The road less travelled…more like the road not travelled at all! So, we had made the decision to come to Timor Leste in the full knowledge that this was certainly an off the beaten track destination. South East Asia’s newest country and still one of the youngest in the world having only gained official independence in 2002. We came knowing that this was not going to be the easy and efficient travel we had become so accustomed to in eastern Asia and nor was it going to be the almost down-trodden path of the banana pancake trail throughout the rest of South East Asia, however, I don’t think either of us were prepared for quite how unprepared Timor Leste felt for visitors who were not members of the peace corps, or international aid agencies! The first thing worth noting is that the Timorese people are some of the smiliest and friendliest we have encountered anywhere in the world. Walking down the street you are frequently met with waves of stern and serious looking faces that almost instantly break into beaming grins as soon as eye contact is made. This warmth unfortunately lulls you into a bit of a false sense of security however, when you ask for assistance with pretty much any basic requirement of a visitor to an area and the response is almost always blank and helpless shrug! Upon arriving in Dili and having done all of the research it was physically possible to do (given the almost total absence of information regarding Timorese travel) we set about making our plans for our two week stay on the ground as we figured this would be easier and likely more efficient…how wrong we were! What actually transpired was us spending the better part of 5hrs walking 14km all around Dili trying to find information about…well anything really! We wanted to know where we could buy ferry tickets to go to Atauro, how we could get to Cristo Rei, if it was possible to get a bus to Mt Ramelau and if so where the bus station was…or in fact if there was a bus station at all. We had read that there were bars and dive shops all along Avenida de Portugal where one could find other travellers and all the information one needed about exploring the country. Turns out, not so much. What was actually there was one dive shop with an adjoining bar that was empty and the Hotel Esplanada, which housed the Timor Adventures tour office which was unmanned and shut. There were a few other travellers in there but it certainly didn’t feel like the information sharing hub we were hoping for. Upon returning to our guesthouse, tired, sweaty and with more questions than we had initially left with we were delighted and elated to discover that our hostel owner was in fact a pretty good source of information about what to do in Timor and how to do it. In order to save you time and stress we have decided to provide a little list of the things that we learnt in Dili in terms of the kind of information tourists might need when landing in this lovely but very alien land. Arriving at the ‘airport’:
Accommodation: There aren’t a huge amount of options available in Dili and even fewer on the budget side of things. We stayed at Casa Minha which is an incredibly basic but very functional backpacker place conveniently located about 10mins walk away from the port, right between the city and the seafront (just next to the New Zealand embassy). The family who run it are absolutely lovely, the owner speaks very good (nearly perfect English) and like I said can provide you with very comprehensive information about travel around Dili and Timor Leste in general. We paid $20USD for a double room with aircon and shared bathroom and shower. Like I said, this is the epitome of basic but considering the prices of other places in Dili it’s very good value and in a good location. Tickets to Artauro: Things regarding travel to this nearby island appear to be changing at a rate of knots, but this is where things stand now (May 2018). The public ferry goes twice a week from Dili port. One company goes on a Saturday morning (Nakroma) and another goes on a Thursday morning (Laju Laju), both leaving at 8am. The Saturday ferry costs $4pp and the Thursday ferry costs $5pp. There is also a ferry run by a company called Dragon Star that goes everyday except Wednesday, is slightly faster and costs $13pp (see picture for timetable and details). Gone are the days of only being able to travel between Dili and Artauro once a week or having to catch the hotel transfers at a cost of $35-45pp.Buying ferry tickets: From what we gathered it is only possible to buy your tickets for the public ferries the day before (and possibly on the day as well – although I’m not sure I’d risk this). The process of doing this is a bit unorthodox, but it works. You go to the port (we went at around 8.30am on Friday for the Saturday ferry) and wait by the gate with locals and potentially some other travellers – we met three foreign students, all of whom were on internships. At the gate the process is to wait until an official from behind the gate