I don't know how often the Foreign & Commonwealth Office updates its travel advice sections, but perhaps Timor-Leste's should be looked at. I wonder how many people are put off visiting Timor-Leste because of the FCO warning. I also wonder how many publications are reluctant to print travel stories from Timor-Leste.

We advise against all but essential travel to East Timor, because of the uncertain security situation. Violence can break out without warning, anywhere and at any time. You should avoid demonstrations and large crowds and if you become aware of any nearby military activity you should leave the area immediately. See the Political Situation section of this advice for more details.

The security situation is calm. There are new businesses setting up office in Dili and progress is being made. There's a mall coming, a luxury hotel, a golf course, business centres and more. You can see dozens of children playing in the new park opposite Hotel Timor well into the night.

You should also restrict your movements and avoid the areas surrounding IDP (internally displaced persons) camps, government buildings (including the Palacio da Cinzas and Palacio do Governno) and the vicinity of the Nicolau Lobato International airport in Comoro, including the airport road. You should also refrain from going outside after dark.

There are only a few IDP camps left and there's only one big one, Metinaro, which is on the outskirts of Dili. The only time I've seen trouble around the government palace was when the GNR went nuts on a Brazilian chap.

There have been a number of attacks on foreigners in Dili, including bag-snatchings, during both the hours of daylight and darkness. You are advised to remain vigilant at all times and to avoid displaying expensive items of jewellery or carrying large sums of money.

This is true, but there are attacks on foreigners all over the world. I'd say attacks on foreigners are more common in Phuket than in Dili. Crime in Dili seems to be more opportunistic than anything. Common sense usually prevails.

Accommodation and transport for independent travellers are extremely limited, particularly outside the capital, Dili. Even in Dili you should not expect to find taxis or other public transport after dark.

You should refrain from going outside after dark, and avoid travelling alone.

It is possible to find taxis after dark. I've done it many times, although never past 10 pm. There are guesthouses and lodgings all over Timor-Leste. The tour operators here can arrange trips all over the country. All right, the roads are terrible and accommodation is usually basic, but travel is possible and I'd recommend anyone to get out and see a bit of the country.

Most people go outside after dark. If they didn't, then it would be difficult to find dinner anywhere and all the bars, clubs, restaurants and whatnot would go out of business.

The FCO advice is on the right tracks, but it could be softened a little to reflect the real situation here.

The people of Timor-Leste celebrated seven years of independence last Wednesday with a day of parades, music and festivities in Dili, the capital city

Only a few bloggers marked the occasion. Sandra Martz wrote on her blog, “On May 20, 2002, following 25 years of violent domination by the Indonesian military which was aided and abetted by the US under Gerald Ford and Henry Kissinger, Timor-Leste became an independent nation.”

It was, however, a minute of awkwardness during the flag-lowering ceremony last week that has been the talk of town ever since.

It happened at about 5 pm – the national anthem played while the flag of Timor-Leste was lowered in front of President Jose Ramos-Horta, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, police commander Longuinhos Monteiro and about 1,000 onlookers.

As two honour guards ceremoniously folded the flag, one of them suddenly fumbled and dropped his end.

Pausing for a moment, the guard recovered to pick up his end of the flag and kiss it, but continued to bugle his folding duties.

Radio Nomad of Notes from Abroad was the first blogger to notice the significance of the accident:

Many Timorese are superstitious and that includes issues concerning the flag. Some believe what happened yesterday is a bad omen — signalling trouble ahead

I was quickly reminded this morning by colleagues that on May 20, 2002, when the flag was raised for the first time at Government Palace over an independent [Timor-Leste] – the flag did not flutter. Within months, they said, new violence broke out.

Timorese Josh Trindade, 34, independent consultant and researcher, says the Timorese are a traditional people who read a lot into symbols such as this.

“We read small signs from nature – from the birds, the trees, the moon, the sun. Everyone is saying that the flag being dropped is a bad sign. Most people interpret it as a sign of conflict,” he said.

The colours of Timor-Leste’s flag – yellow, black, red and white – symbolize colonialism, overcoming obscurantism, the struggle for liberation and peace.

The national flag was based on that of the Revolutionary Front for an Independent Timor-Leste (FRETILIN) party, who were heavily involved in Timor-Leste’s fight for independence and now sit in opposition to Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao’s coalition government.

