21. June 2007: Mt. Ramelau
It's Saturday morning in Dili. Many cars and trucks head out of town to the villages in the countryside. I get a seat on the back of a mini truck to Ainaro where I get a free guided tour through town by five police women. Except for the bustling Saturday market there's not much to see. I take the next truck to Maubisse, 70 km (45 miles) South of Dili. I spend one night here, linger around the Sunday market and get another truck to the turn off to Hatobuilico where I want to climb Mr. Ramelau (2.963 m). I wait but no other car turn up and I have to walk the odd 20 km (12 miles) to Hatobuilico. I spend three days waiting for good conditions to climb the mountain, the highest in East Timor but I never get a chance. Too much rain and fog makes it difficult to get to the top. Now I am back in Dili, getting prepared to leave East Timor tomorrow.
Obrigado barak to all my East Timorese and Malai friends for their help and their patience with my poor Tetum language skills during the last three weeks. All the best.
13. June 2007: Com – Los Palos – Tutuala (Jaco Island)
I hear much about the relaxed beach and fishing village of Com. Everybody seems to like it as a getaway from work. But what’s there to do for tourists? I spend a day walking along the beaches and the peer, watch men playing football, read. I also meet 5 (missionary) women who give me a ride out of town to Los Palos the next morning. There we visit an old German lady who lives in East Timor since 1989 running a small hospital for the local community. She must be 80 yrs. old but more agile than any of the 20 yrs. old village girls. She’s very hospitable, invites for coffee, real chocolate cake (yeaaah) and even for dinner. I also meet Wane again, an Aussie who I briefly met in Dili before. We decide to go on an odyssey to Tutuala the next day. The ladies give us a ride again to the turn off from the main road to the most Eastern part of East Timor: Tutuala and Jaco Island. It’s 33 km (20 miles) far away but the locals tell us that there will be a transport soon. We wait, no car turns up. We start walking. It’s a strenuous marsh, we try to convince locals on the way to drive us for money – no luck. We walk in the heat of the day and after 20 km (12 miles) we get picked up by a truck. Riding on the back of a truck we learn that Tutuala is not the place where we want to go but Tutuala Tasi (Beach) which is another 8 km (5 miles) to walk.
With the last daylight we reach the beach retreat, simple but nice bamboo huts, no electricity, no water, no food – but at least we are there. After some time we find some dried fish and veggies behind the counter which fills us for the night. Next morning a local fisherman takes us over to Caribbean like Jaco Island with green-blue water, picture book white sandy beaches all over and uninhabited. Only the arrival of local hunters disturbs this paradise island. They are hunting monkeys and deer. Next day we take off, walk for hours again until we get picked up by a truck and head back to Los Palos.
Now I am back in Dili, decided to go up the mountains to climb Mt. Ramelau, East Timor’s highest peak (2963 m.) After that: Indonesia.
Photos: Click here to check out my photos (East Timor, East)
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