Jul 30

Nusa Penida (Hottest New Spot off of Bali)

The 2016 edition of Indonesia Lonely Planet says of Nusa Penida: “Largely overlooked by tourists, Nusa Penida awaits discovery.  It’s an untrammeled place that answers the question: what would Bali be like if tourists never came?”.  Well, that was the wording in the previous editions and it makes me seriously wonder if LP skipped visiting Nusa Penida for this edition.  As of 2017, Nusa Penida is clearly on the tourist map.  I met another traveler on Bali who had been in NP about 5 years ago and said she saw a couple tourists and there were only a couple guesthouses.  There now appears to be at least 100 guesthouses open, many more being built, and tourism is flourishing.  I traveled in the week of the end of Ramadan (read about my chance to ride in the drummers’ truck in the Ramadan parade below!!) and the Eid holiday and due to the additional Indonesian travelers, guesthouses were at full capacity.

What to see – Southeast Island

Atuh Beach

Atuh Beach
Cliff view on the walk down to Atuh beach
Frolicking dolphins
Atuh Beach
Inside the sea cave at Atuh beach

For me, the highlight of a visit to Atuh Beach was the views from the cliffs above Atuh Beach.  Note only are there dramatic rock formations, on my visit there was a pod of 25 dolphins frolicking in the clear water below.  After soaking in the view, there is a steep walk down some newly installed cement steps to the beach.  If it’s lunch time, have some great fried noodles (Mi Goreng) for 15,000 IDR ($1.20) from the shop half way down the hill and sit in the breezy pavilion for nice views.  The beach isn’t great for swimming.  It’s quite shallow and rocky.  But it’s nice to sit on the sandy beach and have a drink from one of the beachfront restaurants.  When the tide is low, like it was on my visit, you can explore the tide pools and sea caves.

Seaweed Farming

Seaweed Farming

There are wooden stakes in the shallow parts of the ocean along the northern and eastern coastline that are used to cultivate seaweed.  The harvested seaweed is then dried – often on sheets on the side of the road – and then shipped for use.

Giri Putri Cave

Giri Putri Cave

First you don a sarong (rent one for 5,000 IDR, 40 cents) and then walk up the steep steps to make a donation (20,000) and they’ll point out a small hole.  I crawled on my knees and when able to stand just had to say “wow”.  There’s an incredibly large cave and many, many Hindu worshippers inside.  The cave is very hot and humid – almost a mild sauna.  You exit out the back side and need to walk around the north side of the cave to return to the car park.

What to see – West Island

Snorkeling Safari

For 300,000 IDR ($23) you can take the “snorkeling safari” from Crystal Beach that takes you on a local fishing boat to three distinct snorkeling spots.  The first one is Manta Point, a manta cleaning station in a wavy bay of Nusa Penida’s west coast.  Seeing mantas is pretty hit or miss here.  We saw the wings of one, but by the time everyone jumped in the water, it was gone. The second spot is an extremely colorful reef in a protected bay, but with high currents.  The last spot was the coolest for me as I haven’t snorkeled with sunken statues before.  The Buddhist Temple is a sunken Buddha statue and sunken stupas.  The fish like to swim around here too.  This area is closer to the neighboring island of Nusa Ceningan.

Crystal Beach

Crystal Beach

This is one of the few practical swimming beaches in Nusa Penida and there is great snorkeling near the shore, although the currents can be very strong.

Kelingking Beach

Kelingking Beach

This might be one of the most scenic places I’ve ever visited.  The peninsula is famously shaped like a dinosaur and the sand on the beach below looks absolutely amazing.  There is a VERY steep track that goes down to the beach, but we saw very few people attempting it.  Many improvements are being made here – new fences have been built in the viewing area and railings have been added to the steep trail.  Several restaurants are available at the top and more are being built.

 Broken Beach

Broken Beach
Broken Beach

Nusa Penida’s favorite selfie spot.  Not only were there 5 drones flying, but someone was getting their wedding photos done here.  But, it is a beautiful spot… a natural arch with a bay inside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Angel’s Billabong

Angel’s Billabong
Angel’s Billabong

This is a natural infinity pool among limestone karst formations.  There are warning signs to beware the high tide and waves.

Sunsets

Nusa Penida

There are good spots for sunset on both the north and west coasts, although the sunsets weren’t fantastic during my time on the island.  This was my favorite sunset shot, taken on the northern coast.