“The flag was chosen by a political party. The flag doesn’t represent the country – it represents politics. This is a sign to get a new flag,” added Trindade.

An anonymous commenter on the Timor Lorosae Nacao blog raised the question, “When is Timor-Leste going to have their own flag and push aside the FRETILIN flag? Because this flag remembers every prisoner who FRETILIN assassinated during the civil war, some of them were buried alive.”

Maria Neto, 42, who has six children and works as a maid in Dili, saw the flag being dropped.

“Many of the people there held their breath and wondered what would happen. At the moment I saw it I thought this was a bad sign – there’s going to be something bad again,” she said.

Timorese people voted almost 80% in favour of independence in 1999 after a bloody 24-year occupation by the Indonesian military.

A country with a recent history of conflict, Timor-Leste’s flag has become a sacred item and a symbol of the thousands of people who died during the struggle for independence.

Blogger Young Activist wrote, “Seven years ago today, in one of the greatest victories for the human rights movement, Timor-Leste's independence from Indonesia was finally formally recognized. Although the nation declared its independence after Portugal's renunciation of its claims to the territory in 1975 the colony was promptly invaded by American-backed Indonesia.

“For the next two and a half decades Timor-Leste would be subjected to occupation, starvation, torture, military rule, repression and the largest proportional genocide since the Holocaust, a genocide that left over 100,000 people decade.”

Timorese blogger Isaias Abilio Caldas remembered the devastation of that time in a blog post on Renova Timor:

“The whole country had just been laid to waste. Schools, hospitals, government buildings and private homes were razed to the ground by fire set by the Indonesian military and Pro-Indonesian militias. Corpses were found everywhere, half-buried or unburied at all leaving them as the nourishment of dogs, cows, flies and wild birds.”

Jeremias da Costa, a student at the National University of Timor-Leste, says that the dropping of the flag is a sign that all is not well with the nation’s leaders.

“The incident that happened [at the ceremony] was a big one. It showed people and the community that some leaders who reign in this country are ruling the country with their dishonesty,” he said.

FRETILIN leader Mari Alkatiri told reporters on Thursday that the fallen flag could be a sign that the end is near for Prime Minister Gusmao and his coalition government.

Later that day, Gusmao apologised for the flag incident.

“On behalf of the government I would like to apologize for that. It was not the fault of the young man or the government,” he said.

“We can only promise that next time they won’t wear gloves so the flag won’t slip out of their hands again when they fold it,” added the prime minister.

Despite this, Radio Nomad says people are still worried:

“The reaction to yesterday's incident shows just how on edge people are — it was just over a year ago that an assassination attempt was made on the president.”

Maid Neto added, “Of course people are worried – even me. We don’t see that happen often. It’s the flag of the nation and when it falls it tells you that our leaders are not united. It tells us that there will be something bad in the future.”

I knew it would happen eventually. The number of times Timorese people have asked me if I’ve ever eaten dog, I knew the day would come when I’d actually be offered the meat.

And so it happened in Ermera. I’d travelled out to the district at night and been told that food had been prepared for dinner. We’d been in Ermera for about an hour before the call for dinner was made.

I walked into a large room and saw people were saying grace stood around a table, on top of which was a pot of rice and a huge bucket containing what was once a dog.

I’m not keen on point blank refusing offers of hospitality from Timorese people. It sounds ridiculous, but I enjoy engaging with Timorese people in the things they do.

As I said, I was confronted with a bucket of dog. It didn’t look particularly appetising, what with one of the dog’s enormous paws on top for all to see. Again, my instinct was telling me to not eat that night, but being in a country where so many people go hungry, being offered food, especially dog, is a big deal.

I say “especially dog” because, I’ve been told, eating dog is believed to give a person strength. It’s a special meat.

I quickly tried to rationalise eating dog. People eat other kinds of meat, so why not dog? The only reason I could think eating dog has such a stigma is because we’ve grown attached to dogs and find it difficult to bring ourselves to kill them.

But then, we eat rabbits, which are also kept as pets. Could it be the higher level of intelligence dogs exhibit that has forged this kind of spiritual link between man and canine?

It could be simply that dog meat, as I soon discovered, isn’t particularly tasty. I loaded my plate up with rice and stared deep into the bucket of dog. I took the spoon and picked out the smallest, least bony piece of meat I could find.

