We first rang the doorbell 20 minutes ago and are still standing in front of the Prestige Suite on the 29th floor of the Sofitel Sukhumvit in Bangkok, convinced that the guest inside has mistaken us for room service.
Contemplating whether or not we should rudely ring the bell again, we finally dial the lobby and ask them to connect us to the room. As the guest picks up the receiver, we politely inform him that we have been here for quite some time.
The door quickly swings open and the guest, dressed in a bright blue silk shirt, rushes out. "I'm really, really sorry," he says with sincere apologetic eyes behind his iconic thin eyeglasses.
José Manuel Ramos-Horta could be forgiven for cherishing some peace and quiet in his turbulent life. A lifelong political activist, he spent almost three decades in exile, travelling the world to promote the cause of an independent East Timor, now known as Timor-Leste. His determination was recognised with the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996, and he became the second president of Timor-Leste in 2007.
However, the 65-year-old says it was "by accident of history" that he became involved in politics, and that fame and honours had never been the goal in his humble life.
A practical Mini Moke is the preferred way of getting around for the former president, who always attracts friendly crowds.
The young Jose Ramos-Horta received his basic education from a Catholic mission in the remote village of Soibada in Timor-Leste. He was then sent to high school in the capital Dili and pursued his dream to be a self-taught journalist in 1969.
"I always wanted to be a journalist and always dreamed of going to the United States to study cinema and journalism," he tells Asia Focus, his deep, penetrating voice resonating in that 60-square-metre suite.
However, his stalwart determination and limitless capacity for self-sacrifice motivated him to put his dream aside and devote his life to bringing peace to his country.
He and other young people with similar determination first launched the drive for freedom and self-determination for East Timor in the late 1960s, but at the time he had no "real plans" to be involved in politics.
"It is inevitable when you live in a colony ruled by a European power. You grow up dreaming of freedom and independence," says Dr Ramos-Horta. "I work and fight for something I believe in. I believe in justice, human dignity and freedom."
The early struggles against the Portuguese military dictatorship led to a spell of exile for the young activist in 1970-71 in Mozambique, where his son was born. But he would later face a much longer time away from home soil.
In 1975 he was named foreign minister of the "Democratic Republic of East Timor" government proclaimed by pro-independence parties. Three days after he left for the United States to plead the Timorese case before the UN, Indonesian troops invaded. "For 24 years I was in exile," he says.
Along the way, he became the youngest person to address the United Nations at the age of 25, studied international law and human rights in Europe and the United States, and brought the East Timor message to many other countries. "I left because I couldn't do anything in the country. I decided that the best way to serve the country was to be abroad," he says.
BLOODY SACRIFICES
Born to a Timorese mother and Portuguese father on December 1949, Dr Ramos-Horta has 11 brothers and sisters -- four of them were killed during the 24-year occupation by Indonesian invaders.
"It was painful," he recalls with a weary look on his face. "I didn't see my mother for 15 years, but I simply had to continue."
Almost four decades after the invasion, he still hasn't found the bodies of his two brothers, who were among an estimated 102,000 East Timorese who died at the hands of their occupiers. Even today he continues the search, going from village to village in search of clues. "We need to find out where they were killed so we can rebury them with dignity," he says simply.
Largely through decades of his whole-hearted devotion and collaboration with other parties, Timor-Leste ultimately gained its independence in 2002. Dr Ramos-Horta became the new country's first minister of foreign affairs and served until he was appointed as prime minister in 2006.
His main task was to restore peace and security to the country with the help of United Nations and other countries. "I had no plans at the time to be a prime minister but I accepted it because the country seemed to need someone like me."
In 2007, he was elected as the second president of Timor-Leste with more than 70% of the popular vote, focusing primarily on healing the wounds, reconciling his people, restoring their hope and faith and consolidating peace in his country.