Make a Side trip to One of the Other Nusa Islands

I didn’t get a chance to check it out, but here is Tray Tables Away‘s account of spending a couple days on Nusa Lembongan.

Logistics of Getting Around Nusa Penida

Nusa Penida is a very large island.  Walking is not an option due to size, elevation gain, and heat.  There are several ways to get around Nusa Penida:

  • Self-drive motor bike – bikes can be rented for 80,000 IDR ($6) although there was high demand at the time I visited so some people paid as much as 100,000.  If you’re going to NP for a longer period of time, it may be worth renting a motor bike in Bali for a lower price and taking it over on the ferry.  Do NOT underestimate the roads of Nusa Penida.  Some roads are OK, but many of the roads are very narrow, busy with tourists, full of potholes and gravel parts, and steep.  We saw several motor bikes deserted on roads going to the major attractions, including one that had fallen on its side and was all scratched up.
  • Motor bike with driver – someone will drive you around for 200,000 IDR ($15) per day.
  • Private car/SUV with driver – you can get trip for 600,000 IDR ($45) per day.  This includes car, driver, and parking fees.  This can be cost effective if you have 3 or more people.  There are 3 itinerary choices for this charge – the southeast area, the west area, and the southwest area.  I did two of these trips – southeast and west.  More on these below.
  • Bus tour – there are now some small open air buses that are visiting the main sites on the west coast.  I don’t know the price of these tours.
  • Taxi for shorter distances – I did not take a taxi but heard they are quite expensive.
  • Hitchhiking/Trucks – if you are just traveling on the main northern road, you may be able to flag down a truck and get a ride to the next town.  It’s polite to offer a small amount of money (10,000 could be sufficient).  The one time I needed a ride along this road just happened to coincide with the local end of Ramadan parade.  I hitched a ride in one of the trucks and got to ride with the drummers as I waved to unsuspecting tourists and local Hindus watching the parade!  There were a lot of surprised looks.

Where I stayed:

Nusa Garden Bungalows.  They have private bungalows available as well as dorm beds for 75,000-100,000 ($7).  It had many good qualities…The location was good, walking distance from the public ferry dock. They would book tours for you for what I think is a reasonable price.  It was clean.  But there were a couple downsides – foreign owned, breakfast wasn’t included and was a bit expensive for what you got, they had some pets like a caged chicken and a poor chained up monkey.  One afternoon I got back from touring and found the gate locked only to find out the family was having the monkey and chicken fight each other so if you don’t like seeing a monkey chained up, this place isn’t for you.

Where to Eat:

There were a couple of great restaurants on the main northern road just east of the alleyway to Nusa Garden Bungalow.  At one local’s restaurant (warung), I had Burbur Ayam – a rice porridge in chicken broth with bits of chicken and vegetable.  This was such a yummy meal, especially as I was coming down with a cold that day.  And it only cost 10,000 IDR (75 cents).  There was another one where I ran into some tourists that had been on my ferry crossing so I joined them to have a surprisingly good “lava burger” with mozzarella cheese and mustard.

How to get to Nusa Penida: 

There are speedboat ferries that go from Sanur and a city south of Padangbai, but I didn’t take this option as I heard there have been safety issues and this option was a little more expensive.  I took the public ferry from Padangbai.  Cost was 31,000 ($2) to go to NP and 28,000 to return to Padangbai.  The normal daily schedule is 8:30 am boarding in Nusa Penida, 9:00 depart.  10:30 Arrive in Padangbai.  11:00 return to Nusa Penida.  However, the Padangbai port has two landing spots and the much larger ferries from Bali to Lombok take precedence.  Therefore, the NP ferry may sit outside the bay waiting for a docking space for up to two hours.  This delays arrival and departure back to NP.  Update: in July, 2017 I saw info on the internet that indicated Padangbai is now charging an additional 50,000 ($4)  port tax.  I was there a couple weeks earlier and did not pay this tax.

Alternatively, if you have less time, consider a Day Tour to Nusa Penida.

Even though I missed the boat to see “an untrammeled place”, it was easy to see why this place has become so popular in such a short period of time.

