30.11.2022
157 km from Baucau to Dili and around
I was awake very early as usual and since I did not have to pack really, I sat a while on the balcony to take in the view some more before I checked out by 06:45. The guesthouse had filled up yesterday evening – the courtyard was full with cars. Somebody had moved my scooter to the far side in order to have space for all the SUVs …
At reception I paid my $ 30 for the night and the lady pointed me to the breakfast room which actually looked very pretty … breakfast was included. Well, I did not mind. I was not a breakfast person, but since it was included I could at least go and have a look.
The small restaurant was packed … no other westerner, though. But everybody smiled a friendly Good morning! when I arrived. There was a small buffet with rice, chicken and vegetable, but also some bread, jam and sandwich cheese. I had my first encounter with real Timor Coffee as well! They had hot water there and a coffee filter fitting to a cup. Just shovel some ground coffee in the filter and let the hot water run through … I could not remember when I had seen a cup sized coffee filter the last time …
The coffee was very good and breakfast as well. The bread with jam was actually exceptionally good. I even put the sandwich cheese on it … I think cheese and jam might be a French thing … Really good bread it was anyway! Of course, I also tasted the local dishes and nibbled on the chicken pieces while enjoining the view.
By 07:00, however, I was on my way and for the fun of it on the road I turned left up to the new part of town. I had not seen too much of it yesterday due to the rain, so at least I wanted to take this way out of town. Today I put the long-sleeved shirt on – the sunburn had gotten better since yesterday, but I did not want to risk more of it. Anyway, this high up in the mountains and this early in the morning it was somewhat fresh … I did not need to get cold either … I put thick sunscreen on my feet, though … driving in sandals … and the backs of my hands as well …
I drove through the new town and past the market which was already quite busy despite the early hour. There also was what I thought to be the local bus stand … many colourful busses and minibuses were waiting for passengers. I supposed, they had no regular schedule but left when full. Some started half full and were acquiring more passengers along the way with the bus guy shouting loudly from the open door while the bus was creeping along the street.
Taking the upper road to the main Dili coastal road I reached that junction fairly quick. The roads in town were not so good and had also many potholes and much traffic. But the main … well, I would not call it highway … but it came close as it seemed to be fairly new … in any case well-developed northern coastal road was not so busy and I drove fast this morning with the sun behind me while the kids in their pretty school uniform were on their way to school.
Approx 45 km on I reached the small town of Laleia – situated on a small plateau overlooking the Rio de Laleia valley, it had a population of approx 2500. The first thing I saw coming from easterly direction was the pretty pastel pink twin towered church, considered one of the most beautiful In Timor Leste. No question, I had to take a small detour to take a photo of it. The town center was formed by a small square with a few shops and residential buildings in the typical Portuguese style and was located approx 156 m above sea level. The Igreja Paroquial de Leleia Nain Feto Rosário – Our Lady of the Rosary Church – was of course a Roman Catholic church. It was built in Portuguese style with Gothic influence. The two bell towers to the left and right of the church portal were striking. Like all the other churches I had passed, this one looked also very closed. Maybe they really only opened for Sunday mass … there were people around, though … maybe I should have checked the door …
While I was heading swiftly towards Dili, I still had time to notice details I had passed yesterday. Even this early in the morning the street stalls were stocked with local produce. Passing I tried to have a closer look … I had read somewhere of the local Timorese Spirit Sopi destilled from palm juice – a cloudy fluid that was supposed to be sold in bottles along the roadside. Unfortunately I did not find it today … there were only bottles of Coconut oil and local honey. The honey looked good, but I could not buy a half liter bottle to take home this early in the trip … So I passed the stalls and continued west … taking more photos of busses and churches en route …
It’s not the destination,
it’s the journey.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Another 20 km on in Manatuto I again took the road through the town instead of bypassing it on the main road – same as I did yesterday. In town, my map showed actually a side street following the shoreline and then a path along the river bank back to the main road. I wanted to take that. So I The views off the shore were beautiful.
It was a nice ride, unfortunately the path ended at a beach before I even reached the river mouth … It did not look as if it would continue thereafter and remembering my scootering through deep sand experiences from West Africa, I respectfully turned around and headed for the proper road instead … it was not meant to be …
Nevermind, there was plenty to see along the way anyway and as I reached the asphalt by the coast there was a small fish market … well there were 2 men selling fish which had been directly brought off the boats … I had spotted children and men carrying their catch to this place when I passed before.
Now I had to stop and take some photos. They had hung a good sized Blue Spotted Stingray from a tree as eyecatcher … and to sell it, of course. The Bluespotted Ribbontail Ray – Taeniura Lymma – was found from the intertidal zone to a water depth of up to 30 m and was common throughout the tropical Indian and western Pacific Oceans in nearshore, coral reef-associated habitats. It was a fairly small ray, not exceeding 35 cm in width, with a mostly smooth, oval pectoral fin disc, large protruding eyes and a relatively short and thick tail. It could be easily identified by its striking color pattern of many electric blue spots on a yellowish background.
The men were friendly and let me take photos of their catch of very small fish that were strung on some sort of palm leaf strips and was probably sold by the bunch instead of one by one …
From there on I headed straight and fast west towards Dili. It was recurrently a beautiful drive. I soaked it all up without taking many photos. The scenery was particularly stunning as the coastal road skirted the lush green mountains once more before dipping down to One-Dollar-Beach which looked still deserted.
Just before reaching the ridge ahead of Dili in Hera there came a junction – a big street sign stated Cristo Rei to the right. The map showed a side road leading to Cristo Rei Beach. It did not look like much of a detour and I had made good time, it was only like 10:00 by now. And I had really enjoyed driving the side roads yesterday … So I turned off towards the coast. The narrow country road led first through banana plantations and agricultural fields – from the inland main road going straight towards the coast. There was no traffic really, but some huts and houses were visible and people walking along as well.