At the time, scattered rebel activity was still persisting, which culminated in a life-threatening incident for the country's president. On Feb 11, 2008 during his regular morning walk, Dr Ramos-Horta was shot and gravely injured in an assassination attempt, which left him in an induced coma for next 10 days under the supervision of an Australian doctor in Darwin.
Still, he described the incident as a case of "confusion", and has come to believe that his attacker's real aim was to send a message. "If he really had the intention to kill me, I would have been dead. He shot, not that he missed, but he purposely shot without trying to kill me," he says.
At the stroke of midnight on May 19, 2012, when his five-year term ended, he handed over power to his successor, Taur Matan Ruak, and reflected with satisfaction on the country's progress. "Timor-Leste was completely at peace. People were hopeful again and the economy was booming with double-digit growth," he recalls.
CREDIT GOES TO ...
As the conversation goes on, one comes to realise that Dr Ramos-Horta does not fit the stereotype of the crusading independence hero. Down-to-earth and self-effacing, he repeatedly stresses that independence was the work of a great many people.
"I was just one of the architects of that transformation," he says. "Credit goes to my compatriots, particularly, the community people who were not involved in violence -- people who wanted peace."
He further gives credit to all of the political leaders whom he worked with, inside and outside the country, who recognised the issues. "I only tried to bring everybody together and they all came together -- the people, political leaders, the church, and the international community."
In his view, when a person is elected, he or she is never elected by 100% of the people and therefore should embrace those who didn't vote for them. The presence of any people or groups who feel threatened or alienated will only lead to more hardship.
"When we are in power, we should be humble," he says. "We should come down from the top of the mountain and embrace those in the valley. We should embrace those who are on the fringes of power and make everybody feel that they have dignity and that they are respected."
In all of his years and in the many roles he has taken, at home and on the international stage, Dr Ramos-Horta has been the one doing more listening than talking.
"I try to follow the people's voice in prudent manners," he says, adding that he travels frequently around the country, visiting even the most remote communities to remind people that they are part of the national family.
"It was through my real feelings of compassion toward people that people trusted me and the situation completely calmed down," he says softly.
And while he says he will be eternally grateful to the Nobel committee, he never once thought of receiving any awards, let alone the Nobel Peace Prize.
"Apparently, some people have been watching what I was doing for 20 years and decided to recognise me," he says with a smile.
"With or without a Nobel Peace Prize, I'm still a human being. I'm still alive and I thank God for giving me my life with all these problems, all the beauty and happiness.
CHILDREN'S FAVOURITE
These days, he drives around the country in an open Mini Moke, which looks like a beefed-up golf cart, without any concern for his safety even after the events 2008. "I'm not worried at all, even at that time, or now," he says.
In his view, when the time comes for someone to die, he or she will die, whether from disease, a traffic accident, airplane crash or heart attack. "Even though I was shot, I didn't die because it was not the time for me."
When Dr Ramos-Horta makes his rounds, children always get excited and run after him as he drives by. "I don't know why I'm so popular with children. Anywhere I go in Timor-Leste, they all go crazy and scream after me."
But women are another matter, and he leads the life of a single man. He was married to Ana Maria Pessoa, a lawyer and fellow independence activist who now serves as Timor-Leste's prosecutor-general, but they divorced.
"Marriage? I basically gave up. Women, they just ignore me. I'm not married because tragically, sadly, after all these years, no woman likes me," he says playfully.
His one son, Loro Horta, is now a diplomat in China, and a 7-year-old grandson, Bruno, lives with his Thai daughter-in-law in Bangkok.
In Timor-Leste, his joy derives from spending time with his family members including his lively and energetic 87-year-old mother, siblings, nephews and nieces. He enjoys going to the mountains, visiting local villages, and camping. He also reads a lot of current affairs books and likes listening to classical music.
Having travelled extensively across the world, he's also developed a fondness for movies, but he only watches them on the plane when he's on a transcontinental flights. Don't expect him to name any political thrillers as favourites, though. His favourites are action fare, especially anything starting Bruce Willis, and classics such as Cinema Paradiso and Casablanca.