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Jul 20

Total Eclipse 2017 (Eclipse Tips – Not too Late to See It)

Millions of Americans and visitors are planning on watching the Great Eclipse this August 21, 2017 and it’s not too late to plan a trip. Although hotels have been sold out for years, it’s still possible to camp in prime viewing spots throughout the US.  I put together this guide of Eclipse Tips to plan your trip in less than a month.

Eclipse Tips:

Find Your Viewing Spot

Finding a great place to see the eclipse will take research and a bit of luck:

  • There are many maps, including great interactive maps that will tell you exactly how long the eclipse will last, including partial and totality.  Google “2017 Eclipse Map”
  • The eclipse viewing wildcard: Clouds.  You can check historical weather, but it does come down to luck.  The Oregon coast may not be the best place for viewing given the regular fog cover in the mornings – when the eclipse will cross that area.
  • Consider traffic – are the roads leading in and out one lane, interstate highways, etc?  How close are they to populous cities?  Since much there are huge populations from Portland up to Seattle, I’m guessing I-5 will be a nightmare after the eclipse.  If you live north of the path, it may be wiser to view on the northern side of the path, as opposed to a site on the southern side, and vice versa.
  • If camping, consider the amenities available.  Consider price, comfort, and amenities.  I spent a lot of time researching and have seen tent camping for as much as $750 for two people so look for deals.  There are still several Oregon cities such as Fossil, Spray, John Day, and Long Creek that are offering camping where the proceeds go towards the school, city, etc.  Prices range from $150-300 for tent camping, more for RV.

Based on the above criteria, I have chosen to watch the eclipse in Spray, Oregon for the following reasons:

  • The partial eclipse starts at 9:08 and total eclipse is at 10:21, lasting for 1 minute and 50 seconds.  This is only a few seconds less than the longest possible total eclipse.
  • East of the Cascade Mountains in Oregon is usually cloud-free, especially in the summer.
  • Although the roads in this area are only 2-lane, there aren’t huge cities north of this area.  There are several county and state roads that can be taken north and we will avoid I-5.
  • We found a great private campsite on the John Day river in the town.  We reserved a spot for 16 people for $500 with room for 2 RVs and 4 cars next to the river – prime for swimming and tubing.  The campsite confirmed they will have 17 porta-potties, and taps for drinking and washing. If you’re interested in joining our group, we have a few spots if you pitch in for your share of the camping fee.  Find my e-mail address on the “Contact Me” tab.

Get Your Glasses

NASA SWAG!

Stay safe and don’t look at the sun until the eclipse is at totality.  I was lucky to pick up a couple pairs on my blogger swag bag during my tour of NASA’s Marshall space center in May.  But viewing glasses are really cheap and you should buy from one of NASA’s recommended companies.  Note that some glasses sold by Amazon are deemed as counterfeits.

Prepare your vehicle for the Trip

One of the most important things to consider is traffic could be crazy and many of the viewing locations are in remote areas with few services.  Make sure you fill your vehicles with gas every chance you get.

Secondly, take extra water and protection from the sun in case something bad happens.

Camping? – Pack the Essentials

  • Bring lots of water.  I plan on filling and freezing several empty 2-liter bottles as ice for my cooler.  I’ve found these can last a couple days and you can drink the ice cold water as it melts.
  • Bring plenty of food.  Mini marts and restaurants in the more remote areas may sell out of items or have lines around the block.  If you’re planning to cook, bring all the gear you need.
  • Bring sun protection – in addition to sunscreen, it’s worth bringing a large golf umbrella as many of the campsites in the west lack ample shade.
  • Have a light – make sure you have batteries for your flashlight for that 2am port-a-potty run.
  • Bring something to pass the time.  Cards, board games, sports gear.  We’re staying by the river so a raft or floats might be fun.
  • Stay comfortable.  A good mattress and pillow can make a lot of difference.  I invested in a cot tent a couple years ago and it’s great to be a little bit above the ground and have my own space.

Plan Your Party

Now that you have the essentials, it’s time to plan your party.  Consider sky, sun, and moon themed music, food, and drink.