Then the route turned west along the coast. I figured it might have been the former main road … before the new fancy asphalt road had been constructed. It deteriorated more and more and then started to climb up onto the ridge. The views along the coast were spectacular. And since there was no traffic I could stop whenever I wanted.
Slowly I wound my way past potholes and along long gravel stretches. Once even a monkey walked across the track just in front of me. While it was relaxed in crossing, it was gone quickly, though. I could not really make out what kind of monkey it had been, but my guess was a Macaque. The goats climbing on the rocks were more photogenic … they just looked at me curiously.
The higher into the hills the road reached the rougher it got. All my maps actually showed a relatively big road … the differentiation was green for highway, red for big main road, orange for small main road, yellow for country road and white for undefined road … This one showed in orange … it was supposed to be more than a gravel track … But well …. it was not … I had reached a ridge and just followed it down now descending to the Bay of Dili. There was one other motorbike ahead of me – he was going somewhere, so I kept going as well.
The roughest stretch was on the top of the ridge and I went very very slowly down the other side. It was a wide gravel track now. The good thing about a small scooter and a big person was that I could put my feet down anytime so I did not fall … There was however some more traffic here … I met a couple of jeeps and trucks … I stopped in that case … and I basically crept along …
The Cristo Rei Statue could not be seen from that road, but only the coastal road leading to Christo Rei Beach. That meant I reached the main road – not the highway but the one leading from Christo Rei to the city skirting the coast – relatively close to the city already. The view over the bay was amazing.
I was back in Dili! And it was early … only around 10:30 … I stopped by the shore to have another look at the Cristo Rei Statue in the distance. By the roadside they were selling sacks of what I though was building material which was obtained from the bay … rocks, dead coral etc …
My first stop in the city was shortly after – The Centro do Informaçao Touristica was open today! Not only did I want to get some information about where to see coffee plantations and if it was possible to go there on the scooter, but there was also a secret box hidden there! But first I checked information. The lady was helpful, but did not know too much. I had read somewhere that it was whale season in Timor Leste and it might be possible to snorkel with the Whales … if I had to decide between coffee and snorkelling with Whales … I would have chosen the Whales … but she did not know anything about it or what I was talking about, unfortunately. There were no brochures about it in the shelves, either. Well … a pity. For the coffee she said the road to Ermera would be good and it was not too far with the scooter. I could reach it in less than 1.5 hrs … Well then, I shall go there tomorrow!
Of course, I did not forget to ask her for the secret box and lucky me, she knew about it and showed me in the bottom of the shelf. I quickly signed the logbook and also swapped a TB I had – liberating one that was in there already almost a year. I hoped, the one I put there would not be held prisoner here for that long … when I checked online later it had moved on already a couple days later …
Next was the post office! I had written all the postcards last night and put the colorful stamps on. Now I had to mail them! Going to the post office for that was the safest bet. I had not seen any mail boxes around town … I did not think such a thing existed … I would not even know what they could look like … This late in the morning the post office was open and well-staffed. The young lady from yesterday recognized me, of course, and after my mandatory photo proof, I handed her the stack of cards.
She immediately pulled out her big postal stamp and skillfully cancelled all the cards’ postage with a well-aimed smack in the center of the 3 stamps I had put on each card. I asked her how long she thought it would take for the cards to arrive in Germany. But she did not know. The senior officer at the next desk said, however, it might take at least up to 4 weeks to Europe and I should be patient … maybe it would be longer … She was shocked I had put $ 0.15 too much on each post card, though. I laughingly explained her that I just liked the stamps …
Happily, I can report that as far as I got reports back, all of the postcards had arrived by mid-January! They were delivered spaced out over a couple of week everywhere … except in Germany’s Saxony … those arrived last … Funnily enough, in the UK it arrived first … and that was not even EU anymore …
Whilest I was near the post office, I also rode the few hundred meters up to the gas station I knew already. I had to fill up the scooter for tomorrow’s adventure. It drank $ 3.75 which was just under 3 l. That all accomplished, I headed back to the hotel. I arrived by 11:45 – just in time to escape the scorching midday heat for a bit and take a little nap – I had been riding almost 5 hrs already – before catching up on the journal. Since I had neither brought the laptop nor the notebook to Baucau, I had plenty to note down.
By 14:30 I was ready to explore the city some more. I had a few points of interest on my list I wanted to check out still. The Arquivo e Museu da Resistência Timorense – The Timorese Resistance Archive and Museum – was on the top of the list and not very far from my hotel. Due to the many one-way-streets I had to drive a little detour, but it was only a few minutes before I arrived and today it was open.
It was the principal memorial museum dedicated to the history of the occupation of East Timor by Indonesia and the resistance and independence movement. Located bang in the centre of the capital Dili it was by far its most modern and comprehensive museum overall. The museum was opened in 2005 and was housed in the former Portuguese Timor Court of Justice building which was burnt down during the 1999 East Timorese crisis. Entrance fee was all of $ 1, but there were unfortunately no photos allowed inside.
The main space of the museum was occupied by an exhibit entitled To Resist is to Win, depicting the history of Timorese armed and clandestine resistance to Indonesian military rule. It aimed to make the history of the resistance struggle better known, evoking its main moments and protagonists, using modern museological trends. The exhibit was captioned in Tetum, Portuguese and English and very interesting. I did not read every single display, but cross-read most of it. I knew some of the history already, but it was really interesting to get more into details.
Not spending too much time there, I continued my exploration of the city. Next stop was the famous Tais Market, a small daily market which sold mainly traditional cloth and souvenirs. It was located in the heart of the city not far away from the museum. Being an essential part of the cultural heritage of Timor Leste, the Tais weaving was mostly used for ceremonial adornment, sign of respect and appreciation towards guests, friends, relatives, home decor and personal apparel as well.
