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| Dili airport |
We had an early leave from the Mantra hotel in Darwin (4:15 wakeup) to catch the flight to Timor Leste (East Timor) hoping that the hire car would start. Fortunately it did, and we managed to drive to the airport without getting lost. The booking and boarding proceeded without incident, much to our relief. We only buy a very small bottle of gin to use for those infrequent pre-dinner drinks that we always plan to have, but rarely do.
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| Flying over Timor Leste |
The flight to Dili, capital of Timor Leste was short and uneventful, except for the woefully weak coffee. The flight into Dili was spectacular, flying over high mountains, deep valleys and what seemed to be dry rivers –this was confirmed on landing.
The airport is not big, with only two walkways, arrivals and departures, suitably concise. Bus stations in China are bigger than this.
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View from Dili airport showing the
dry hillsides |
At the airport, we were greeted by the pungent odour of burning rubbish. Did I mention that it's hot and dusty (being the very dry season) and for the first half of the day the air is filled with smoke and the acrid smell of household rubbish being burnt off.
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| Front of the 70s Hotel Tourismo |
Immigration was brief, so it was off in a taxi to Hotel Tourismo which we’d booked in advance. Casualness reigns, so the booking and selection of rooms was very relaxed. We check our "seaview room", and although large and with a courtyard, it was right on the main road, we discovered in a very practical way that the toilet didn't flush.
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Hotel Tourismo with the bay in the
background |
We moved to another, smaller, more expensive room, but quieter, and with a courtyard view. The "seaview room" was lovely but we saw it again during the morning 'traffic rush' so we opted for the comfort of quieter quarters. The bathroom looked like someone had a most unfortunate accident until I realised the wall tiles have brown streaks running from ceiling to floor and brown tiled floor - a design concept that has fortunately lost favour since this bathroom was built in the 1970s.
Did I mention that we’re staying at the Hotel Tourismo, the same hotel as the Australian journalists stayed in 1975 and who were later killed during the Indonesian invasion as depicted in the film,
Balibo? It still looks like the 1970s.
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| Restaurant in Hotel Tourismo |
After settling in and having a short rest we headed down to the hotel restaurant for lunch - Frances was hungry we ordered quickly (satay chicken and grilled fish). Just over an hour later the food arrives - you have to adjust to a slightly different level of expectation here - not that the staff are slack, it's just that there doesn't appear to be any real urgency in doing things. After lunch it was time for a siesta - the early morning wake-up noises were taking its toll.
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The massive Cristo Rei statue on the
hilltop viewed from Ariea Branca |
Around 3pm we headed out again and caught a taxi to see the huge statue of Christ (Cristo Rei) on the nearby headland. About 1km from the statue the taxi stopped and the driver explained that we walk the rest of the way!
After about 30 minutes walking, stinking hot, in blazing sun, we decide we had seen enough and asked him to take us back to Ariea Branca (White Beach) and the local café called the Caz Bar so we can have swim.
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| Ariea Branca viewed from across bay |
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Locals enjoying the afternoon at
Ariea Branca |
By now Frances was really desperate to get into the water and so we dumped our stuff under the trees and headed for the water. It was surprisingly cool (for me), but Frances was in and under the water immediately. The water was refreshing and, although not perfectly clear, has enough visibility to see submerged corals. A group of local school children arrived and spend what seems like the entire rest of the afternoon playing in the water.
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| Drinks at the Caz Bar |
We ordered and consumed some fruit drinks from the Caz Bar and took in the late afternoon, tropical island ambiance. When it was time to go, we crossed from the beach and over the coast road to the bar to pay for our drinks where we overheard two women talking about local eateries. Frances approached them and we found that one was Caz (real name), the bar owner. They were surprised that we are actually tourists who've decided to visit and not part of the usual UN contingent. The UN peacekeepers are highly visible driving around town in their shiny white 4WDs, as opposed to the beaten and aging taxis, and they regularly turn up for evening drinks at the bar.
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| A typical Microlet, filled to overflowing |
We decided to leave and catch a taxi back to Dili (approx 5 km away) - me maintaining that the likelihood of catching a taxi now would be pretty remote as the traffic to this area was sparse, and Frances fully expecting a taxi to arrive at any minute. Nonetheless we start walking back to town. We even saw a local bus (not the usual mikrolet which is a small van filled with seats) heading out of town.
A short while later, the van returns and the driver and offsider offer us a lift (maybe in pity!). Anyway they take us back to Hotel Tourismo and when offered money for the trip, they refused! An example of the generosity and friendliness of the Timor Leste people that I find surprising after the turmoil of the last 500 years. The culture is a strange mix of Portuguese and Indonesian influences that have pushed the indigenous culture into the background.
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Typical taxi, filled with religious icons
- Note the condition of some derelict
buildings in the background |
Did I mention that (apart from a few kamikaze scooter riders) everyone drives pretty slowly, under 50kph, and taxi drivers change gears as soon as the revs reach 500rpm meaning that the cars are always pulling at the lowest possible revs? I think this was an attempt at fuel economy, which may be effective, but I’m not sure of the long-term effect on the motors.
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| Diya restaurant at the Discovery Inn |
We had a little G&T before heading out into the night to find the Diya restaurant at the Discovery Inn. This restaurant is one of Dili's upmarket ones, but the prices were reasonable. The setting and service was 'by the book' and very pleasant. We select a Monsaraz Portuguese red wine which, although taking a while to arrive, was very pleasant and quite different to the Australian wines we are used to.
The menu was interesting, with some fairly standard Indian menu items, and some quite distinctive meals which we select - Frances, roasted peppers with seafood which arrives with a creamy sauce - very good but needs some carbs. I selected 2 entrees - the first was grilled prawns with green papaya salad and delicious balsamic vinegarette, the second was prawn and lima beans wraps with a spicy tomato sauce - yum. Apologies for the poor quality of the photos.
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Seafood with roasted peppers in a
creamy sauce |
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Grilled prawns with green papaya
salad |
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Prawn and lima beans wraps
with a spicy tomato sauce |
I ask to talk to the chef (the restaurant was almost empty) who came out after a while. He was an incredibly polite Pakistani (hence the 'Indian' menu) and we chatted about his innovative menu - a really nice fusion of local and European influences. We were incredibly impressed by his pride in his cuisine, and especially in his own fantastic culinary creations.
