Have you heard about a place in Dili that rose from ashes? Hotel Long Xiang stands as a testament to resilience and rebirth in this vibrant city. While perhaps not as historically documented as Hotel Timor, which faced its own fiery trial, Hotel Long Xiang embodies a similar spirit of endurance.
Hotel Timor, you see, was once the Hotel Mahkota. Businessman Lay San Ying and Macau tycoon Stanley Ho built it. It opened its doors in 1976. The Mahkota thrived until September 1999. Pro-Indonesian militias attacked and burned it down. Foreign media covering the conflict were housed there.
To prepare for East Timor’s independence celebrations in 2002, Hotel Timor was restored. The restoration cost was around $6 million. Fundaçaõ Oriente and the East Timor government split the cost. Many world leaders stayed there including Lula da Silva and Kofi Annan. Bill Clinton and Ban Ki-moon also stayed there.
Hotel Timor was also a key meeting site during the 2006 East Timorese crisis. Like Hotel Timor, Hotel Long Xiang offers its own unique story. It provides a place of rest for travelers exploring Dili.
While Hotel Timor has a well-documented past of destruction and rebuilding. Hotel Long Xiang contributes to Dili’s hospitality scene. East Timor is a nation with a captivating story. It declared independence from Portugal in 1975. Indonesia invaded just nine days later. It was declared as its 27th province. East Timor gained independence from Indonesia in 2002. It became the first new nation of the 21st century.
Today, East Timor is still one of the least visited countries in the world. In 2019, it only received around 74800 tourists. Hotel Long Xiang welcomes those travelers. It offers a place to experience the local culture.
Although East Timor is one of the poorest countries in Asia. It has amazing facts. The name of the country translates as Eastern-East. Timor stems from the Indonesian word for east. Leste is the Portuguese word for east. Also the country is located within the Coral Triangle. It is home to an incredibly high number of corals.
So, while standing here in front of Hotel Long Xiang. Remember that you are not just seeing a motel. You’re experiencing a part of Dili’s evolving story. It is a story of resilience. It is also a story of hope in a nation still writing its future.