26.11.2022
Jakarta – Kupang
When planning and researching my Indonesia tour, I had been also looking into adding another country to the trip and my list. Since I had been to Malaysia and Thailand already plenty, Papua New Guinea and the Philipines seemed too far away but worth visiting on a longer trip at a different time … so Timor Leste appeared on the map. It had opened back up to the world already last year, but due to its location was not really on a regular tour circuit … most people did not even know where it was actually located … It had only appeared on my radar because I saw a couple of trip reports on insta and facebook … it looked interesting … Soon the plan formed to visit the 1st new sovereign state of the 21st century for a few days … if I was in the vicinity already … this was the opportunity … I would probably never come any closer than that …
I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.
Susan Sontag
There was very few information to be found online. There was no guide book – no lonelyplanet and not even a Bradt Guide … Just a few travel blogs and posts in online forums … But it all looked doable. I was up for an adventure. The cheapest way to get there was to fly from Jakarta to Kupang in West Timor and then take the bus to Dili, the capital of East Timor. Flights directly to East Timor were at the moment only available from Bali and Darwin. Since I was not going to Australia, I would fly out to Bali. I had already booked the flights online. With the international flight being more than twice as expensive as the domestic flights within Indonesia … and those were said to have become extremely expensive within the last few months … Anyway, for EU passport holders Timor Leste was visa free – that was definitely a plus.
This morning I was awake by 03:30 already … it might have been the aftermath of the jetlag, but probably it was just excitment to get going … So I finished packing up and then I caught up on the journal. I had ordered a taxi for 05:30. By 05:28 I made my way down to reception to check-out and collect my IDR 50 000 safety deposit.
The reception guy send the security guard to hail a bluebird taxi on the road, because maybe yesterday’s receptionist had forgotten to book it or so. But it was not a problem. There were plenty taxis around and I had time. The ride was less than 15 min and I gave him IDR 33 000 when he dropped me off at Duri Train Station. I still had time to get my Rail Link ticket for IDR 70 000 at the ticket vending machine without rush and I made the 06:01 train without problems.
I arrived at the airport a relaxed 30 min later and was way to early. Well … no problem. The airport skytrain to terminal 2 was only a few minutes and bag drop was open already. I could not find Kupang – today’s destination – on the display, but when I looked at the flight numbers it was Surabaya … Hmm, I guess there was a stop after all … When I booked the flight it had shown conflicting information … at some point it said 1 stop, but then it stated direct … so probably there was a stop in Surabaya, but I would not have to get off the plane …
My bag was 20.5 kg … jeez … what had happened? 3 days ago it had been 16.5 kg … the only thing I added was my jacket and the bottle of Vodka … But that could not be 4 kg … could it? I was sure their scale was off … It was fine, though. The lady at the check-in waved it through and did not even look at my carry-on. I am not sure if she even spoke any English … When I asked her about the flight and if I had to change in Surabaya, she surely did not understand me …
I had plenty time, but strolled towards the gates. There was not anything out here to sit or so. However it turned out that the security checks was only right by the gates and there were plenty shops and food stalls before. I went to a coffee place with a view of the airfield. Ordering a coffee and a noodle soup I settled at a window table and pulled the laptop out to continue with the journal.
Having set my alarm clock to 08:30 sonot to miss my flight, I quickly picked up my stuff and made my way to the security check. There were only 2 lines and it was relatively slow it seemed. But once I got to the x-ray machine it was very fast. I am not even sure if somebody even looked at the screen … Fluids were obviously allowed … I should have bought some water for en route … there were no more stalls by the gates … next time I knew.
At the gate I did not have to wait too long. Still they only anounced Surabaya … no mentioning of Kupang … and the person at the gate check did not even look at my boarding pass, but just ripped the slip off … I checked with the flight attendent and she said it was OK … I hoped so …
I had a window seat. The plane was packed and everybody was wearing a mask … like at the airport as well .. so I did too. There were absolutely no signs or announcement to do so … but everybody did …
The flight was uneventful. No refreshments were served at all. I had booked the flight a couple of weeks ago online – it was IDR 1 981 380 … € 119 … which was not as cheap as I would have expected for a domestic flight … but it was a 4 hr 20 min flight including the stop … and 20 kg check-in baggage were included as well. But they did not even have water … I was not complaining, although I had been told flight prices had skyrocketed in Indonesia big time. Since there was no inflight entertainment and below only clouds to be seen after we had reached cruising altitude, I napped most of the time to Surabaya and woke up just in time to watch the landing.
It was only a 30 min layover and they announced that passengers for Kupang had to stay on board only after half the passengers for Surabaya had left already. I had stayed put just out of a notion and then finally the call came to stay on board. Turn around was quick – there was even a cleaning crew flying through the cabin quickly – and soon we were airborne again.