Music – Here Comes the Sun, Islands in the Sun, Moonraker, Superstar, Blue Moon, and of course Total Eclipse of the Heart

Food – Moon pies, star fruit

Drink – Sun tea, Sunny D, Tequilla Sunrise (or make a sunrise out of another liquor) or try one of my Total Eclipse drinks:

  • Total Eclipse Shandy:  top a glass of lemonade with some Blue Moon beer.
  • Moon over Sun Shandy: top a glass of lemonade with some Blue Moon beer.
  • You Can’t Spell Total Eclipse without Lisa Cocktail / Total Eclipse Cocktail:  In a glass, put a small can of Dole Pineapple Juice, add a shot of rum, sprinkle some coconut shavings on top, and then swirl some Hershey’s chocolate syrup on top.  Will look like this:

Jul 08

Padangbai (Bali’s Secret Hidden in Plain Sight)

Everyday, 1000’s of Indonesians and tourists pour through the streets of the small coastal town of Padangbai.  Many take the local’s ferry to Nusa Penida or Lombok.  But even more go from shuttle bus to speedboat ferry to one of the three “Gili” Islands, or vice versa.  Less than 10% of the tourists choose to stop in this little town that is “hidden in plain sight”. Padangbai certainly isn’t on most tourists’ typical list of things to do in Bali.

A lot of tourists don’t have a good impression of Padangbai.  It’s hot.  There’s a bunch of guys approaching you saying “Transport” and “Taxi”.  There are ladies selling overpriced cans of Pringles and Coke to tourists shuffling from Shuttle to Boats in the center of town.  But if you get out of the center during the day and return to town after the boats have departed for the day, you will be rewarded with a quiet place to stay with nice beaches, excellent snorkeling, rest and relaxation, interesting temples with no tourists, and great meals.  This draw led me to spend 8 nights (2 before and 6 after my trip to the incredible Nusa Penida island).

Blue Lagoon Beach

Blue Lagoon Beach

This is a great beach to visit in the morning as the sun shines nicely on this east facing beach.  There is snorkeling here and many dive boats dock just off shore.  It’s a 10 minute walk from town, take a left at the fork at the east end of town and go up the hill.

 White Sand Beach

White Sand Beach

I preferred this beach to Blue Lagoon.  You can rent a lounge chair in the shade and have cheap meals at one of several warungs (restaurants) here.  Look for the natural hot tub/tide pools on the west side of the beach.  Go through the gate on the left that says “300 white sand beach” which means it’s 300 meters.  The first time I visited, I made the mistake of staying on the road which is the motorbike and car route and takes more than 30 minutes to walk.

Temples

Hindu Offerings

There are several temples at the top of the hill if you turn right instead of left on the way to the Blue Lagoon Beach.  They appear to be important sites for the Balinese people as there were pilgrims on buses visiting at all times of the day.  As a tourist, you are a bit limited in your visit, but make sure you go down the hill to the small cave temple on the sea for some great marine views.

Snorkeling at the Coral Garden

Padangbai Boat

For 150,000 IDR, a local fisherman will take you out in one of these beautiful boats for morning snorkeling at the Coral Garden, a bit north of the Blue Lagoon Beach.  There is some dead coral here, but there’s some great live coral and they’ve submerged some cages to grow new coral as well.

Luwak Coffee

Luwak Coffee

All over Bali, you can try the Luwak coffee at a coffee plantation and spice garden.  This is the most expensive coffee in the world.  First, a civet cat (luwak) eats the very best and ripest coffee beans.  They only digest the sweet outside layer so the bean is intact.  It ferments in their digestive system and then gets pooped out.  Locals collect the poop and sell to a Luwak coffee processor.  The beans are cleaned and roasted and then you get the most expensive coffee in the world!  I tried a cup along with a bunch of samples of sweet coffees and teas.

Tirta Gangga

This water temple is less than an hour drive from Padangbai and is a great diversion.  This temple has lots of water features, fountains and statues.  The koi fish are amazing and well feed (purchase your own fish food at one of the shops before entering).  30,000 IDR to enter but make sure you bring an extra 10,000 IDR to swim in two of the pools with natural spring water. 

Bring your snorkeling gear because there’s an incredible amount of fish in one of the pools! Tirta Gangga is one of the best instagram spots on Bali – check out this Bali Instagram Guide.

Get a Massage

While certainly not the cheapest Balinese massages in Bali, there are several massage parlors in Padangbai.  I got a couple massages at the OK Divers Hotel and Spa in a relaxing and clean surrounding.

