After lunch it was time to head off east along the winding coastline towards Com via a stop to view Ossalata Beach near Baccau. The landscape and towns were so interesting that we had to convince Alfonso to stop for photos at a number of interesting places along the way - not really part of the tour as it would take longer and effect the timetable, but he was really helpful.
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| Lady peeling tamarind pods |
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| The tamarind fruit |
For example we saw a lady selling fresh
tamarind by the side of the road, under the shade of a tree. It was incredibly hot, but she was sitting there in the shade, patiently peeling the skin off the sweet-sour sticky fruit.
We bought some to try - not recommended eating alone we realised. It's one of those foods best used as a flavoring and in fact is a key ingredient of Worcestershire and HP sauces.
We passed through Manelo and saw 2 crocodiles in the river under the bridge (as you do) just before we entered Manauto which was a larger town and quite an interesting introduction into Timor Leste farm life and culture. Manauto is dominated by a large, well-maintained church, but even more interesting was an outdoor chapel with the altar enclosed in a structure made from coral.
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| The church in Manauto |
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| Detail of the Portuguese design |
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| The coral chapel on the shore |
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| Typical house in the east of Timor Leste |
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| Firewood for sale |
The land here was reminiscent of eastern Bali, very dry and quite barren. Families in this region have a much more difficult life because of the difficulty in growing food.
There are pockets of good soil along river courses and in sheltered valleys that retain some water, but these are the exceptions.
The houses are generally low wooden structures with thatched roofs which must be incredibly difficult for large families to live in. Often, along the side of the road are bundles of sticks bound together to be used for firewood in their combustion stoves - generally also enclosed within the same single structure.
In the mid-afternoon, Afonso stopped to make made us an espresso coffee on a portable gas stove. We were stopped by the side of Laga, a salt lake which is used by locals for salt gathering. After collecting and drying, the large salt crystals are bound in tubular containers woven from local plants.
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| Laga salt lake |
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| Alfonso making expresso coffees |
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| Selling salt by the roadside |
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| Tree ants tending their nest |
The atmosphere was quite eerie with very few bird sounds for such a large expanse of water. We also saw green tree ants that weave nesting structures by binding the leaves of the lakeside mangrove trees.
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| Traditional Lospalos house |
Then it was off again along the coast through Laivai and Lautem and arrived at the outskirts of Com where there was a model Lospalos style house.
This style of house is quite different to the low profile ones we saw on the way. Instead of being built on the ground, these traditional houses are built on a raised platform for protection (from crocodiles and raiders) and also to store food out of the reach of foraging animals.
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| Collecting firewood |
Lospalos is often incorrectly called Los Palos, suggesting that its name is of Spanish origin. In fact, it is derived from Lohoasupala, its name in Fataluku, the local Papuan language.
We also saw some local kids collecting firewood, either for sale or use at home.
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| The Com Beach Resort made with coral |
Com is only a small town, its main claim to fame being the most easterly end of the sealed road. From here the roads ate unsealed and suitable for 4WD vehicles only.
We stayed in the only available accommodation, the Com Beach Resort. The most notable aspect of the resort is that the guest rooms are built from coral rock. The food however was completely unremarkable.