The ceremonial cloth known as Tais had been woven in Timor Leste for generations. After the country gained independence from Indonesia, Tais weaving was rescued from the brink of extinction and once again rose to prominence as a symbol of cultural identity. The designs and colourways used in Tais vary from district to district. Since 2021 Tais was on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. The traditional handwoven textile was used to create traditional clothing for ceremonies and festivals, it expressed cultural identity and social class since the colours and motifs varied according to ethnic groups.
Tais was made from cotton dyed with natural plants, and the complex process was traditionally reserved for women, who passed on the skills to the next generation in their communities. I wandered the small market. Being the only tourist, of course I had all the attention and they wanted to sell me everything … they had also souvenir type stuff. I did not really need or want anything, I just wanted to see the textiles. In the end I bought a small bag without bargaining for $ 15 and a basket made of palm leaves for $ 3.
The production process of the Tais textile, however, was quite complex and time-consuming – it entailed preparing and dyeing the cotton and weaving the material. I watched a couple of ladies in the market stalls weaving on backstrap looms using a combination of plain weave and ikat – resist-dye – techniques. A typical Tais design was stratified and featured layers of colour and texture woven in bands of different widths. Colour was highly symbolic in Tais weaving – especially the colours of the Timorese national flag – red for sacrifice and liberation, black for triumph, yellow for the nation’s colonial remnants and white for the light of peace. The colours chosen for any one cloth depended on the occasion where it would be worn – for example wedding or funeral.
Although men may participate in the process by gathering plants to dye the cotton and making the equipment, the production of Tais was a role reserved for women, who were also responsible for passing the knowledge and skills on to the next generation. The practice was threatened by several factors – including a preference for modern clothing among younger generations, the replacement of local, handmade materials with industrial alternatives, inadequate income generation and an ever-decreasing number of weavers.
I continued my round with a photo stop at the Immaculate Conception Metropolitan Cathedral – the main church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dili. The cathedral that could hold up to 2000 people was officially inaugurated in 1988 and was reportedly the largest cathedral in Southeast Asia. In October 1989 it was blessed by Pope John Paul II. It played an important part in the country’s independence struggle, with leaders like the Noble Laureate Bishop Belo advising people to go into the country’s election with the spirit of humility of Jesus Christ.
Driving down to the waterfront I followed the promenade west. Originally I had booked a hotel beach resort at the very end of the headland … good thing I did not keep it! I would have been more than 5 km away from the center and it had been triple the price from the Chong Ti Hotel I stayed in now. I did not even go that far today, but turned around and headed back into the center.
The Farol do Porto de Dili – Dili Harbor Lighthouse – was prominently located on the shore of the Bay of Dili and assisted with navigation into and out of the Port of Dili. Currently, the lighthouse consisted of a 17 m octagonal metal skeletal tower rising from a massive masonry base and was completed in 1896. It was a pretty sight.
I only passed the Igreja de Santo António de Motael – the Church de Santo António de Motael – the oldest Roman Catholic church in Timor Leste – dedicated to Anthony of Padua – Santo António de Lisboa. During the Portuguese colonial era, the district of Motael was the centre of Portuguese life in Dili. A church was first built at the present location around the year 1800 – with the current building dating back to 1955 when it served as the de facto cathedral for the diocese of Dili until the inauguration of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in 1989. The church played an important role in the independence struggle. On 27.10.1991 young independence activists tried to demonstrate against the Indonesian occupation. While the Indonesian security forces ran after them, pastor Alberto Ricardo da Silva offered them protection in the church. At night, the Indonesians stormed the church and shot activist Sebastião Gomes, who then bled to death. On 12.11.1991, after the memorial service for Gomes, a demonstration started in front of the church and led to the Santa Cruz Massacre.
In Motael Garden by the waterfront there was the Estatua da Juventude – the Youth Monument – illustrating 2 resistance fighters during one of the despicable massacres of the 24-year Indonesian occupation. I had already noticed, that often the monuments of Timor Leste were the depiction of heroes of the revolution or memorials for martyrs.
On the promenade near the monument, I made a quick Coconut break. They were selling Coconuts from carts all along the waterfront … sort of a Coconut drive-through … it was $ 1 for a big one and I finished it in no time … I was thirsty for sure.
On the lookout for a restaurant – it was high time for some food – I continued east along the shore. At the Praça da Proclamação da Independência – Independence Proclamation Square – inaugurated in 2018 and located in front of the Palácio do Governo – the Government Palace – the seat of the Prime Minister of Timor Leste, I stopped for a photo first. Construction began in the 1950s during the final part of the Portuguese administration. During the occupation of Indonesia, between 1975 and 1999, the building was used by the governor and the vice-governor. With independence, in 2002, it was named the Government Palace and the office of the Prime Minister of the country and a few other ministries and secretaries of state were installed here.
Past the Tourist Office, I had seen some restaurants along the promenade when passing earlier. A quick check on google and I decided on Little Pattaya directly on the water. Having parked the bike, I walked in. It looked nice, but it was empty. However, a lady sweeping the floor assured me it was open and brought me a menu. I chose a table right by the water.
The lady disappeared and did not return for maybe half an hour or so. I was already on the brink of leaving when she finally came back to take my order. Apparently she had to go and get the cook first … oh well … it was probably to late for lunch, but too early for dinner … not for me, though … breakfast in Baucau was the only food I had today so far … I was hungry and ordered Pat Thai Seafood, Green Curry Seafood and Green Papaya Salad along with a Bintang Beer … and kept enjoying the view of the Cristo Rei in the distance.
The food arrived surprisingly quick and it was very good … very spicy … but very good! I devoured all of it, believe it. I would have loved to find a seafood restaurant where I could have had a lobster like I saw with this street seller the first day I was here. But Thai food was the next best thing and being relatively close to Thailand it was really authentic. Yummy! And the bill was reasonable as well – $ 18 for all of it.