This part of the flight was uneventful as well, only when approaching Kupang Airport there was a big thunderstom going on and lightning lit up the cabin. Turbulences were within limit and we arrived only slightly delayed by 15:05 local time. West Timor was another hour ahead of Jakarta – so I was now 7 hrs ahead of Germany.
Luggage took a while, the belt was very slow and I suppose the luggage from Jakarta was in the plane first – so consequently it would be out last … When I finally got it and came out of arrivals I saw the guy holding a sign with my name on directly. I had booked and paid a room at the Hotel on the Rocks for € 28 and it included free airport transfer. Which was a plus. There did not seem to be many taxis around here. And on the flight I had been the only Westerner as well …
It was pouring down with rain now. Still occasionally lightning flashed. Oh my … I hoped it would not rain continuously for days now … it sure looked as if it would not stop very soon, though … but then again … it never rained all the time in rainy season in Thailand … so I supposed it would not do it here either …
The drive to the hotel was only 10 min or so. The Hotel on the Rock was directly at the seafront and I had booked a room with seaview. The receptionist confirmed I had one. In this weather there would not be much to see, but still … Before I headed to my room, I ask her to help me book the minibus to Dili for tomorrow morning. I had not been able to find an online booking possibility or a phone number. She called Paradise Travel and confirmed a pick up at the hotel at 05:00 tomorrow morning. Oh my … but I had known this would be the case. There were apparently only 2 tour companies that ran daily minibusses to Dili from Kupang and vice versa. And both left this early in the morning … after all we were looking at 12 to 14 hrs to cover the 400+ km …
While the receptionist was on the phone I spotted a sign for Spa & Massages and got already excited … I could use a massage any time … unfortunately, when I wanted to book it, the receptionist said it was closed today. Damn shame …
My room was only one floor up and very big and indeed it had a big window with a spectacular seaview. Even with the rain it was nice. Endless ocean as far as I could see. Below was the hotel pool … of course nobody was in it … it was still pouring down with rain …
Going for a quick explore I tried to take the elevator to the rooftop. Also in the hotel in Jakarta had been an elevator button for Rooftop but it had not been working. Here it was working … only once I got up there the door to the actual rooftop was locked … So instead I checked out the lounge near the lobby … no bar here … Shee … I needed a beer … but first I video called home and then I went out.
I grabbed my small bag only and my rainjacket and wandered around in search of a place where they had beer and food. It was raining only lightly now and in my rain jacket I was really hot. So I took it off …WTF … it was only water …
Kupang was the capital of the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. It had a population of approx 442 000. It was not only the largest city and port on the island of Timor, but was also part of the Timor Leste-Indonesia-Australia Growth Triangle free trade zone created in 2012 to promote and foster economic growth through integrated economic development in the region. Geographically, Kupang was the southernmost city in Indonesia. It was located in the southwestern tip of the island of Timor and bordered on its northern shore by the Savu Sea.
On the map I could not really make out a city center, to be honest, and the ride from the airport led also though rather rural areas. Appartently England’s Captain Bligh must have had an epiphany here when he spent 67 days here after that emasculating mutiny on the Bounty in 1789. My hotel must be located at the outskirts, though. If the weather had been better, I would have explored some more, but with this rain I could not be bothered.
I did walk along the sea front promenade where several fish sellers were trying to lure me to buy some fish … yeah well, I was just going to make sushi or what? … Presumably there were restaurants above the market stalls where the fish was then prepared to order, though. There we no other guests around and I was not yet up for experiments … and it did not look as if they would have beer … so I smiled and waved to them while walking on.
In a minimarket I bought water and some snacks for tomorrow’s long bus journey … I was pretty sure there would be snack stops along the way and that I would not need anything but water en route. But some banana chips could not hurt. I also bought some ice tea. Water was not necessary because there were always 2 bottles of complimentary drinking water in the hotel rooms I had noticed. But I splurged in an ice cream … It felt like I desperately needed one …
Dropping off my purchases in my room I also left my jacket there and went out again. It was still raining lightly and I only thought about more exploring briefly. Instead I went next door of the hotel to Taman Laut Handyyani Seafood Restaurant. I had seen the big Bitang Beer sign when walking past …
They led me to the upstairs balcony. While terrace and garden were closed due to the rain, the porch was open. They had the blinds down against the rain, but they opened them for me … and the other people that arrived shortly after me. I directly ordered a Bitang and a fresh Papaya Juice as well against the thirst, then studied the pictured menu.
There were so many good things … what should I try today? I had come to the right place … everything was jumping at me. After a long time contemplating I decided to order all kinds of things I had never had before – Ikan Bakar Polos Sambal Matah – that was Grilled Fish with Raw Fresh Sambal, then Tumis Bunga Pepaya – Stir Fried Papaya Flowers and also Kol Nenek Handayani – Local Sea Snails Cocked with Hot Spicy Fermented Bean Sauce with some rice to go along.
