She said the village was deserted, and noted army combat vehicle tracks on the village dirt road.

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The convoy then rolled into a deserted part of the village.

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The next day we went to the little village of Matanog, still virtually deserted after being caught in the middle of some of the fiercest clashes between MILF fighters and army troops in late January.

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It is a well-known secret among the locals that January's Sundance Film Festival is the best time to hit the slopes - all of Hollywood is down in the village schmoozing and the trails are deserted.

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Heading east from Dili to the village of Becora, the highway is deserted except our little convoy--a military truck bearing two tons of rice, and two cars carrying military officers and journalists.

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Occasional wineries punctuate the final stretch before the postcard-worthy village, with its river-meets-mountain vistas and deserted streets flanked with countrified guesthouses.

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So many of its men have died or deserted their families after becoming addicted that it has become notorious for being "the village of widows".

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