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Near Atabae the land is flat and fishermen live in hovels close to the coast. They try to sell their catch displaying it at the roadside.We asked for the name of this long fish, and they said: "tuna", which made us wonder. Later we asked another Timorese about it, and he said: tuna happens to be the local name for an eel fish.We could not buy fish on our trip, but the people were eager to be photographed, including the children.
The road from Dili along the coast to West-Timor is very scenic. Parts hug the beach where one can swim, parts wind through hills where one overlooks the sea. There are also several historic sites along the route (see following tips).We made the trip twice, once a tour with Eco-Discovery to Balibo and Maliana, two days later with a minibus ("travel") of Timortravel to the border and on to Kupang. Of course with the minibus one cannot stop at interesting spots.The road was asphalted during the Indonesian occupation, also the steel bridges were built in that time. Our guide told that the militias failed to destroy them in 1999 because they did not obtain explosives on time. They did succeed in destroying the electric power lines along the road and these have not been replaced yet.
It is usually referred to as the Portuguese fort, but according to Wikipedia it was built in the 17th century by the Dutch and later traded with the Portuguese for the island of Flores.Actually only the walls remain. No ancient buildings inside them, instead a newly built restaurant that was not yet operational when we visited. Two old cannons on the seaward corners still point threateningly to possible invaders. Is the coat of arms on them Dutch or Portuguese? We cannot tell.Below the fort, on the beach are a few souvenir stalls selling handicraft. And under the road lies a well pertaining to the fort; the road has been built over it.
According to our Eco-discovery guide Aipelo prison was used by the Portuguese to incarcerate Timorese who rebelled against forced labour and those who just could not pay their taxes.Presumably dating from th 19th century, the buildings are now in ruins. The site is surrounded by a low wall, which one has to climb over to approach the ruins. There is one thick-walled main building and some minor ones, all roofless. Locals grow corn in the grounds.The ruins are located on the coast. A signboard evidently was put up during the Indonesian occupation, as it says: "Propinsi Timor-Timur".
Timor Leste has beautiful seas. Corals can be seen even when the water is at hip level.Diving hre will be wonderful. However, please do nature a favour by keeping the seas clean and the corals alive. Think of it as sharing the beauty with the next taveler after you.
most pple drives out of dili (rich locals and foreginers). poor foreigners like us travel by local bus hehe... scary turns, sudden brakes, loud timorese musik, polite men and loud local ibu were the order of the day....we travelled to baucau, second largest town in Timor Leste..abt 3 hrs by bus , usd$2 ;-)take from becora terminal.
The best beaches are in the north side of the island. The south part is very rocky.Tutuala in the Eastern part of the island is the best beach in the entire island. The Dolar Beach (35 Km from Dili) is a white sand beach, good for swimming, despite the strong currents during the low tide. You have to pay 1 USD to enter the beach, that's the reason of the name.Note: Accordingly to VT heliopinto you don't have to pay anymore to visit this beach (since 2004).Beaches aroud the capital Dili are good as well, some of them have restaurants near them.
The toilets are composting toilets. They do not require the use of any machinery, it’s just a ventilation system. In two years time, the contribution of human waste that tourists make, can be used in gardens for fruit trees.
At Tua Koin, bathrooms are shared among travellers of every 3 cabins instead of having individual bathrooms, as water consumption would be higher for cleaning, etc. With limited budget, they could only afford economical means. They then decided to use the water system of a dipper (you can’t both soap and use water), hence restricting the use of water naturally.The water they use at Tua Koin is from a spring up in the mountain. Water is recycled too. How? From the bathrooms, there is a reed bed, which clears some of the soap and chemicals out of it, and then it is used for watering plants and trees around the place.
At Tua Koin, waste management is an important issue. And how do they do it?Influx of tourists would mean increase in waste. A recycling programme was thus implemented whereby waste is seperated into reusable bottles, recyclable cans, food scraps, and other non-biodegradable wastes. Bottles and cans are collected and brought to Dili for sale. And food scraps will go to chickens and pigs.
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Q: I am going to be in Dili, Timor Leste in March. I'm wondering what travel route is best and cheapest from Dili to Christchurch,...
A: The other choice rather than Air North through Darwin is Singapore airlines who do a regular flight Dili/Singapore. I haven't looked up their current timetable however...
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