Steve’s Travel Blog

Hello all,

Well i flew into East Timor on the 18th of November and it has been hot and humid ever since.  It has been in the mid 30’s everyday with at least 85% humidity.  It is taking a bit to get used to it but I am getting there.

I left Australia at 6:30am so i did not get a hostel bed that night and just tried sleeping at the airport.  That sis not work so well and I ended up getting no sleep.  I landed into Dili at 7:15am and got a taxi to the only hostel in the city.  I got a room right away and pretty much fell asleep.  I got up at around 11am and felt a little better.  The dorm room has air con so it kept everything cool and helped me sleep.  I had a talk with the manager, Ben from England, about what there is to do in the city.  He had lots of good ideas and I then went for a walk.  I only walked for about 1 hour and the heat really got to me so I went back to the hostel.  I chilled out for most of the rest of the day trying to get used to the heat.  Late in the afternoon an Aussie bloke (Nick) checked in and we chatted.  After some supper and more rest for the evening it was time for bed and I still needed it.  I did not accomplish a lot for my first day but my first impression is that the people are always smiling and very nice.

The next morning I was up at 7:30, rested and ready for the day.  Nick and I walked to the Indonesian embassy to pick up the forms needed to get a visa for that country.  Because I am crossing by land I need to get it in advance.  While we were there we meet a Dutch girl (Rianne) who was doing the same thing.  Nick and Rianne waited around to get their forms processed and I headed back to the hostel as I was in no rush for my visa.  They both came back to the hostel a little later and then we all went for a walk together.  On the way we got East Timor cell phones that cost $10 which included the phone, Sim card and $3 of credit.  We then found an internet place that was cheap but so slow that I was able to get nothing done in a full hour of trying.  We left the internet and decided to o for lunch.  We took a taxi to a place the Nick had heard about and ended up going on some roads that were  closed because of paving.  The taxi driver did not seem to care and all the workers had to get out of the way.  The restaurant ended up to be a bit out of the way but we had lunch in front of the beach.  It wasn’t a great beach but was fun to watch the fisherman in front of us.  After lunch we walked along the beach and stopped at a few places to check them out.  It was a long walk back and by the time we made it to the hostel I was wiped out.  I went into the cool room for a nap and Rianne headed back to her hostel, Nick went to a museum.  That evening Nick and I discussed going on a trip south of Dili and into the mountains.  We had looked at some tour groups earlier and they are all very expensive and usually only go if you have 4 or more people.  Later that evening an English guy (John)  checked in but was very tired so he did not talk much.

On Friday morning we got up at 7:30 and got cleaned up and ready to go south.  We left our big packs at the hostel and only took a little bit of stuff with us.  At the last minute John decided to join us znd we all caught a taxi to the bus stop.  The bus stop ended up been more of a spot on the side of the road were some people met up. When we got there we asked where to catch a bus to Maubisse.  After much talk and not understanding the language very well we found out the bus does not leave for another 3-4 hours.  We decided that the best thing to do was to hitch hike and see how far we got.  We walked to the edge of town about 10 minutes away and started to flag down vehicles.  You do not use a thumb here, you wave your hand in a downward motion like you are asking them to slow down.  It did not take long and we were picked up by a guy, who worked for the telecom company,in a 4 door ute (small pickup)and he took us all the way to Ainaro.  We walked out of Ainaro for about 2 hours and saw a big group of monkeys.  They were to quick to get a picture but there must have been 50 of them.  We then got picked up by a 5 ton truck, just imagine a big farm truck.  We rode in the back with 3 other guys and were taken to a town called Casa.  We continued our walk and were then picked up by 2 Philippino guys that we executives for a company that was repairing some roads in the area.  They roads are not in great shape here and full of pot holes so they have a lot of work to do.  The took us as far as their construction site and then set up a ride for us to Zumilu. This ride was in the back of a 5 ton dump truck again with a few others.  Our next ride was from a mikrolet (minivan) that took us all the way to Suai and our final destination.  they try to fit as many people into a mikrolet before they leave and we had about 12 people in ours but is was still surprisingly comfortable.  There are 2 places to stay in Suai, the hotel at $35 a night or the convent at $10 a night.  We had to search out the convent but finally found it and the sisters were very nice and got us some beds to stay in.  For the first day of the trip we had seen only the country side and the inside and outside of a bunch of vehicles.  There was very little in Suai but this trip is no so much about the destinations as the travel in between.  We felt great that we had made to where we did and laughed at all the modes of transport we used at a total cost of $3.  The only restaurant in the area was a ways away so we got a ride on the back of motorbikes to eat.  When we finished there were no bikes around so we walked back to the convent in the dark.  The 3 of us chatted about our day when we got back and then the power went out.  The convent turns the power off at 8:30 and we sat in the dark until about 9 and then went to sleep. What a crazy first day of our adventure!!!