Gili Cat

Gili Cat Wreck

If the 1000’s of tourists getting on speedboats to the Gili Islands everyday doesn’t dissuade you, maybe seeing the wreckage of the Gili Cat will.  The Gili Cat was known as the safest, most expensive way to go to the Gili Islands until last September, when one or more of the motors exploded.  A couple people died and others had severed limbs.  I’m not sure why they haven’t moved this wreckage from the bay of Padang.  It sits on the beach in town as a grim reminder.

Where I stayed:

Marco Inn.  150,000 IDR per night for private room, own bathroom with cold shower, nice breakfast of eggs, toast, fruit, and Balinese coffee.  Great cats.  Slight view of the bay from balcony, even better from the rooftop seating area.  Locally owned. My daily costs to stay in Padagbai were around $20 a day, plus more if I did an excursion. That’s what I love about travel in Southeast Asia, it’s easy to live like a king or queen without breaking your budget.

Where I ate:

Warung Bu Jero

Warung Bu Jero.  I literally ate here every night.  For 50,000 IDR you got a nice sized grilled fish (you pick the fish), salad, rice, two Balinese sauces, and a fruit plate for dessert.  This became my regular place and all the friends I made in Padangbai made it their favorite too.  It’s also the only place in Padangbai where you can sit by the bay to listen to the water and boats and watch the stars.  And it’s locally owned!

Don’t have a few days to hang out in Padangbai?  Check out this 6-day Bali Itinerary.

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Jul 04

Timor Leste Travel Tips – general tips and thoughts after my 8 day stay

In my post on the top attractions in Timor Leste, including visiting Jaco Island, I called Timor Leste “Frustratingly Fantastic”.  The following post may seem extremely negative on Timor Leste, but I’m so happy I had a chance to visit the country and would definitely consider going back someday.  These are my Timor Leste Travel Tips…

General Tips

  • Do the “Timor Timor” Tour – visit West Timor, take the bus to East Timor, and then visit Timor Leste.  I recommend 2 weeks for such a trip.
  • The official currency is the US dollar.  They accept all denominations from $1 up.  Timor Leste prints it’s own coins of denominations of 5, 10, 25, and 50 cents and 1 dollar.
  • Change can be a problem.  For example, if something costs $6, you may not be able to pay with a $10 bill.
  • Consider bringing extra US dollars.  I brought enough for my whole trip but one woman who only brought $70, enough to get her visa and 2 nights at the hostel, was borrowing money from me when none of the ATMs in the center of the city had money.  If all ATMs are out, the best ATM to use is at the fancy Timor Plaza mall outside of the center.
  • If planning to take public transportation around the country, add a few days of time to your trip to reduce worry.  You may be stuck in a place for a night without transport.

What a good (not packed to the brim) bus ride looks like.

Public Transportation is incredibly cheap but maddening.  The average bus ride is only $1 per 1 hour of riding.  But there are no logistics since there are multiple private companies that all charge the same price.  At Becora station in Dili, there were several buses headed to Baucau.  We got on one that had a few other passengers.  We waited for 2 hours and 15 minutes before the bus had nearly filled up before going.  In Los Palos, I was told the bus for Dili would leave “at 4:00 to 5:00 in the morning”.  Wanting to catch an early bus to have more time in Dili, I got to the bus just after 4 am.  Then we proceeded to drive circles around Los Palos looking for more passengers for the next two hours!  At least I picked the best seat behind the driver with great coastal views and extra legroom and the bus wasn’t completely full.