The food arrived quickly and it was super delicious! The plates looked exactely like on the menu! The fish was outstandingly good with the spicy lemongrassy sambal. Even though the waitress had said it would be spicy, it was not. The Papaya Flowers were very good as well. I had eaten Banana Flowers before, but never Papaya Flowers. The Snails were good … but the bean sauce was not really after my liking. I should have known that. I do not like fermented bean sauce … or bean sauce per se … But I really wanted to try the snails … I finished almost everything and I was stuffed.
The rain had eventually stopped and there was some sort of sunset towards the west. Thick rain clouds still hung low, but there was a bit of the setting sun peeking through. But after I finished a second beer – I had been very thirsty – I paid the bill which came to IDR 435 000 and went back to my room. I needed a shower.
Of course I had to look out at sea before turning in, though. The rain had completely stopped and the promenade below was sort of getting busy … well … at least there were a couple of cars parked and people partying … Noise never really bothered me in hotel rooms, however. I rather looked out to the lights at sea … those were nearshore fish aggregating devices – FADs – of a relatively simple technology suited to the marine conditions of the islands and accessible to artisanal fishermen. Those were large floating platforms anchored to the sea floor near the coast with lots of lights used to attract oceanic fish such as Tuna, Mackerel and Scads. Fishermen used methods such as troll-line fishing, line fishing and spear fishing to catch fish around those.
Having not much organizing to do – I just did not unpack anything, so I would not have to pack in the morning – I watched some TV and wrote the journal. Tomorrow morning I had to get up earlier than today and it would be a long travel day. I was excited, but also very tired. I had not slept much last night …
27.11.2022
ca. 410 km on a pink minibus from Kupang/West Timor to Dili/Timor Leste
I did not sleep well this night either. Well, I slept early, but after 6 hours I woke up by 03:30 … There was much going on all night outside on the sea promenade. Somewhere close by was a party maybe or this was just a hang out of the locals on Saturday nights. I think, they left by 04:00 eventually. But then I had to get up as well. It was just starting to get light outside.
There was not much to pack, though. Everything had been prepared already last night. Just the last bits and everything was ready. By 04:45 the phone rang with my just-in-case wake up call. Good morning! Thank you very much! I made sure I did not forget anything and wandered down to reception to check out. As a good German I was always on time – and as we say – 5 min before the time was correct. They even gave me a packed breakfast since my room rate included breakfast. It was not much – a huge box with a jam sandwich, cold omelette, some watermelon and a water. I ate the omelette and packed the rest while I pondered over the roomrate. I had paid something like IDR 454 000, but the sign at reception stated for the same room IDR 1 500 000. Hmmm, either I was lucky or whatever. I would never know.
The pick-up was supposed to be by 05:00. But I was sure it would not be on time. If that minibus had to pick up passengers all over town it might take a while. But by about 05:15 one of the pink Paradise minivans arrived. Only … he did not have me on his list. There were several locals waiting in the lobby as well. The driver did not speak any English, but there was a lady from that other group who did and she said, there would be 3 pink minivans and my name was on the list of the 3rd one. I should just wait and it would come. OK, thank you very much.
That first minibus returned once more 15 min late with the 2nd car behind it, but neither of them was for me. The driver of the first car kept gesturing to me to wait … it would arrive and he was all the time on the phone. When they left, the reception guy – who’s English was not much better than the driver’s either – used his google translate to tell me not to worry, my bus would come … I was not worried … I was just being German …
By 05:50 my bus finally flew up the drive way, came to a screeching halt and my name was on the driver’s list – I had seat 11. Last row on the left. There were 2 other people in the bus with 11 passenger seats in total. But we still rode around town to pick up more people. Finally we stopped at what looked like the Paradise Tour Office – I paid and got my ticket for IDR 250 000. By 06:30ish the bus finally headed out of town in a westerly direction and after we had picked up some more people, the driver stepped on the gas. I supposed we were complete with 8 passengers in total and I had 3 seats to myself. All in all, the pink bus had very much space and leg room. Even if it had been sold out, there would have been enough space even for my long legs …
West Timor was the the western part of the island of Timor – except for the district of Oecussi-Ambeno which was an East Timorese exclave. Administratively, West Timor was part of East Nusa Tenggara Province of Indonesia. The capital as well as its main port was Kupang which I was now already leaving behind without having really visited, unfortunately. But I had bigger plans …
During the colonial period, the region was named Dutch Timor and was a centre of Dutch loyalists during the Indonesian National Revolution 1945–1949. Thereafter until 1975 it was named Indonesian Timor. West Timor lies between Australia and East Timor which makes the island a strategic place for Indonesian trade.
