East Timor Off The Beaten Path

Drying coffee beans on the road

by theo1006

Maubisse is a centre of coffee cultivation. Here on the access road to the Maubisse pousada beans are being dried by leaving them on the road. As long as the beans are in their husks it does not seem to matter if cars ride over them.

Pigsty built of rock

by theo1006

In most countries one would expect pigs to be fenced in by constructions of wood or iron. But on Timor rock is the most abundant material, so one just walls the pig in with rock.This pig we photographed near Maubisse.

Torched court house

by theo1006

Literally all buildings erected by the Indonesians were torched by militias in the interval between the plebiscite and the arrival UN peace-keepers in 1999. Most of the ruins are still there as witnesses of a violent period.The picture is of a court house near Maliana.

Take a walk!

by travelbugchris

If you are stuck in Dili, a great thing to do is to walk up to Dare (the small town high up in the hills behind Dili). As you walk, you will see village life going on and have spectacular views over the top of Dili, out to Atauro Island and on to other islands in the region. On the way, you can stop in to the swimming pool built by Australian troops as a memorial to the courage and generosity of the East Timorese who sheltered them during Worl War II.You can walk from pretty well anywhere in Dili but a good place to start from is the big Catholic Cathedral in the middle of town. Head south-east towards the hills and just start walking up any of the dirt paths. Gradually, various paths converge onto ridge lines and make their way up to Dare.In Dare, visit Fr Tan's farm and retreat centre - beautiful traditional style houses, a training and development centre for local, organic farming...

Don't miss Tutuala,...

by Yiannis2000

If you visit Timor Lorosae, try to visit TUTUALA, the last village at the eastern tip of the island, it is situated at the foothills of Mount Matebian and it has a marvelous beach just underneath.To get there, try to find a bus from Dili to the eastern town of Los Palos and ask for transport to Tutuala, there might be a bus for the remaining 50 kms. There is a guesthouse in the village, a small shop but no restaurant etc.

Children fetching water

by theo1006

Water is a precious commodity for most East-Timorese. These children fetching water we saw near Maliana.

Fresh travel link from Germany (in english)

by Yiannis2000

http://www.weltrekordreise.ch/p_asie_tl2.html

On the road to Bacau

by rukhaya

Roadside stall Bacau

by rukhaya

Fish Display- Bacau Market

by rukhaya