Blogs from East Timor, Asia
May 22nd 2012
It would seem that there are many of you, family and friends, who are under the impression we are on some sort of glorified extended holiday. We are NOT on a holiday! Riding a bike from London to Sydney is more like unpaid work, really. Expensive unpaid work at that. For example, we are very busy every day with planning routes, finding food and accommodation in strange countries, crossing borders, arranging visas, arranging bike shipping, writing blogs even! Well, ok, perhaps not so busy writing blogs as this one is somewhat overdue. Hmmm, so where were we when I last wrote something? Lombok for my birthday… two months ago.Yes, definitely not so busy writing blogs. Turning… older (the nice thing about being old is you can forget how old you are) I would like t... read more
September 18th 2011
We arrived back at the hotel earlier today after 2 long days driving to and from the eastern end of East Timor. It certainly was interesting. We left Dili at 8:00 a.m. and had lunch at East Timor’s 2nd largest town Baucau which is just 123 km away. I’ve been on worse roads in China but these were still pretty bad – huge potholes, missing bridges, missing tarmac etc. If we weren’t slowing down because of road conditions we were slowing down so that we didn’t hit a cow, goat, pig, dog, chook or human. Still, we travelled in relative comfort in a 4WD. The locals travel either by small motorbike, microlet, bus or truck. A microlet is a tiny minibus which is packed to the gunnels with people, often with people hanging on but travelling ... read more
September 17th 2011
It’s early Saturday morning and I’ve been in Dili (East Timor) since late on Monday. Once again I’m travelling with a group from work to train some local people in the use of some software that has been developed at work and to also run a workshop on climate and climate change for a larger group of people. We had to travel from Melbourne last Monday because we could not arrange flights from Darwin to Dili for the weekend. We initially thought that this was because a lot of Army personnel use those flights but I think that it was because of a bike race. For the last few years East Timor has been running the Tour de Timor. This is a bit like the Tour de France but for mountain bikes. I also imagine that ... read more
February 22nd 2011
I never managed to venture out of Dili the whole time I’ve been in East Timor which is not my usual way of travel and I’m excited to be moving on tomorrow. I had to be back in Dili this afternoon so it wasn’t really long enough to go east or south to Mt Ramelau and see more of the country but a little too long to stay entertained in Dili. I was going to go out to Atauro Island but by the time I came up with that plan it was Sunday and there were definitely no boats going out. As soon as I got to Dili I started to organize my Indonesian visa. I was told I wouldn’t have a chance getting it submitted until Monday since people get there at 5am to line ... read more
January 19th 2011
We made another remote via helicopter today. We went to an isolated section of Timor called Oecusi (O-Cue-See) which is west of mainland Timor. It is separated from the rest of Timor and is surrounded by Indonesia except along the coast line. Apparently, this is where the Portuguese first landed when they came to Timor. This region also has one of the highest concentrations of leprosy in the world. Given these short comings, it is the most beautiful place I’ve seen in Timor. It still has a lot of old colonial structures and feel. The community has adequate water supply and is clean. Drove around last night with a chicken in the back seat. ... read more
January 15th 2011
Had a slower day looking at potential clinic sites in Dili. We targeted some of the poorer areas that likely do not have access to health care. What an awakening! Several area with no access to water and no sewer systems. Open sewage systems were common. One empty building at a school we surveyed isn’t usable because it being used as a toilet. We meet with the Japanese contingency today who will be partnering in providing medical services. ... read more
January 14th 2011
Traveled via Helio to the providences of Ainaro and Zumali today which are in the central and southwestern part of the country. Ainaro is in the mountainous regions of Central Timor and Zumali is closer to the southern coast. Ainaro is high up in the coffee growing area of the region. It is absolutely beautiful with a 9700-ft Mountain for a back drop. The hill sides are rugged and there are small villages scattered throughout literally clinging to the side of the mountain. I am simply amazed at the ability of these people and how they can get by so well with so little. Zumali is a little closer to the coast and hence, a lot hotter and humid. Nothing like wearing a full uniform on a sweltering hot day. Oh well, it’s better than getting ... read more
January 13th 2011
What a day. We flew to the SE end of the island via helicopter provided by the Australian Army. We flew to the villages of Uato Lari and Illiomar. Both places are pretty remote and neither of them have basic facilities like water and sewer. Water borne illnesses from pathological organisms are prevalent and infant mortality is high. Yet they appear happy and we had a great time playing with the kids. I sure hope that these efforts result in some significant health care improvements. ... read more
January 11th 2011
Another warm and humid day in Dili. Spent most of day meeting with local agencies and NGO's. ... read more
January 9th 2011
Made to Dili, dog tired and worn out. Slept about 4 hours in 1 hour intervals in the last 36 hours. Had our first meeting at the US Embasy. There's several multi-national forces working here including the United Nations and Non-Government Organizations. ... read more
