner of a masakan padang joint in Kuta. Kuta ain't my favourite place, too loud, noisy, crowded, full of tourists and shops that cater to them. I was really lucky to find this hole in the wall padang.

I told him that his sayur (veg), sambal (chile) and curry were all really good (very bagus) to which he coolly replied, "oh ya, you know, the whole bali [he gestures with his hands], this place is the number one"

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Here's another Indo bite: I was chatting with a taxi driver on the way to Ubud from Denpasar, where the airport is, and he told me he had two boys. "I'm very lucky," he remarked. Although I'm no stranger to the fact that boys are preferred to girls in most societies, I asked him why he said so.

"Mister, if I had money, it would be okay. If I had two girls instead of two boys, I will lose everything," he replied.

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Just got to Dili. I'm nervous, I can already tell that Timor is going to be the most difficult place I've worked in and also the assignment where I have the most responsibility thus far.