Back at the hotel I parked the bike and quickly walked to the Chinese supermarket around the corner to buy some juice and beer. Then I hung out relaxing, sorting photos, posting photos, writing my journal. After a shower I slept relatively early. Tomorrow I planned an early start once more.
Traveling is not something you’re good at.
It’s something you do, like breathing.
Gayle Foreman
01.12.2022
153 km in Timor Leste’s coffee country
According to my plan I got up at 06:30 this morning and left for the coffee mountains by 07:00. I wanted to see the coffee plantations. The weather was wonderful – azur blue sky and brilliant sunshine. I drove with my long sleeved shirt against the sun … the sunburn from the other day was still prevailing but better. Driving through the city west I had another look at the Cathedral in the morning light.
Heading along Avenida Presidente Nicolau Lobato I also spotted the Nicolau Lobato Presidential Palace – Palácio Presidencial Nicolau Lobato – which had been the official workplace of the President of the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste since 2009. When Timor Leste resumed independence in 2002, the new President considered that he needed to have a presidential office distinct from the one occupied by the Constitutional Government headed by the Prime Minister. By 2003, plans had already been drawn up for a more comfortable palace and the Chinese government had offered to help fund its construction – the new palace was inaugurated in 2009. The political system of Timor Leste was semi-presidential – based upon the Portuguese system. The constitution established both this separation of executive powers between the President and the Prime Minister – and the separation of powers between the executive, legislature and judiciary.
The road passed the International Airport of Dili – on the roundabout in front of the airport was the Statua Presidente Nicolau Lobato – a Statue of Nicolau Lobato, the first Prime Minister of East Timor who was killed by the occupying Indonesian Forces in 1978. The nicely maintained memorial right at the outside of the airport, which was also named after the Nicolau Lobato who was considered the national hero of the country, had been unveiled in 2014.
Near the sea port, I eventually turned south into the hills. Traffic was thick in the city, but as soon as I turned off the main road it got better. The road was good and it led up up up into the mountains. It was relatively fresh this early in the morning especially the higher I came into the hills. That was for sure very pleasant and a good change to the scorching heat of the other days along the coast.
I wanted to go to the village of Ermera. The lady at the tourist office had said it was fairly easily reachable and only 42 km or so from the city. I would have preferred to go to Letefoho further up the hills because there was a coffee plantation open to visits, however I was afraid that the road might not be as good. All reports I had read online, stated it was only manageable by 4×4 or motorbike. I was not sure if my little scooter would be able to handle it … but I still could decide while en route … It turned out the 42 km only got me to Gleno, the main town of the district. But the road had been good all along and if it continued like that, it was OK.
I reached Gleno after almost 2 hours driving up. The settlement with a population of approx 8000 was widespread in the Gleno River valley some 882 m above sea level. On a hill overlooking the town and valley stood prominently a gigantic church – the Igreja Nossa Senhora da Graça – Church of Our Lady of Grace. Finding the drive way I turned and the scooter had a really hard time to get up the steep alley. But we made it and I had a good look around the charming church. This early in the morning – it was just about 09:00 – there was nobody around and the church looked closed, unfortunately. It was impressive, though and the views were nice as well.
Gleno was a relatively new settlenment and the street layout was very parallel in the center which seemed to consist of a market and transport hub. At the beginning of 1979, about a hundred men from the then district capital Ermera were brought by the Indonesian occupying forces to the place where the town of Gleno stood today. The men were forced to clear the previously uninhabited area off vegetation so that a new city could be built here – this city was named after the river of the same name just north of the settlement. When work on the new district capital was completed in 1983, the military relocated the families of the forced laborers to Gleno and it was not until 1985 that the residents were allowed to move about freely. Gleno suffered greatly during the unrest before and after the independence referendum in 1999.
There was much traffic in the small town, so I did not even take any photos really, but just drove straight through. The road to Ermera and Letefoho was considerably smaller than the road I came up from Dili. Google stated it was 15 km to Ermera, but 25 km to Letefoho … the road would split about 8 km past Gleno. On the map the road was still a main road and that to Letefoho showed as the better one … I decided to go ahead to the junction and decide there, which way to go.
The drive started out fine near the town. There were already a lot of potholes and puddles, but most of the time it was an asphalted road … well, a very narrow road … and so many potholes … During the Indonesian occupation roads and infrastructure were boosted, with the amount of paved road exponentially rising from effectively zero to around 4500km by the end of the Indonesian period. More roads had been built recently – however, I expected that the old side roads had not really been maintained since … and traffic was also strong … Did I have doubts if I was on the correct route … No! I was! It seemed all transport north-south moved on this track … many motorbikes, plenty minivans and colorful busses, 4×4 pick-ups and also big trucks …
Lush green forest fringed the route as soon as I had left the immediate town. Huge trees, different palm trees and many coffee bushes … although … I did not have time to take a closer look yet … I had to concentrate on driving … this was a grand adventure now … I was slow on my scooter because I did not dare to go any faster … the last thing I needed was a crash in the middle of nowhere … and the track was ascending continiously …
Most of the traffic moved quickly past me … I let them overtake … at big, muddy puddles I stopped and let other motorbikes or minivans pass first … My motto – Learn from the locals! … and check which path they would take … If for a moment there was no traffic, I observed carefully first and then tried to skirt the mud as easy as possible usually accelerating to get through quickly … with each pothole and each puddle I got more confident and better in handling it …
It’s a road trip!
It’s about adventure! . . .
It’s not like we have somewhere to go.
John Green in An Abundance of Katherines
When I reached the Ermera turn-off, I checked the map again … it was another 7 km to the village of Ermera, while some 18 km to Letefoho … and the road did not look as if it was getting any better … checking the time I decided to go to Ermera … eventhough I would have preferred Letefoho since there was not only a visitable coffee plantation but also a unique church and a Cristo Rei … oh well … but that road was just intense and 18 km return would take just too long and leave me little time to have a look around …
I reached the sweeping village of Ermera after roughly 1 hr since leaving Gleno … an average speed of 15 km/h … Welcome to Timor Leste’s coffee country! Vila Ermera was the former capital of the Ermera district. Ermera meant red water – the village had a population of approx 8900 and was located 1195 m above sea level.