The landscape was beautiful. Everything was lushy green after the recent rainfalls. We passed fields and small villages along the road. The economy here was mainly agricultural, using slash-and-burn methods to produce corn, rice, coffee, copra and fruit. Some timber harvesting was undertaken in the forests of the mountains, producing eucalyptus, sandalwood, teak, bamboo and rosewood.
The island of Timor covered an area of approx 30 777 km² and the name was a variant of timur – Malay for east, because it lay at the eastern end of the Lesser Sunda Islands with mainland Australia less than 500 km away to the South, separated only by the Timor Sea. Together with Sumba, Babar and associated smaller islands, Timor formed the southern outer archipelago of the Lesser Sunda Islands with the inner islands of Flores, Alor and Wetar to the north, and beyond them Sulawesi.
Timor was the principal island of the Outer Banda Arc, which had been upthrust by collision with the Australian continent. Timor had older geology, but lacked the volcanic nature of the northern Lesser Sunda Islands, though. The orientation of the main axis of the island also differed from its neighbors. These features have been explained as the result of being on the northern edge of the Indo-Australian Plate as it met the Eurasian Plate and pushed into South East Asia.
European colonization of Timor began in the 16th century. Although the Portuguese claimed the island of Timor in 1520, the Dutch – in the form of the Dutch East India Company VOC – settled West Timor in 1640, forcing the Portuguese out to East Timor. Finally, in 1914, the border between East and West Timor was finalized by a treaty between Portugal and the Netherlands that was originally signed in 1859 and modified in 1893. West Timor, was known as Dutch Timor until 1949 when it became Indonesian Timor, a part of the nation of Indonesia which was formed from the old Netherlands East Indies – while East Timor was known as Portuguese Timor, a Portuguese colony until 1975. Upon Indonesian independence, West Timor became part of the new Republic of Indonesia. East Timor was then annexed by Indonesia and became known as Timor Timur. It was regarded by Indonesia as the country’s 27th province, but this was never recognised by the United Nations or Portugal.
The road let up into the mountains. We passed the city of Soe with approx 40 000 inhabitants. I think it was there, were we stopped at a gas station for peepee break. At least it was a good time to stretch the legs for a bit. I had put my jumper on in the car. While there was no AC, I had the window open to watch the world fly by and the wind was somewhat fresh. But the weather was good, it was sunny and hot. So far no rain clouds in sight.
While I did take a little nap every now and then, most of the time I was busy watching and trying to take photos. All the time there was loud music blaring in the bus. Fortunately it was soft pop of local and international origin, although it was way to loud.
Because the greatest part of a road trip
isn’t arriving at your destination.
It’s all the wild stuff that happens along the way.
Emma Chase
Located approx 110km east of Kupang, the small city of Soe was the only centre of any size outside Kupang and administrative capital of the South Central Timor Regency. It was heavily bombed in 1944 during the WW II, the town had now a population of approx 40 500 at and also was a base for tourists for trips to sights in the area. But I was just passing thtough.
The road had turned north through forest and hills now. I continued to take frequent naps, but never forgot to enjoy the scenery as well. Timor had not only been characterized by forests of sandalwood and the trade in essential oils since its turbulent colonial times. For hundreds of years, the islanders had been in contact with traders from Europe, Arabia and other parts of Asia, while never losing a sense of their own traditions and beliefs. The further inland from the coast we advanced, the more small local villages we passed. Every now and then I spotted a Lopo, a traditional house with a circular grass roof.
That’s why I love road trips, dude.
It’s like doing something without actually doing anything.
John Green
Around 10:00 there was a lunch stop in the small town of Kefamenanu. I found it a bit early for lunch, but considering we theoretically left at 05:00 in the morning … and Asians were usually eating at very different times than Europeans … I was not surprised. All 3 pink minibusses kind of rendezvoused en route in the suburbs and arrived at the same time at a small family eatery.
In my bus were 3 local women solo travelling as well and they ushered me on to eat as well. The lady who helped me this morning with translations when I waited for the bus, was in one of the other busses and she pointed invitingly to a lavish buffet set up in the window as well. It looked good … I really should have a look!
It did look good. I observed the other people for a while trying to figure out what it was that was offered. Of course, nobody spoke English and there were no signs. So I grabbed a plate and started piling random dishes up on it. Some rice, a spoon full of a fish curry, something that looked like pork meat but turned out to be something vegetarian in the end, some sauce from this, some from that. I was not really hungry. I had eaten a whole bag of banana chips on the way, but I did have to try out this real local food.