We were up early and on our way by 7am the next morning.  Suai is know  for its huge unfinished cathedral, which we walked around.  After a big massacre during the war for independence from Indonesia it was just never finished.  We ten made our way to the town center and found the same mikrolet there that we got into town with.  We asked if we could get a ride back to Zumilia with then and they said yes.  Soon they were packing us in and we noticed that it was full of supplies.  Not just any supplies either but it was fuel day and about 20 20L containers of petrol were in the back along with some food and other supplies.  They pack 13 people including in as well and we were on our way.  I was getting dizzy from the fuel smell as were the others but we made it to Zumalia.  We then walked for a while which was good to get some fresh air and were picked up by 2 guys in something like a Nissan Pathfinder.  They dropped us off in the middle of nowhere but we were pretty sure where we were  and continued to walk.  After about 1 hour we got picked up by a 4 door pick up to the junction to Betano, where we actually thought we were before.  With it been Saturday afternoon there was not a much traffic but got picked up by  guy and sat in the back of his ute to Betano.  Betano is on the south coast of East Timor and has a great black sand beach.  We hung around the beach for a while and then found a place for some lunch.  We then found out that there is no where to stay in Betano so we decided we better get back on the road and find a ride to somewhere else.  We were picked up by a mikrolet and taken to Same and tried to find a ride to Maubisse but no one was going that this late in the day.  We found a guest house to stay at and organized for them to cook some supper as well.  We decided to go for a walk and see the small town.  It did not take long to see it all and on our way back to the guest house we passed a group of people and chatted with them.  They were aide workers that wee teaching blind people how to play music instruments.They invited us to check it out the next day and then we got back to the hostel for supper.  after supper we were chatting but having a tough time keeping our eyes open so we went to bed pretty early.

In the morning we were up early and relaxed a bit until 9am and then went to find the plces where they were teaching the blind.  It took a little while and after going all through town we found the place.  They were teaching them to play guitar and bass guitar when we were there and it was pretty cool to watch.  They played really well and we enjoyed our short stop watching them.  We got back on the road and walked for a while and were picked up by a family and got a ride in the back of their truck to the middle of nowhere.  We then walked for a while and finally got a ride again in the back of a truck to the junction to Hatubulico.  This is the town we wanted to get to and started to walk.  We walked for a long time until a vehicle came that was going the other way and were told that we were still a log way from the town.  If we were still walking when they came back they would pick us up.  We ended up walking all the way to the town, about 18km and found a guest house to stay at.  The reason for getting to Hatubulico was to hike to the top of Mount Ramelua the next day.  We were served supper and then chilled for a while before heading for bed real early.

Our hike to Mt. Ramelau started rel early, 2:45am in fact.  The idea is to see the sun rise at the top of the mountain.  Nick was sick in the morning and could not do the hike so John and I went with a guide.  We hiked for about 3 hours in the dark with flashlights to lead the way.  The stars were amazing and the hike was very difficult in places.  We made it to the top just before the sunrise and it was amazing.  They have built a church and a statue of the virgin Mary at the top.  The sunrise had so many colors in it and made it worth the early morning and big hike.  I think the hike would have been easier if we had not had to hike so far the day before, but it was all good.  After a 2 our trek back down the mountain we got a ride back to the junction by owner of the guest house.  Nick was still not feeling well so we stayed there to hitch a ride instead of walking.  After a little waiting we were picked up by a priest and a few others in a ute.  The priest made the other get out of the back seat and go in the back of the truck and let us sit inside.  I felt really bad about it but it was a lot more comfortable.  They gave us a ride to Maubisse and then we walked to the edge of town.  We then got picked up by some aide workers and rode in the back of a truck all the way back to Dili.  We ended up back at the hostel at around 3pm very tired and smelly.  I showered up and  then took a nap for a while.  After 4 days on the road in very remote areas our Tetun (East Timor language) is getting pretty good.  i know all the numbers up to ten and how to greet people and a few other words as well.  The word we heard the most on the trip was “malai” pronounced “ma-lie” and it means foreigner.  All the kids yell it as you are passing by and most of the time it sounds like they are happy  to see us.  The people were so friendly and had such big smiles for us even though we struggle to understand them.  A lot more people travel to the east of Dili and the beach areas where we decided to go to the more remote places and it was completely worth it.  What a fantastic experience and it did not cost much at all.  We spent about $20 a day and that was for all the rides, accommodation and food.

I am now hanging out in Dili for a few cays and will work on getting my Indonesian visa.  There is a holiday on Friday and Monday and a lot of stuff in town for the weekend.   There is supposed to be a parade and fireworks and who knows what else.  I might try to get to Aterio Island on Saturday as well and see it for the day.

That is about it for my first bit in East Timor and Dili.  Looking forward to the rest of my stay here and I will update again when I get a chance.  I do want to take a minute and reassure you all that it is very safe to travel in East Timor.  If you read the government web sites they say that East Timor is not stable but they are writing about an East Timor from 1-2 years ago.  They talk about refugee camps all over the place but I have to see one, they talk about taxis with cracked window from rocks been thrown but i have yet to see and rocks thrown or broken windshields.  The UN has a very big presence here and are training the local police and have handed over 2 provinces back to them and more are to come.  The country is rebuilding everything like roads, hospitals, schools and community centers.  There is no reason not to travel in East Timor and I will continue to enjoy the country.

Take care all,

Steve

PS: Birthday wishes go out to my cousin Troy, make it a great day!!!

Tags: 1, East Timor

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at 4:19 pm and is filed under East Timor. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.