I spotted a few crumbling 20th-century Portuguese buildings – the Igreja Imaculada Conceição – the Church of the Immaculate Conception – was dominating the village center. There were quite a few people around. The junction by the church was also the market and the bus stop and fairly busy.
The main draw in the area was the coffee cultivation. One of the best-kept secrets of Timor Leste was the distinction as a producer of some of the world’s best coffee. There were no signs pointing to plantations, though. It seemed like everyone owned some plants. Between May and October people would come from all over to harvest their coffee, keeping some for their own use and selling the rest to cooperatives. So I drove further out of the village following a sign stating Fatubesse – a place I could not find on any map. The road was all of a sudden fantastic – a brand new asphalt road without any potholes … I was so stunned … I forgot to take a photo of it …
None of the maps showed a significant road out this way and for sure none going through to anywhere … That was a pity … if that perfect road would actually lead anywhere – looping back to Gleno or another main road north – that would have been great … I followed it for a few kilometers, but then turned around … I did remember to expect the afternoon rains in the mountains … I did not have the time for another road experiment … But the sweeping views from that road over the valley and Gleno below were breathtaking!
Back in Ermera, I circled around the center somewhat because there were signs pointing to Gleno in different directions. The road I came from was posted east with 12 km and then there was another one pointing north and stating 8 km … however, all the traffic was moving on the road I had come up … I asked some people by pointing questioningly … Gleno? … I got a stream of local words back and all pointed up the main road to the east … I guess that other way had deteriorated even more than the main road … or was only passable in dry season maybe …
Since I knew the road already, I made good progress and had plenty time and possibility to stop and take photos. There was more traffic now, but that was no problem. I navigated the puddles without problems and enjoyed the views along the way. I noticed many coffee bushes everywhere!
Timor Leste’s coffee was not grown in large plantations but instead in the shade of massive mother trees – Albizia Falcata or Falcataria Moluccana – commonly known as the Moluccan Albizia, a fast-growing tree – a mimosa variety that reached lofty heights – native to the Maluku Islands, New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago and the Solomon Islands. It was cultivated for timber throughout South and Southeast Asia. This tree could reach about 30 m height in nature, had a massive trunk and an open crown.
Those trees were cultivated throughout the wet tropical and subtropical regions of the world and so had many common names. Here in Timor Leste it was called Ai-Samtuco in Tetum, the local language. Traditionally whole tree trunks were used to carve seagoing canoes, but also extensively for firewood. A main use however was agroforestry – the trees were grown as a coffee shade tree. Their umbrella-like canopies protected the coffee beans from the sun as much as from the rain.
The coffee industry of Timor Leste produced the national economy’s largest non-oil export. Since the introduction of coffee by the Portuguese in the 1800s, the industry contributed a sizeable portion of the country’s employment and investment and was a major source of income for rural communities. The industry was vulnerable to global coffee price fluctuation and deficient infrastructure. The coffee plants grew largely without interference in the highlands of central Timor Leste.
Based on relatively unmanaged plantations, with bean-gathering and processing by villagers and scant attention paid to cleaning, weeding, pruning, pest and disease management or planting of new trees, the country’s coffee industry was considered to be a process where there was a limited effort to tend to coffee bushes, whereby an emphasis was placed on land clearing around bushes to make way for future harvest.
It was not too long until I reached the junction with the road to Letefoho. As I followed the track down to Gleno I there noticed a street sign for Avenida Kafé Ermera which I had not seen on the way up … well, I might have had concentrated too much on driving then. I was in the heart of Timor Leste’s Coffee mountains! The last stretch of road to Gleno was thickly lined with coffee bushes!
Timor Leste’s coffee might only account for less than 1% of the global coffee production, yet it remained in a unique and opportunistic position given its standing as the largest single-source organic coffee producer globally being described as one of the finest and most unique coffees in the world. This was largely a result of the fertile volcanic soils and known as the Hibrido de Timor. Very little of the world’s coffee was grown wild at higher attitudes of a tropical island, making the coffee method unusual and unorthodox and with limited attention and intervention paid to the plantations, the coffee can be described as organic.
The Hibrido de Timor – the Timorese Hybrid Coffee variant – was the result of an unstructured cross between Coffea Arabica and Coffea Robusta that had many of the favorable flavors of Arabica with the coffee rust-resistance of Robusta and was first discovered in the 1940s. This variant brought across the qualities of the two cultivated types of coffee, including the ability to grow in far less fertile soil creating a unique blend that could remain amongst the harsher conditions of Timor and yet retain properties of coffee quality among the best in the world.
In 1994, amid years of conflict, the coffee industry began to emerge in East Timor. Prior to coffee, Timor was a major exporter of sandalwood, a valuable commodity for centuries renowned for its fragrance. With help from USAID, coffee farmers formed a first co-op – the Cooperativa Café Timor. In 1996, Starbucks then helped put the country on the coffee map when their coffee buyer made a first purchase from that Cooperativa, which had been working with the nation’s smallholder farmers to improve the quality and yield of their harvests. Starbucks continued to buy coffee from East Timor each harvest as its quality improved – in the mid-2000s they acquisitioned up to 40% of East Timor’s entire production – and it became an important component of some of Starbucks’ most popular blends. Nowadays, Timor Leste was said to have no longer enough coffee for the growing demand – particularly also in mainland China. Since attending the 2020 China International Import Exhibition, Timor Leste had exported coffee worth US$ 5 mio to mainland China.