acknowledges you, when they do you are to hand over some form of ID (driver’s licence, proof of age card…I’d avoid giving them your passport, although they did all seem incredibly trustworthy) and the cost of the fare. Our experience showed us that exact money meant the whole process happens a lot faster. The official will then take the ID and money away and will return within about 5-10mins with your ticket with your name on it and any change you are due. Every ticket needs it’s own accompanying ID so you can’t just go and buy 10 tickets for a group of you without these. We had heard that foreigners are allowed to enter the port around the back and buy tickets in a more conventional way, although it was unclear to us how this would have been possible and also didn’t exactly seem fair when this is the process that locals have to go through. Like I said, it is pretty unconventional but it is definitely legitimate and it works. Getting to Cristo Rei: From central Dili this is surprisingly easy. The microlet number 12 goes all the way there and it’s actually the end of the line so there’s no need to figure out where to get off. The 12 can be picked up along the main road that runs along the waterfront and you simply flag it down to stop it. For ease of landmark definition we noticed that the route goes past Burger King on the corner of Rua de Be-mori and Rua 30 de Augusto (see picture), this is next door to Cheers Bar which you will see marked out on almost every Dili map you can pick up around the city. Because the 12 just does a continuous loop from the city to Cristo Rei this would be a good location to pick up and drop off from if you’re heading to Cristo Rei. The journey takes about 20mins and costs 0.25c (as do all microlet journeys anywhere in Dili). Getting around Dili: If you have an interest in visiting some of the towns/cities around Dili like Dare, Liquica and Emera these are all very well connected by micros and buses. Lots of buses (e.g. for Liquica or Emera) leave from the Tasi Tolu bus terminal, which is at the end of the number 10 micro line (about 20-25mins outside of Dili centre). Micros anywhere in Dili cost 0.25c per journey and the mid distance buses cost from 0.50c to $2. It seemed a bit daunting taking transport out of Dili to more remote areas at transport seemed so sporadic and disorganised, but everywhere we ventured there was always an option for getting back…even if it looked like it might just be jumping in the back of a truck. The locals are so friendly they would always find a way to help get you where you needed to be! Food: There are an abundance of supermarkets in Dili and a reasonable amount of nice looking tourist orientated restaurants. Most of these restaurants can be found along the Avenida de Portugal and dotted around the centre. These all looked like they had a good variety of food and the average cost of a dish in these places was $7-10. We were very lucky to find a little local place called Restaurante Tavirense on Rua 30 de Augusto (about 5mins walk from aforementioned Burger King, going towards the centre). This place opens at 9am until the evening and serves food canteen-style where you are given a portion of rice and then choose from a range of meat, fish and vegetable additions. We ate here multiple times and the cost of our plates ranged from $2-3.25pp. Money: There are tonnes of ATM’s all around Dili although a lot of them do not accept foreign cards. If you have a Visa card then you need to look out for any machines with the logo ‘Loos 24’. These ATMs accept foreign cards and do not charge a fee. If you do not have a Visa card then your only other option to get money out of an ATM will be the ANZ machines, which unfortunately charge a crippling $7USD fee!! If you arrive with cash, either AUD, IDR…and potentially other currencies too, there are plenty of legitimate money changers on the street corner of Rua du Palacio du Governo (see picture bellow). LGBT: Timor is a developing nation only 16 year in to developing it's identity as an idependent country. As a conservative Catholic(ish) nation it's LGBT rights are a little lacking but on the ground we found people warm and welcoming with very little judgement. Considering their recent history of being invaded by Indonesia which is considerably more conservative they are doing well. Homosexuality is legal and in 2015 they held their first pride march with and among the participants of the pride march were LGBT citizens, nuns, religious ministers, indigenous leaders, students, and government officials. For a little nation still finding their way they are the leaders of Human Rights protections in Southeast Asia including LGBT rights. Budget Time $$$So here's what it really cost:
$1,089.07 AUD for 13 days Accomodation: $679.42 Food: $141.55 Transport: $86.59 Miscellaneous: $79.93 Entertainment; $39.97 Drinks: $36.30 Souvenirs: $25.31 This means an average daily budget of $41.88 AUD per person, per day.
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