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Published: November 12th 2016
As usual, I composed various parts of a blog in my head and when it actually comes to putting it down in words, I can't remember it.
I've been missing on here for some time for which I apologise to all the people who took the time to follow, write, inspire and encourage me. I do like writing but it usually feels a chore. I need to sort that bit out.
Let's move on.
Currently, I'm sitting at a marketplace at 05:18 in Lautem. A solitary light bulb hanging from the wooden beams provides enough light to see the goods for sale on the concrete tables whilst the wares laid out on sheets of plastic over the gravel surface are lit with torches or phone screens. Teens who collect the fares from bus travellers are the most animated; crouched on their haunches under the only other light bulb and seemingly discussing us four 'malais' (foreigners) whilst smoking.
Coming here was more Scott's idea than mine though I was more than happy to agree. There wasn't much planning to do. As one of the least visited countries in the world, there wasn't much info to go on and
Christo Rei himself
I hear it's nice for sunrise and sunset but have been told by the locals to be long gone when it gets darkknowing we'd get a 30 day visa on arrival meant we had time to figure things out when we got here.
Two nights in Dili at Casa Minha and we had a group comprising of two Swiss women, a Portuguese guy and another Australian. We'd been to the Resistance Museum (a worthwhile $1 entry) and Christo Rei. I'd played cards with a group of nuns while the newly appointed novices splashed, sang and laughed in the sea. Already there were puppies (and piglets!) I'd mentally adopted. We had Portuguese for dinner one night and Indian the next. Things were looking promising.
We were all keen to get out of the city so Monday morning four of us were at one of the bus terminals for 7am. People crowded our taxi windows selling mandarins, apples, boiled eggs and bread rolls. Others were asking where we were going in an attempt to have us on their bus. It was easily managed by Hugo and his Portuguese and we were soon on the bus waiting for it to fill.
The roads are a mixed bunch. There's a lot of work going into fixing sections of the roads whilst others are
New friends
The sisters who invited me to play cards with me while the novices (just seen) splashed and sang in the sea a jolting ride but nonetheless nothing I hadn't experienced in other countries. With time and patience, it's incredibly easy to get around and for relatively cheap on public transport.
We spent a night in Los Palos then moved onto Tutuala. Negotiating price, we had two extra mattresses moved in and the five of us shared the one room. We dropped the majority of our stuff, seunscreened ourselves, grabbed water and left for the 8km walk to Jaco island, the easternmost point of the country.
Travelling with only a day pack meant no hiking boots (it was too hot to contemplate in all honesty) but I would recommend them for the walk, as well as a hat and plenty of water. It was hot with little shade. En route are buffalo (seemingly nothing to worry about but we were wary) and monkeys that we heard rather than saw them. Once at the beach, turn left for drinks and food (it was an hour wait for food so we grabbed cold drinks and the others got biscuits) and turn right for the boat across to Jaco. The fishermen charge $10 return and will come and pick you up at whatever
''photophotophotophoto!"
Excited youngsters who came racing out of the sea where they were swimming, just to get a photo taken time you want. We came prepared with our own snorkel and mask but they did have one mask to lend.
We didn't explore much as we were keen to get into the water. Unfortunately it was windy so visibility wasn't great in the shallows but the water is warm and inviting. I'd recommend going north (if the fisherman drop you off at the sign, walk to the left) all the way to the eroded rocks and snorkelling there. A lot of the coral is dead but there were patches of soft coral and it was a nursery for a lot of fish. Small butterflyfish, anemone fish and others as well as larger pufferfish and ones I didn't recognise. The current is strong enough to warrant checking your location every now and then.
We managed to snag a lift in the back of a 4WD for the return trip and while it wasn't overly comfortable, it was a godsend. Not only did we not walk back hungry and in the fading light but we caught the most incredible sunset I think I've ever seen. After dinner we sat on our porch and studied the Milky Way and the night
Mandarin seller
Mandarins are tied in a variety of ways and sold on the streets of Dili. Sweet and well worth it sky. It felt like we were at the end of the earth.