I had so much to see on the road. My driving skills improved by the minute and the more I relaxed the more details I noticed along the way. There were a couple of Lagerstroemia Speciosa – Giant Crepe-Myrtle or Pride of India – native to tropical Southern Asia – a deciduous tree with bright pink to light purple flowers. And I spotted Caryota Obusta – known as Fishtail Palms because of the shape of their leaves – a type of Toddy Palm.
The most beautiful in the world is, of course,
the world itself.
Wallace Stevens
Reaching Gleno again around 11:15 I drove around the center a bit in search of a coffee place – mainly to buy Timor Coffee or at least drink some … I could not find anything … well, I saw a shop that had a big sign Ermera Coffee, but I could not find a suitable parking spot and when I did some people just waved me off … there was no coffee … the market area was now even more busy than this morning and I passed it twice … I probably would have found coffee in the market … and in hindsight I should have just stopped somewhere and walk around or ask … however, there was just too much going on and I preferred to get out of the hustle … on the road out of town to the north I spotted a restaurant which had a pictured menu on the front and spontaneously stopped there … I would take whatever …
It was a small family place – only one other table was occupied. Nevermind, I found a table and when the lady of the house came I just pointed to the pictures for Fried Noodles … Timor Coffee was a universal term, I supposed, because she understood … and when I pointed to the beer bottle in the fridge … well … that was a no brainer …
The coffee was really good … very black … strong … and while I waited for the food I checked the map for the road back. I had figured to loop back to Dili via the road to Aileu. All maps showed the route being a main road same as the one coming up from Dili. I could go that way and then return to Dili via the road passing the Dare Memorial.
While I devoured my lunch of veg noodles … I am not a rice person … I pondered more over the plan and decided it looked like absolutely manageable and it was only midday … I had all afternoon … even if it was a longer way … hoping for the weather to hold … the plan was confirmed. In any case it was more or less always going down to the coast …
Having had half an hour break, I got back on the scooter and headed north out of town on the main road to Dili. It was pleasant to be on a fancy asphalt road again for a bit. I noticed the huge Albizia Falcata trees here as well, but no dense coffee bushes. The weather started changing slowly … the rain clouds started rolling in from the southern mountains behind me …
I found the turn-off for Aileu easily … contrary to the map this road was not a main road as the one to Dili … it was more of a narrow side road … there was very little traffic … almost none … I was wondering if that would be indeed the road leading east towards Aileu … the GPS showed I was on the right rack … Passing a long stretched settlement was interesting and the views over Gleno and to the mountains in the South were awesome. Obviously it had been a good decision to not go to Letefoho … I would still be there by now and I could already see the rain going down where I had been this morning … that road to Ermera would be pretty much impassible for me in this weather … For now I was hoping the rain would hold off here … maybe I could drive ahead of the rain until I reached the lowlands …
Unfortunately, I was not that lucky … light rain started soon … I dug out the cover for the backpack and put the cameras away … but I continued … maybe it would not get worse … maybe the road would stay like that and I could drive easy … … … around a bend about 8 km into the road I came to an abrupt halt … a mud puddle stretch started, but a makeshift gate closed the track … a bunch of youngsters appeared and made signs asking for money from afar … WTF … and a hand showed 5 … I shook my head … No! … another boy smiled and motioned 2 … I shook my head … No! … In a split second I had calculated my options … the rain was increasing now … there was a big mud puddle ahead …no other traffic was moving along this road … I had absolutely no idea what the road condition ahead would be … the rain was still increasing … … … the guys did not come closer but kept shouting for money … so I made a universal dismissive handsignal and turned around shouting a more or less friendly Adeus!… I could not even know how many more of those roadblocks I had to expect …and how many more mud puddles …
In hindsight I had to thank those youngsters for making me turn around … the rain increased considerably now and within minutes I was looking for a spot to shelter from the downpour … I had spotted a small shop by the road side. It was not far and quickly I parked the scooter and ducked under the roof of the shop.
It was a small shop hut with a bunch of kids holding the fort down. They were excited to see a foreigner and were eying me curiously. We understood each other perfectly in sign language hiding together from the rain. There were no adults around … I suppose they were working … Briefly I wondered why the children were not at school. It would be probably very hard in this remote village … A UNICEF report stated only 20 % of preschool-aged children in Timor Leste were indeed enrolled in school.
By 2001, a year before gaining its independence, 90 % of all schools had been destroyed due to the violence and destruction that ensued from Indonesia’s rule over the country. These destroyed schools had once employed 6000 teachers and educated 240000 children. Since the restoration of independence, the country had to completely rebuild these institutions from the ground up, but had made significant progress by entirely updating its educational system. Quality education for all was a key government priority. However, ageing facilities, repetition and dropout, language diversity, weakened child-friendly teaching methods and limited facilities in rural areas hindered the progress. Nevertheless, nearly 42 % of Timor Leste’s population lived below the poverty line and children missed out on vital opportunities for learning and empowerment. Children in rural areas were still disproportionately affected. Nearly 37 % of rural youth aged 15 to 24 were illiterate, compared to just 6 % in urban areas.
For sure those kids were happy and it most probably made their day to have a crazy foreigner wait out the rain together with them. Unfortunately there was nothing in the little shop I could buy from them, but they did not mind or even tried to sell me anything. They even offered me to go up into their house to wait in the dry. I declined that … I had been hoping that the rain would let up after a while, but 30 min later it was still going strong … the water was coming down the road in a river …
I was slightly afraid that the road might deteriorate due to the rain … Should I wait any longer? … Maybe it was better lower down towards the coast? … But would I want to drive in the rain? … I dug into my backpack which held usually a wealth of gadgets … Did I pack the rain poncho this morning? Or not? … I did not think so … but … yeah … there it was! I did not even remember if I ever used it before … then it would be the first time! I made sure the cover was still on the camera bag and then put the poncho over the top. I waved the kids Adeus! and jumped on the scooter. Tugging the poncho under my butt and around the backpack and me as good as possible, I let the GoPro stick out in the front … it was the only waterproof camera I had … and off I was braving the rain!