I found a seat at one of the tables and grabbed a bottled of ice tea from the fridge at the entrance. Then I sat and dug in. It was very spicy! But it was good, to be honest. I could really only identify the fish, though. The rest I was not sure. What I had thought was maybe pork meat, turned out to be vegetarian jackfruit curry indeed, but I was not sure. It was edible … actually not bad at all …
My bill came to all of IDR 40 000. That was cheap. Some more leg stretching before everybody got back on the bus and we were off again. Now the road turned west again through more beautiful landscapes and spectacular views … only I needed my after-lunch-nap … and slept through most of it …
A good hour later we stopped in Atambua, a wide spread town located in the north of West Timor at an altitude of about 350 m above sea level. With approx 85 000 inhabitants it was now the second-largest town in West Timor behind Kupang.
All 3 pink minibusses stopped here at the office of Paradise Tours and everybody had to hand in their passport so they could prepare a list for the border procedure. The courtyard of the office had not only an assortment of great street art graffiti, but also beautiful fruit trees in it and I was in my element taking photos of both.
There was a Java Plum – Syzygium Cumini – als known as Malabar Plum, Jamun or Jambolan – an evergreen tropical tree favored for its fruit, timber and ornamental value. Native to the Indian subcontinent and adjoining regions of Southeast Asia it could reach heights of up to 30 m and live more than 100 years. Its fruits were eaten by various native birds and small mammals, such as jackals, civets and fruit bats. The fruits had a sweet or slightly acidic flavor, could be eaten raw or may be made into sauces or jam. Inferior fruits may be made into juice, jelly, sorbet, syrup or fruit salad as well. I did not dare to try them, though.
Then there was a Watery Rose Apple tree as well. I knew those. Syzygium Aqueum was a species of brush cherry tree with common names including Rose Apple, Water Apple and Bell Fruit. The tree was cultivated for its wood and edible fruit. The fruit was a fleshy whitish-pinkish to yellowish-pinkish or red berry which was bellshaped, waxy and crisp. The tree required heavy rainfalls and could survive in tropical habitats up to 1600m above sea level. The leaves were edible and sometimes used to wrap food. The fruit had a very mild and slightly sweet taste similar to apples and a crisp watery texture like the inside of a watermelon. The tree had flowers and fruits at the same time. The flowers looked beautiful.
And then there was a huge Mango Tree as well. The Mango season in Indonesia lasted usually from June to December, although the peak in production was recorded from September onwards. So I was lucky, there was plenty of Mango for me in the next weeks! In the last years in India I had always missed Mango season … I love Mango! A Mango was an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree Mangifera Indica. Mango fruit varied in size, shape, sweetness, skin color and flesh color which may be pale yellow, gold, green or orange.
My fellow passengers had quite fun watching me take photos of fruit trees and were laughing. That resulted in a photo session for all of us while waiting for our passports. Numerous photos were taken of me … with me … with all of us … We had fun while waiting for sure.
From Atambua it was only a short drive to the actual border. Everybody was taking all their stuff out of the bus as we arrived at a huge parking lot … so I did too. With passport in hand and laden down with all my shit, I followed the others accross the vast parking area to the immigration building. For some reason the driver made us wait at another spot first, everybody looked perplexed … but settled down for a rest … I think he had to hand the passengers list over before we all arrived at the actual check point.
After a few minutes we all just decided to start walking … it did not look as if somebody had said to go … nobody spoke English … but eventually somebody shrugged their shoulders and started walking and like the lemmings everybody got up and followed. It was too hot to wait in the sun any longer …
Indonesian exit passport control was easy. There were obviously not so many Westerners coming this way. I was still the only one around. So I had to do some chitchat with the officers – Where are you from? Where are you going? Why? Why are you not in Qatar watching the World Cup? … Germany is going to lose anywhy! … Haha … You come back this way? No? Have fun! Safe travels! … He smilingly cancelled my Indonesian visa and waved me on.
Next stop was the customs officers who just checked the passport stamp, gave me a once over and ushered me along as well. We then had to walk some 300 m across no mens land to the Timor Leste immigration building. It was very hot now. It was right midday. But I took the time to take a photo of yet another new country.
At the Timor Leste immigration I first had to fill in 3 forms. One was the health declaration with COVID vaccination information. Signs stated to show the certificate, but maybe they were too stunned of seeing a Westerner, they never asked me, just checked what I wrote and waved me on. Everybody else had to fill the same forms and they had to actually show their cerrtificates …
Then the fun started. There was a window for Visa on Arrival. While I was reasonably sure I did not need one, I asked a lady officer there, if it was correct. She looked at my passport, then motioned to wait there and went to the immigration officer next door. That one sent her back to the Visa on Arrival officer … Then she motioned me to wait again and the boss officer came out of his office … Hello lady! … He pointed to my passport – Tell me this Bu-n-dd-e-… – Bundesrepublik Deutschland? – Yes yes! Is this Bu-n-dd-e-ss- … is this part of the European Union? – What do you mean, sir? Of course Germany is part of the European Union! – Aaaah! Germany! This Bu-n-dd-e-ss-r- … is Germany? Aaaah! We could not find it on our list! But Germany! Yes, Germany! Visa free! You go! … We had a great big laugh all together and he pointed me to the front of the line at the immigration window shouting to the female officer there … Germany!!!