Our hosts didn't want us to leave without breakfast and let us know when the unganna (the converted truck, like a songthaew in Thailand) was about to leave. We were heading to Com and arrived there mid afternoon. Somewhat amusingly (being hindsight), we didn't find out until we were in Baucau a few days later that there have been crocodiles along this coast which would explain why we were the only ones swimming!! I couldn't decide if the children had been waiting for us to get out of the water so they could try and sell their shell necklaces or if they were waiting for a possible show...
Com was worthy of a lazy two night stay before the unexpected awakening at 4am for the transport to Baucau. Hugo had not gone to sleep the night before and had left at 03:30. Information was mixed. We'd been told there was a 07:30 truck leaving but then had a knock on the door at 4. Best to be 95% packed and ask for a wake up call.
Which is how we found ourselves at Lautem so
early. Note that where you will be dropped off is not where the buses towards Baucau/Dili leave from. With the market behind you, walk right to the main road (there's a roundabout) and wait on the other side of the road. Each bus has a conductor of sorts who will call out where they're going or more likely ask you where you're going.
Things to know:
- the currency is USD notes with centavo coins (1 centavo equals 1 cent). 20s and 10s are better; they'll have trouble changing $100 for small purchases.
- visa on arrival for Australians was $30 for 30 days.
- taxis from the airport will charge you what they call a 'flat rate' of $10. If you speak Portuguese or Indonesian, this will lower the rate as an Indonesian woman we met paid only $2!
- in Dili we stayed at Casa Minha (near the NZ embassy. There is confusion on some maps as there's a flattened Casa Minha on the beach road). It was the cheapest in town for $12 a night including breakfast and free tea and coffee all day. It is run by a lovely
The road east
The road follows the beautiful coastline before turning inland Bangladeshi family (Minha is their young daughter) and has both dorms and private rooms. Bathrooms are shared. Air conditioners were being installed while we were there which will lessen the heat. They're also happy to store your bags while you travel outside of Dili. I did spend one night at Dive Timor Lorosae on the coast and while their rooms are lovely and much newer, they were $30, don't include breakfast and were much less personal. They do have a kitchen for you to prep food in and provide a water bottle for you to fill up to help reduce the use of plastic which I liked. I do highly recommend them for diving, having spent three days out with them. Ask for a discount if doing multiple days. I loved Table Top over at Atauro Island (a wall dive) and Lone Tree off the east coast (for the anemone garden).
- the bus from Dili to Los Palos was $8. There we stayed at Hotel Roberto Carlos (they had a room that fit the five of us with a private bathroom), who had good food for dinner and Portuguese wine. Breakfast was included. The woman speaks good english
but if she's not there, to get to the 'bus terminal' turn right out of the hotel and take the second left.
- the unganna to Tutuala was $5 per person but probably should've been less. We had a bit of confusion and think we accidentally hired out the whole vehicle for ourselves and he was looking for $50 total. The hotel staff at our destination chastised him for trying to overcharge us.
- Hotel Pousada in Tutuala had really comfortable beds and private bathrooms. Twin rooms are $15pp, extra mattresses are also $15. They serve huge portions of food and have cold drinks. A small shop in town (you might have to ask for directions as it was hard to spot in the evening) sold cold beer to drink under the stars. Staff can help you get transport to your next destination. Note that the hotel is government run so there was no room for bargaining. They were incredibly happy we stayed with them.
- There are so many places to stay in Com, it's going to be hard to choose where to go. The decision was made by our driver who tried to have us
Lunch stop
Freshly grilled fish with a spicy sauce ($1.50) served with rice (10c) stay at the big fancy (empty) hotel at the beginning of the street. Once we hesitated on the $70 price tag, he drove us further along to a brightly coloured one for $10 a night. I assume they're all similarly priced and all sit on the same stretch of beach or across the road from it. There's a small shop selling handicrafts made by some of the local women (bargaining was impossible) and we sat with others and had a chat. Check to see if any crocs have been spotted recently before you swim!
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