Starting out on a very slow drive I gradually accelerated … still driving carefully … There was so much water on the road! It was coming down in streams from the hills flooding the road in a muddy red layer … It was tricky to navigate through those streams as I did not know if there were potholes below and there was not much other traffic, really. Most motorbike drivers had stopped and taken shelter.
Stop being afraid of what could go wrong
and think of what could go right.
Anonymous
I had no problems driving other than the rain … at least it was not cold just yet. Soon I reached the main road to Dili and there was very little traffic now. Confidently I drove down towards the city. The wide road was easier to drive than the narrow side track. However, there was as much water on the road …
Sunshine is delicious,
rain is refreshing,
wind braces us up,
snow is exhilarating;
there is really no such thing as bad weather,
only different kinds of good weather.
John Ruskin
Not stopping anymore I rode steadily towards Dili. It was approx 40 km from the junction to my hotel … averaging not more than 30 km/h I drove fast but carefully. Still hoping the cameras would stay dry, I could feel the rain running down my front and my back as well … I was pretty sure the cameras would be save and also the passport was all sealed in a plastic bag … Just me … I might be soaked when I arrived …
Most motorbike drivers had stop, others wore full rain gear … it did not seem as if the rain would let up anytime soon … slowly I was getting somewhat cold after a while because my trousers were wet and the arms anyway – the poncho did not cover the arms – my front was soaking as well … I could feel the water dripping down … reaching the coast by 14:00ish the rain stopped abruptly and it got warmer again. Traffic in the city was horrendous, but at least it was dry for a while. It took me another 30 min to reach the hotel … the rain started again just before I arrived …
I had not dared to even move off the seat when stopping at a traffic light as in not to have water go where it should not be … Now parking the scooter in the hotel courtyard I had to get up and I could feel the full extent of my drenching … water was everywhere … I was still in good spirit, though.
In my room I went straight to the bathroom to strip. I did not want to get the floor all wet since they had not changed the towels or cleaned the room while I stayed here … so I had no spare … I hung everything up in the bathroom and was happy to realize that the camera bag was completely dry! Phew! Passport and vax certs had been in plastic bags and were dry as well. The money belt was all wet … I had to put the $ notes out to dry which happened very quickly … while my trousers, t-shirt and shirt were only half soaked … arms, legs, front … But I was a little cold and hopped straight into the hot shower now before taking half an hour rest.
As soon as I had dried off and changed into a dry set of clothes, the rain had stopped and I took my small bag and got on the scooter again. I had hung up all the wet stuff all over my room and hoped it would dry by tomorrow. For now I cruised through Dili and stopped at the Telecom Plaza near Hotel Timor once more. I had not quite figured out how much of the 2.5 GB I had used, but data usage on the phone showed pretty much that … and I did not want to go offline before I left tomorrow. So I just invested another $ 3 for 1.5 GB extra to be on the safe side.
I still wanted to maybe buy some Timorese Coffee to take home. So my next stop was the Letefoho Specialty Coffee Roaster & Café located at the waterfront of Avenida de Portugal. I had already spotted it yesterday and found it quickly. They had a nice Café with a beautiful view over Dili Bay.
I ordered a Timor Coffee and a Pastel de Nata – a Portuguese egg custard tart pastry, outside Portugal particularly popular in former Portuguese colonies. I have to say … Letefoho’s coffee and Tomor Leste’s per se had not gained an international reputation for nothing – its unique, disease-resistant beans grown organically in tiny family farms across the mountainous region, small-batch roasted and brewed by skilled local baristas in Dili was outstandingly good! I thoroughly enjoyed the peaceful place which was obviously not only frequented by many students for remote work but a go to spot for visitors, expats and Timorese alike. There was plenty seating upstairs in the open-air porch offering ocean views.
Before leaving I did not forget to buy some Timorese Coffee to take home. They did not have vacuum packed ground coffee, only beans … regrettably we do not have a coffee mill at home anymore … so I reverted to buying a bunch of portion sized packages which included a single use coffee filter. That was very cool and an excellent gift and memento. A package was $ 1 and I bought 10. They were easy to pack and a fabulous souvenir.
Cruising around I was contemplating where to go next, I stopped by the waterfront coconut sellers … funnily enough the guy from yesterday recognized me from afar and waved enthusiastically when I approached … Of course I would have my Coconut again at the same stall … I did not even have to think about it … after all even I was a creature of habit …
Before I would return the scooter this evening, I wanted to visit Mercado Taibesi, Dili’s largest and most popular produce market. It was a bit out of the center, but I could easily reach it by scooter anyway. With 80 % of its population engaged in agriculture and a diverse climate offering growing conditions for almost every crop possible, Timor Leste’s local markets were an unassuming trove of good, organic produce. Mercado Taibesi was established in 2000 after the colonial market building that had been built by the Portuguese after WW II had been destroyed during the Indonesian wave of violence before they left in 1999. I really had not immersed myself in a local market in Timor Leste yet and the large, sprawling Taibesi market was predestined for that.
I reached the outskirts of the market when the weather was again slightly changing … it was overcast and rain seemed to be just around the corner … I circled around the market streets filled with stalls in search of a parking spot … but all I saw were market stalls along flooded alleyways and muddy tracks … huge puddles and people trying to navigate around them …
Honestly, I had enough of rain and mud and puddles today … I should have looked around for parking some more and ventured into the central market building … but I was not in the mood to get into the rain once more … and the dark clouds above did not look so good … so after a good drive around and a few quick photos I headed back to the center.