She waved and laughed as well, took the immigration form I had filled in … Aaahhh, Germany! … and clack … I had my 90 day stamp for Timor Leste. I guess, there were really not many Germans passing this way …
Last stop was customs where all bags were x-rayed at a security check. They took the form I had filled in and waved me through with smilling faces … Germany! Yes yes!! … out I was in Timor Leste!
There was one more police check point by the parking lot where I saw the pink Paradise busses waiting. The Police just checked the names off the bus lists and pointed me to the right one. It turned out those were identical pink busses, but from Timor Leste and with obviously different drivers. Aha!
Once all our passengers were there we left with one extra guy by 15:00 local time – Timor Leste was an hour ahead of Indonesia. By now I was 8 hrs ahead of Germany already. A long way away. My Indonesian SIM was working, but lost internet as soon as I had crossed the border. The German SIM was out of service completely … I guess German mobile companies did not know Timor Leste any better than Timor Leste border officers knew German passports …
There was a considerable change in ambience once we left the border. Plenty of Timor Leste flags around! Each hut we passed had its own. Maybe they all were very proud of their country. East Timor – known as Timor Leste – officially the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste – comprised the eastern half of the island of Timor, the Oecusse exclave on the north-western half, and the minor islands of Atauro and Jaco.
East Timor came under Portuguese influence in the 16th century, remaining a Portuguese colony until 1975. Internal conflict preceded an unilateral declaration of independence and an Indonesian invasion and annexation. Resistance continued throughout the Indonesian rule and in 1999 a United Nations-sponsored act of self-determination led to Indonesia relinquishing control of the territory. As Timor Leste, it became the 1st new sovereign state of the 21st century on 20.05.2002.
The road was now skirting the coast. The interior of the country was mountainous with ridges of inactive volcanic mountains extending along the island. Almost half of the country had a slope of at least 40%. The south was slightly less mountainous and had some plains near the coastline. But as much as I tried and wanted to keep looking … I fell asleep for a long while … busses had a soporific effect on me … what can I say. So I missed maybe a third of the drive. What a pity. The views were extraordinary all along.
According to the map, we’ve only gone 4 inches.
From “Dumb and Dumber”
The northern coast road was one of the country’s most important transport routes. It ran through the small town of Maubara. We only passed this small town and I could only catch a fleeting glimpse of the rectangular Fort Maubara – the town’s most striking building. In 1667, Maubara allied itself with the Dutch, who built the fortress in 1756 to secure their colonial claims and the settlement became a Dutch enclave in Portuguese Timor until 1861.
A part of the colonial administration of East Timor was arrested in Maubara and the next town along the coast Liquiçá during the Japanese occupation of East Timor from 1942 – 1945. As a consequence the 2 towns where spared from the air raids which devastated the rest of the island. During the leadup to the referendum on independence, most of the buildings in the city were however destroyed. Only a few buildings from the Portuguese and Indonesian times remained. I did not see much of the town as the bus just passed through here as well.
We reached the outskirts of Dili, the capital city, maybe 2 hrs after leaving the border … the northern coastal road was well developed and the bus tavelled fast. The first thing we passed near the city was the brand new container sea port 12 km west of Dili. Timor Port – or Tibar Bay Port – was a container seaport which opened only recently in September 2022. The project was intended to replace the existing, capacity-strained and congestion-ridden container handling facilities at the Port of Dili. The new port was planned to be a modern container port able to handle up to 50 000 TEU annually. Operations were inaugurated on the opening day with the arrival of the vessels Selatan Damai and Meratus Pematangsiantar.
Welcome to Dili – the anointed City of Peace by José Ramos Horta, president of East Timor, has not always been in the news for its serenity. However, his dream was becoming a reality. The city was widespread, it seemed. The bus was going criss cross through the suburbs dropping of passengers in a door-to-door service. I was just fascinated by the street markets and the traffic. There was so much to see. I was not sure, what I had expected, but from what I saw this was a regular Southeast Asian city … well … a small city …
Dili was the capital and largest city of Timor Leste. It lay on the northern coast of the island, in a small area of flat land hemmed in by mountains. The climate was tropical, with distinct wet and dry seasons. The city had served as the economic hub and chief port of what was now Timor Leste since its designation as the capital of Portuguese Timor in 1769. Dili’s growing population was relatively youthful, being mostly of working age. The local language was Tetum, however residents included many internal migrants from other areas of the country. Education had led to the increasing literacy in the country over the past half-century, especially in the 2 national languages of Portuguese and Tetum. High ethnic and linguistic diversity was reflected by the 30 local dialects spoken in the country.