  • See if your bus will drop you at your destination.  The international bus from Kupang to Dili dropped every local at their destination before dropping us at the station rather than our hostel.  In arriving at the Becora bus station in Dili from Los Palos, all of the locals stayed on but I was told to get off the bus.  I think the drivers just don’t want to deal with foreigners and not being able to speak Tetun but insist if you must.
  • Travel light.  If traveling outside of Dili, consider packing a smaller bag because some buses are jam packed.  The walk to Valu/Jaco Island would be so difficult with a large bag.
  • Beware the main bus stations.  The local guys are trying to get you to get on the bus that they earn a small commission (how big can it be, our ride to Baucau was $4?)  They will even grab your bags and start walking off with them.  I held my bags tightly and gave a light push when they got too close.  I’m bigger than most Timorese men, so that helped.
  • Ask a local rider what the cost of transportation should be.  There were a couple occasions where the driver tried to overcharge us.
  • Pay for transportation at the end of the ride.  We paid for our boat to Jaco Island at the start and they didn’t pick us up on time.  We were lucky there was a group of 4 Australians (the only other tourists that day) on the island and we caught a ride with them.
  • When Sightseeing around Dili, avoid the yellow taxis if you can.  They are old, dirty, and try to overcharge.  They are not helpful with directions.  Funny story:  when the shuttle from West Timor refused to drop us at the hotel, we started walking on non-marked roads.  None of the locals could give us good directions so finally we got in a yellow taxi who claimed he knew where the hostel was and he wanted $10.  We knew it couldn’t be far so offered $2.  We drove about 10 feet when I looked to the left and saw the sign “Dili Central Backpackers” and yelled “STOP!”.
  • Traveling with just English is difficult.  If you don’t speak Tetum (the local’s language), it’s extremely useful to speak Portuguese or even Bahsa Indonesian.
  • Consider alternative accommodation.
  • You may lack sleep in Timor-Leste.  Sleep is interrupted by high winds, rain, buses honking at 4am looking for passengers, and many, many roosters.

Getting To Timor Leste

  • It’s now easiest to fly to Timor Leste.  Perhaps the easiest is Bali to Dili.  The East Timor airport in Dili is small but has a couple (overpriced) shops, Burger King, and wi-fi.
  • Even better, visit West Timor first and take the shuttle by Timor Travel from Kupang to Dili.

Thoughts

  • As the newest Asian country, it’s having growing pains.
  • People are not as friendly and helpful as Indonesians.  But, if you speak fluent Portuguese or Tetum they are much more helpful.    That being said, we met some wonderful, friendly, and helpful Timorese.
  • Some of the younger children are generally shy and scared of Malae (foreigners).  The rumor is that they were told by the mothers that if a Malae takes their photo or touches them they will be kidnapped.  But most of the older kids were really friendly.
  • The people in the east, which also happens to be the wettest and most lush area, are generally taller and healthier than those in other areas.  There is also healthier livestock there.  For the average Timorese citizen, the diet consists of rice and vegetables.  Leaves are one of the major vegetable sources, including leaves of the cassava plant.
  • Water security is scarce.
  • There is so much charitable aid in Timor Leste.  I counted dozens of offices and trucks with government agencies and NGOs around Dili and the rest of the country.  Way more than in West Timor (Indonesia)
  • Most of the Television stations are from Indonesia, so the children speak better Bahsa Indonesian instead of Portuguese, the official language.
  • China is pumping an incredible amount of money into TL’s infrastructure.  They are widening and fixing the drainage on the highway that runs the length of the northern coast.  Local speculation is that they want to build a naval base on Atauro Island.  On most days, you can see Indonesia and Darwin, Australia from parts of Timor.
  • All of the larger shops and many hotels are Chinese or Chinese/Timorese owned.  Consider this when deciding where to spend your tourism dollars.
Portuguese built capital building



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Jun 22

Timor Leste Travel (My Crazy Journey to Jaco Island)

If I had to choose two words for Timor Leste Travel (formerly East Timor), it would be “Frustratingly Fantastic”.  As the newest country in Asia – it just turned 15 years old – it’s building its tourism infrastructure.  There are very few tourists in this beautiful country, so traveling around isn’t so easy.  But the natural beauty of this young country can’t be denied.

In my 6-day trip out of the capital of Dili, my traveling companion and I encountered only 4 other tourists – a group of 4 Australians at Jaco Island who were volunteering in Dili.

Here are some of the sights seen and things experienced during my seven and a half day Timor Leste Travel trip.

Cristo Rei (Christ Statue), Dili

Cristo Rei Dili

This is one of the top Timor Leste Tourist Attractions, but it still isn’t very busy.  There were a few tourists and us when we visited mid-week.  Take the blue microlet (mini-bus) from the beach side park at Lecidere for 25 cents to go to one of the largest Christ Statues in the world at 27 meters.  There are 600 even steps to the top so it’s best to go in the morning or afternoon when it is a little cooler.  I visited in the morning with a couple Australian girls from the hostel but the sun is at his back at this time of the day.  For photos, it may be better to visit in the afternoon.