With 20 pairs of eyes on me, I took a deep breath and before I knew it, I was chewing and chewing and chewing, rather like trying to eat a rubber band. I gagged a little, gave up on chewing, swallowed and gagged a little more.

It was unpleasant, but it was over. The people around me seemed satisfied that I’d at least made some effort, although they were concerned as to why I didn’t want any more meat.

I don’t know if it was the meat itself or just the idea of eating a dog that made me feel so uncomfortable. It may have been the large amount of bones and bits in the bucket, including the paws.

I expect that writing this will polarise my readership as I’m sure many of you will be outraged at the idea of person eating dog. I don’t have a problem with people in Timor-Leste eating dog. I didn’t enjoy it myself, no doubt because I came into it with two decades of home-grown hang-ups. Either way, it’s an interesting contrast between the East and the West.

All this aside, I’ve been told that the way dogs are killed in Timor-Leste is barbaric. I don’t know if this is true so I won’t describe it here, but it was only after my trip to Ermera that I found this out. This is similar to way what I've read about how dogs are killed in South Korea.

If you live in Timor-Leste and you mix with Timorese people, no doubt you’ll find yourself in a similar situation at some point.

I found a flyer in my bag today. Five years ago on Thursday May 20, 2004, me and a group of friends organized a drum n bass party in Sheffield called *Sneak. It was held from 10 pm until 2 am at Orchis nightclub. I don’t know what the club is called now, but I know it isn’t Orchis.

There were six of us involved I think. We had met through the Drum n Bass Arena forum after complaining about how boring the drum n bass nights were becoming in Sheffield. I think we did about 100 to 200 people at that first party. We booked ourselves to DJ and a young MC called Skeez, who was relatively unknown at the time, came over and helped us out.

We got together with a guy called Wilf, who, among other things, runs a hugely successful night in Manchester called Metropolis. Wilf is one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met. He is pure Manchester. Some of the stories he used to tell us were terrifying.

Anyway, it was with Wilf that we started doing nights at a club called .Zero, now called Plug. We put up half the money and Wilf put up the other half. I think our initial investment was about 400 pounds each, so in total we must have had a startup of about five grand.

Wilf asked us who we wanted to book and depending on how much they cost and if they were available, we started booking drum n bass lineups. At the first event we had Mampi Swift, Bad Company, Marcus Intalex, Ray Keith and Subfocus – I think. We filled the club with about 800 or so people.

We put on these parties for the best part of a year. Our role was primarily as a street team promoting the events, sending out press releases, selling tickets, sorting guestlists and then working on the nights of the parties. We had everyone at these parties: Grooverider, Hype, Krust, SS, Fresh, Micky Finn, Adam F, J Majik, Pendulum and so on.

To an extent, we put ourselves up in competition with Drum n Bass Arena. It was fun while it lasted.

*Sneak eventually ran its course and then Wilf took over the night and we bowed out of the picture. This was Wilf’s way of getting into Sheffield and it was our way of putting on some really good parties. Everyone was a winner and we made back all of the money we invested plus a little more.

After that I carried on doing a Sunday night I’d started at the Forum on Division Street, where I also worked behind the bar. This night was a pain in the neck because nobody ever came except one Bank Holiday when we did about 750 people and made loads of money.

The people I worked with at Forum are now pretty much keeping the nightlife scene in Sheffield ticking over at various venues. They’ve done some impressive stuff while I’ve been away. At one point we were all working behind a bar together, staying out all night and generally getting up to no good.

I can’t help but think that if I’d stayed in Sheffield, I’d have followed much the same path as they have. In many ways I wish I had because I miss the UK nightlife scene.

Ultimately I made the choices I did for a reason and here I am in Timor-Leste. I gave up on the nightlife scene here a long time ago. To be honest, I don’t really socialize much in Dili – I just work. I try my best with the things I do and it’s mostly all positive. I haven’t had a full-time job for more than six months, but the work I’m doing now takes up more than a 9-5 would do anyway.

Life is otherwise pretty good. I am, however, starting to think about what I want to do next. I’m seriously considering going to Japan or China, not in the near future, but in a year or so.

We’ll see. For now, I’m just reminiscing after finding a five-year-old flyer in my bag.

President Jose Ramos-Horta speaking about press freedom: "The media often make mistakes in their reports, that is true, but how many more mistakes, more serious, has government made? When government makes mistakes, we can lose millions of dollars, and yet no one holds us responsible."