I had told the driver the name of my hotel and one of the ladies had proclaimed in rapid local language she knew where it was and instructed the driver. In the end, I had to show him the address instructions from booking.com which he could not read, but then I said Estadio Nacional since it was close to there and he finally let out an understanding string of words and laughed. He dropped me off near the hotel around 18:15 and I walked the last 200 m because it was a one way street.
Chong Ti Hotel was located in the courtyard of a shop buidling a bit off the main street. But it looked OK. Initally I had booked a much more expensive hotel by the beachside. But it turned out, this would have been very far away from the city center. This hotel here I had mainly taken because it was the least expensive I could find – US$ 30 per night and it was in the middle of the city. Check-in was quick and I paid in cash for the 2 nights I had booked. A US$ 10 deposit was also required for the key. They had Bintang Beer in the fridge near reception and I took the last one for US$ 2.
My room was on the 2nd floor. It was clean and spacious with a window to the back yard. It had all the ammenities – AC, TV, WIFI, hot shower – I especially liked the pretty sink … I did not get the TV to work, but I was not planning to watch it anyway. While I sipped my beer I logged on to the WIFI to update my polarsteps tracker and send a message home that I had arrived and was now 8 hrs ahead of them.
By 18:45 I went out to look for food and get a feel for my surroundings. My hotel was indeed conveniently located. I just walked down the main street to the harbour front passing the Government Palace and then turned left for a few hundred meters. I had found Dilicious Timor Café online and decided to go there for dinner instead of searching anything else in the dark.
I found it easily and sat on the outside porch. There were a few other foreigners – mostly Australians. More than I had expected to see, but not surprising given the proximity to Australia. Most people would fly in. From Dili there were really only flights to either Bali in Indonesia or Darwin in Australia at the moment with flights to Singapore maybe resuming over Christmas. That was why I had come via Kupang – not only to roadtrip, but also because I did not want to come via Bali.
For Dinner I ordered Grilled Octopus, a coconut and a Bintang. The food came on a huge plate with rice and vegetables. It was very good. The vegetable looked similar to the Papaya flowers I had yesterday, but I was not sure and would need to research some more. The waitress did not understand me when I asked, so that was no help.
On the way back to my hotel I bought a small Timor Leste flag for US$ 1 from a streetseller. My first souvenir. Having made it to Timor Leste was a highlight. Indonesia had been a new country for me as well, but it had a different feel to it. To Indonesia and Bali everybody could just fly easily. Getting to Timor Leste was a bit more complicated … well not too complicated … but it was just not on the package tourists itinerary, really. It required some serious effort to get to. Maybe Australians and Asians came over here more often, but for the rest of the world it seemed to be quite off the beaten track.
In a minimarket I bought some water and asked for a SIM card. The guy there had one, but it did not work with internet and he could not help me either … mainly because he did not understand me. So I did not buy it. I would have to find a proper SIM shop tomorrow where they hopefully understood me and would set it up as well. But in the minimarket I saw they sold beer everywhere … I had take 2 beers to go from the Café, but for tomorrow it was good to know …
In Timor Leste they used the US$ as currency since 2000 when it replaced the Indonesian Rupiah following the commencement of U.N. administration. To my delight they also had Timor Leste Centavo coins – introduced in 2003 for use alongside United States dollar banknotes – One Centavo was equal to one U.S. cent. Coins issued for general circulation came in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 Centavos and feature images of local plants and animals. In 2013 a 100 Centavos coin was introduced followed by a 200 Centavos coin in 2017. The higher value coins – equivalent to US$1 and US$2 respectively – were designed to reduce the expense of replacing low-denomination U.S. banknotes as they wear out. I was determined to collect all those coins for souvenir.
The rest of the evening I got organized – shower, write journal, think about what to do in the next days … I had absolutely no plan yet … drink beer, chat with some guy on EPS facebook about crossing the border today … I slept late.
28.11.2022
Dili
Habitually I woke up early, checked the internet and tried to catch up on the journal. By 08:30 I got ready to roll and by 09:00 I was out the door. My mission was today to find a SIM card and a tour office, because I still had no idea what I wanted or could do from tomorrow on.
Before I went I pulled out all the US$ notes from my secret money belt which had been in there as secret stash for emergencies several years already. Since the belt was frequenrly doused in my sweat during my travels … the notes did not look too good anymore … nobody in India or Africa would actally exchange them anymore … they wanted notes in pristine condition … but here the US$ was the local currency and I would easily get rid of them. They were only 20 and 50 $ notes, so no problem. I filled the belt with Euro notes instead.
