One day soon the hotel will go. Or maybe not. Whatever happens, it is still a sign of an atmosphere of impermanence: a state of transit, in the form of a luxurious space that has been floating in Dili harbor since the thousands of United Nations personnel came from all over to East Timor, with a noble duty, in emergency circumstances, and with mind-boggling salaries.

The Central Maritime—that four-star floating hotel, with it