On the way I stopped at the already familiar gas station and topped up gasoline for $ 2 to have it at the same level as I got it and I also stopped at the familiar Chinese supermarket to buy some beer and juice … did I mention I was a creature of habit? …
At the hotel I directly went to reception to see if they could order a taxi for me for tomorrow … my short stay in Timor Leste was coming to an end … tomorrow I had to catch my flight to Bali … It was a bit of a dilemma o get a taxi … we understood each other in a gibberish of several different languages … well, it was not so complicated to understand taxi and aeroporto … but I soon figured they could not call the taxi man from their mobile … or did not want to … their excuse being they did not have any talktime on it … Yeah, but no problem! Use my mobile! I have Timor Leste talktime! … The girls looked at me questioningly and I handed them my mobile … Go! Do it! Taxi Aeroport tomorrow 10:30! … And it was no problem … 10:30 and $ 10 was set … They were quick to hand me back my phone and nodded confirmingly … at least I did have the taxi man’s phone number now on my phone! …
Once that was sorted I whatsapped Nino, the Scooter guy, that he could come pick up the bike. He was quick to reply that he would send his team to do so. And sure enough they arrived some 20 min later. They asked for $ 40 to pay … Are you sure it is not $ 60 for 3 extra days? … No, my brother said $ 40! …Well, here you go! … I handed over the money, key and helmet and off they went. I had clocked 523 km on that scooter and I had tremendous fun all along!
For dinner I walked to the waterfront to Dilicious Timor once more. It had been a good choice on my first night and it would be on my last night in Timor Leste as well. En route I soaked up the waterfront views and also had another look at the The Government Palace – Palácio do Governo – the official workplace of the Prime Minister and Constitutional Government of Timor Leste.
I took a table on the porch of Dilicious Timor and ordered Fish in Banana Leave, a Coconut and a beer. The food was excellent. The fish well spiced and accompanied by some green vegetables and rice. In my opinion the veggies were Morning Glory – widely known as Water Spinach – grown as a vegetable for its tender shoots in Southeast Asia.
The sunset over the Bay of Dili was spectacular this evening. I strolled a bit along the waterfront promenade to get the best view. I was not the only one. Plenty people – I supposed all locals – were enjoying the time as well. It was really beautiful tonight.
Back at the hotel I reflected on my days in Timor Leste, updated my journal, sorted and posted some photos. I slept quite late today … tomorrow would be a new adventure waiting for me yet again …
02.12.2022
Leaving Timor Leste from Dili to Denpasar/Bali
Eventhough I woke up early, I did not feel like going for a walk in the morning. It was too hot. I did some photo sorting and journal writing and finished packing. I also remembered to fill in the online customs form and saved the QR code for Bali on the phone. I was sure they would ask for it upon arrival.
By 10:15 I made sure I had not left anything behind and wandered down to reception to get my $ 10 key deposit back. My taxi was already waiting as well. So why hang about here … I got in and off we were to the airport. It was a straight forward 25 min ride along the to me already familiar avenida and as we arrived at the small airport I handed over the $ 10 fee.
Dili Airport – officially Aeroportu Internasional Presidente Nicolau Lobato – since 2002 named after Nicolau dos Reis Lobato, an East Timorese politician and national hero – was the only international airport in Timor Leste and rather small. As of late 2019, there were twice daily scheduled small jetliner flights between Dili and Denpasar/Bali and on weekdays from and to Darwin/Australia, with daily Darwin flights on weekends. Former flights between Dili and Singapore had been suspended. Smaller aircraft, such as a DHC-6, were operating domestic services and helicopters were flying to Bau Undane Oil Field. Most of the international connections had ceased since the world stood still and were only slowly reopening.
At the terminal entrance there was a first full baggage x-ray check which was not a problem and then I could proceed directly to check-in. There were just a few people and absolutely no line. They just checked the passport, nothing else – no customs form, no vax cert, no PeduliLindungi App … My bag clocked in at 20 kg exactly and went through without problem.
The longest wait was that at passport control whch was not open yet. There were only a couple of souvenir shops in the terminal and I had a look around there. But I did not find anything I wanted to buy. They had plenty of Timor Coffee … unfortunately it was all beans as well …
Slowly more people showed up – not many, to be honest – and lined up at the 2 immigration windows. Eventually the officers arrived and opened up, but it really took a long time … in fact forever … however, it turned out they had a new system using biometric data for immigration installed recently and it was still in the test phase. Photos and fingerprints were taken. The officers were still learning, the system still had some kinks which had to be evened out. There were people from the UN helping and obviously training the officers in the use of the brand new system.
Once past the passport stamp another security check awaited. It was not a big deal. My water bottles went through and again I was amazed … I had taken my belt off, but had again forgotten to take the money pouch off … They did not notice …
In the transit hall there was only one small alcohol duty free with all of 3 different kinds of bottles, a small souvenir shop with fancy carvings and textiles and a stall with t-shirts … not even a kiosk with drinks or snacks … There was no plane insight … the runway was empty … I settled in the waiting hall and pulled out the laptop to catch up on the journal while waiting. The Citilink plane might have been the only international flight today and arrived at 12:50. They did a very quick turn around and boarding started within minutes … masks were mandatory after boarding pass check.
Surprisingly the plane was full. Well, there was only one flight per day to Bali and when I had booked it last month, the flights during the weekend had already been sold out. It was an international flight and I had paid IDR 3.761.100 – approx € 241 – oneway. I had a window seat and could catch a last glimpse of Timor Leste. They even served a hot lunch of Nasi Kuning – Yellow Rice with Beef – and water. No other drinks. But I was happy with that already. The food was good enough and would tie me over until dinner tonight.
It was a short visit of Timor Leste … only a few days … but I had a great time scootering around. I rode 523 km on that little scooter and found all of 3 geocaches … Well, there were not really many more in the country … However, if I had more time I would have loved to venture even further east or south on the island. I was sure there was plenty more to explore in the 1st new sovereign state of the 21st century!
Adeus, Timor Leste! It has been a pleasure!
