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| The open air church at Cristo Rei |
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Detail of construction of the
copper Cristo Rei statue |
After a broken night's sleep from struggling with the air conditioner (too hot, too cold, too hot, etc), we headed out by taxi to Cristo Rei and commenced the walk past the Stations of the Cross up to the top of the hill with the 27 metre statue of Christ, donated by the Indonesians to the Timorese.
Everything was under construction, the car park, the steps and the infrastructure around what will be a major tourist attraction and local place to worship when it’s finished. At the base of the statue, Frances had a swim in the shallow lagoon. Some time later, we eventually realised the taxi driver wouldn't be back by the time we agreed for him to return - a miscommunication.
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| View west pastAriea Branca towards Dili |
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New construction around the shores
of the bay at Ariea Branca |
To kill time, we walked around the bays to the Caz Bar for a late breakfast and another swim. Here again more beaches and infrastructure is being built to make the best of the beaches - It will be completely different in 5-10 years time. Eventually we convinced the bar owner to call our taxi's mobile, he soon arrived and we head back to Hotel Tourismo.
Did I mention that it takes an inordinately loooonnnng time to get food here - we waited almost 30 mins for a pancake, toasted sandwich and fruit salad at the Caz Bar and there were 4 staff and no other customers. At the Hotel Tourismo we waited nearly an hour for lunch. Apparently this was the norm. Some advice, don’t wait till you’re hungry to go to eat here!
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| Santa Cruz cemetery |
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| Detail in Santa Cruz cemetery |
We spent the afternoon taking in some of the sights of Dili - Santa Cruz cemetery (scene of the 1991 massacre), tais market (tais is a local cloth woven by women) and end up at Eco Tours to book a tour for the next three days.
We originally thought that we would travel independently (and this was possible to a degree) but having a driver guide in a 4WD meant that we could visit places that would have been impossible just by public transport. Eco Tours are run by Maria and Manny, two Timorese who fled at the time of the Indonesian invasion and lived in Melbourne during occupation. They have returned as business people to promote tourism in their country.
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| Sanan Rai Foun restaurant |
Dinner on this night was at a Portuguese restaurant nearby, the Sanan Rai Foun. Frances had steak on a hot rock which was delicious and I had prawns in a too rich creamy sauce - the flavour was good though,
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Book store with security protection, a
carry over from the internal conflicts
of the recent past. Note sign promoting
cooperation between UN & local forces |
Did I mention that Timor Leste has not been effected by tourism to any great degree, but has been effected by the presence of various UN and NGOs in the years since independence? These organisations have fostered a small but probably economically important industry to service their needs - stores, bars, taxis restaurants, etc.
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Typical house in Dili and Timor Leste.
Note the satellite dish. |
There is definitely a 2-tier social structure, with the visiting foreigners and people like Portuguese well-to-do at the upper economic strata.
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| Typical street scene in suburban Dili |
There isn't a culture of fleecing tourists yet, but that may come. It's really fantastic to see a society on the ground floor of moving towards becoming an independent economy. Australia should be at the forefront of providing support to these very independent and proud people who are close neighbours.