It was already really hot this early in the morning. I had checked on google for a phone shop and went in search of it. Indeed my hotel was very centrally located and I could walk everywhere … but it was so hot … nevertheless I was constantly looking out for a tour office as well …
A statue of Dom Boaventura da Costa Souto Maior – the Liurai – traditional Timorese ruler – of Manufahi in what was then Portuguese Timor – caught my eye. From 1895 to 1900, Boaventura fought alongside his father Dom Duarte in the Manufahi War against the Portuguese colonizers. Boaventura rose against the Portuguese at the end of 1911 and led the Manufahi Rebellion, one of the largest uprisings in Portuguese colonial history and Boaventura became a central symbol of heroic national history.
Finally I found the Telecom Plaza near the fancy Hotel Timor. It was open and the guy there sold me a SIM card and also set up the internet – US$1 for the SIM plus US$5 for 2.5GB valid for 15 days. Well, I did not need it that long, but I also doubted it would last that long. It was cheap enough anyway.
Next door was the Hotel Timor and I went to ask at the front desk if they had a tour office. The receptionist told me they did not have one, but he could give me a phone number of their tour operator. He said it would be difficult today, because today was a national holiday. What? National Holiday? – Yes! Proclamation of Independence Day – Dia da Proclamação da Independência – The celebration to commemorate East Timors Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the Portuguese rule in 1975. The event was annually celebrated on 28.11. and marked by official and unofficial ceremonies and observances. Everything would be closed today … Oh well, my luck again … But now I knew why every small hut was adorned by a national flag …
The good thing was, in the fancy hotel lobby they had a couple of ATMs and I pulled another US$ 300 to be on the safe side. They came out in $ 10 notes only … Well, better than nothing. I had not only the US dollar from my secret stash, but had also exchenged US$ 300 at the bank at home in case the ATM would not work. Cash was obviousely king in Timor Leste. But US dollar I could always use anywhere, really. I just had to make sure to use safe the pristine notes for last …
I walked along the waterfront in further search of an open tour office. It was really really hot. I sweated like a pig … yes, I did … I was not a lady, I did not transpire … I was sweating … At Largo de Lecidere – a park along the coast – I stopped for a big coconut for $ 1. I was really thirsty. Coconut was the best against the thirst … next to beer … and there was a local legend saying that who drinks coconut water in Timor, always comes back … there you go.
The Centro de Informaçao Turistica was closed due to the public holiday … Damn … I was hot and sweaty … but a few blocks away there was a scooter rental next to a tour agency … at least that was what google said … I did not find the tour agency, but the scooter rental. The guy there was just dealing with another tourist and asked why I did not call, I should not have walked all this way … But I could not be bothered discussing … I was just hot and sweaty. He said he had no scooters anymore, only big cross bikes … aahhh … no, I was not going to risk that. He took my WA number and wanted to send me the contact of a friend of his who could deliver scooters … but he never sent it … In the meantime I had started to walk back towards the center.
On the way I found a shaded bench and did some more google reasearch now that I was online again. I found another scooter rental but far away. I figured since I had a local SIM I should try and call. Unfortunately it did not work. But I was not too far from that Telecom Plaza and went back there to put talktime on. The guy said, calls in the same network were for free, but in the other network it cost money. So I put $ 2 just in case. And then I could call the scooter guy.
So I did and the scooter guy said immediately – No problem! Scooter available! I deliver to your hotel! You WA me you location and I come. $ 20 per day! … Yeah! Finally some success! I had started to believe I would get stuck in the city for the rest of my time here … But had I known his number was WA, too, I would have saved the $ 2 for talktime … Anyway, I was quickly going back to my hotel. At a street seller I bought 4 Mangoes for $ 1 … everything seemed to be $ 1 around here … at the minimarket on the corner the beer was $1.25, though and the juice cans $ 0.50 … I bought some ice tea as well … I was thirsty … and when I arrived at the hotel I quickly send my location to the scooter guy.
Less than 10 min later the scooter guy arrived. His name was Nino – @rentalmotor.timorleste – and he had brought me a tiny, fully automatic Honda Scooter – actually a Honda Beat Compact Sportmatic. I had to sign some paper and paid $ 20 for the first day. He had 2 helmets to choose … I took the fancy black one … he had a green one as well … The colour was not mine …
I told Nino, I was not sure yet, but if I liked it, could handle the traffic and figured out what I wanted to do, I might keep it for the next 3 days as well. He told me just to WA when I knew and he would pick up the scooter again whenever. Before he left, he showed me how it worked … there were no footpedals … no gears to change … the accelerator on the right had the front break handle and on the left was the back break handle. I had to get used to no foot break … but that should not be a problem.
I was ready to roll! Finally flexible again. No more walking in the scorching heat! I was going to spent the afternoon scootering around Dili and en route would ponder about the next few days …
I can speak to my soul only
when the two of us are off exploring
deserts or cities or mountains or roads.
Paulo Coelho in Aleph