Cristo Rei beaches and beach bars, Dili

Christo Rei Beach

Both sides of the hill that bears the Christ statue are nice white sand beaches.  We did not snorkel there but it is said to be good on the beach to the east.  There is a stairway to this beach from about half way up the steps to Cristo Rei.  Check with locals if there are crocodile warnings.  You can also walk from the Christ statue to the beach to the west where there are a bunch of bars and restaurants said to be good for sunset.  We each had a fresh fruit juice popcicle at the Oceanside Hotel – mine was paw paw and lime flavored.

 A change in plans

I came to Timor Leste with no set plans and no accommodation reservations other than the backpackers.  Based on my earlier research, it seemed easiest to just visit Dili and Atauro Island, about 40 Km to the north of Dili.  I had researched going to the east of TL to Jaco Island but decided it was too expensive for a East Timor tour ($1000 to $2000+) and logistically impossible to do on my own.  But when a Brazilian/Canadian woman, Cynthia, said she was on her way there and we had use of the guide/interpreter she had been using for a PhD research project, I jumped at the chance.  (Spoiler Alert: her guide got stuck doing business in Dili so we did all of this on our own, with Cynthia’s fluent Portuguese as an extremely useful asset).  I packed 2 smaller bags and we were off on Tuesday afternoon.

Becora Bus Station, Dili

Cynthia and I caught a taxi to Becora bus station, the starting point for buses from Dili to Baucau.  Her larger bag was in the front seat and the rest of bags and us were in the back seat.  The car got mobbed as we approached the station and someone grabbed her large back and started walking away.  I locked my door and grabbed her other 2 bags and told her to chase him.  She got out of the car and started yelling “Ladron, Policia” or “Thief, Police” in Portuguese.  She got her bag back but we had to fight off a bunch of guys to get to a bus.  There were multiple buses to Baucau and we got on one that had a few people.  Unfortunately, there is no logistics planning in Timor Leste so the bus goes when it fills up, so we waited for 2.25 hours to leave as other buses to Baucau filled up faster.  We were covered by dust by the time we arrived in Baucau 4.5 hours later in the complete dark but luckily found a hotel right away.

Portuguese Influence, Baucau

Pousada du Baucau

Baucau is the second largest city in TL and has Portuguese style architecture.  One of the best preserved buildings is the Pousada du Baucau hotel.  We did not stay there, but we checked it out when the power was out in the whole city and the Pousada was the only building with generator lights.  The municipal Mercado is also very nice but closed for repairs.

 Watabo Beach, Baucau

Watabo Beach

This amazing beach is on the coast down the hill from Baucau city.  There is a really cool balancing rock and perfect white sand.  I did see one set of crocodile tracks from a small pond to the ocean and back so not sure if I’d swim here.  There are not many facilities, but you can get an ice cold can of Coca Cola from the bungalows near the beach.  Catch the A3 bus from under the big banyan tree at the roundabout near the Pousada.  The cost is 50 cents but they might ask for more.  On our ride back up the hill, we rode with a restrained goat that was to be a wedding dowry.

 Piscina du Baucau, Baucau

Piscina du Baucau,

This amazing spring-fed pool is in the center of town.  The entry fee is only 50 cents and it’s an incredible pool with diving platform and even a slide.  Some high school boys were visiting Baucau for a special mass at the Catholic Church and one of them went down the slide not realizing how deep the water was.  His friends were laughing at him as Cynthia realized he was drowning and pulled him to safety.

Piscina du Baucau,

Cock Fighting and Casino, Baucau

Timor Leste Cockfighting
Timor Leste Gambling

A few of the local guys invited us to the nightly cockfighting in the center of town, in the alley way near the vegetable market.  We watched a few fights but it wasn’t pleasant.  Knives are attached to the roosters’ feet and the losing rooster gets his legs chopped off and then is killed to be the victor’s dinner.  Apparently, it’s common to bet $100 or more on a fight.  The arena is also the site of an illegal casino where a roulette-like game with 12 numbers is played.  Cynthia and I were the only two females in the place and they let us take pictures (not common but it’s an advantage to be female sometimes).

 Corpus Christi Festivities, Los Palos

Los Palos

It was a simple 4 hour bus ride from Baucau to Los Palos, the largest city in the easternmost territory.  Thursday, June 15 was the Corpus Christi festival so I attended part of the church service and did the hour-long procession around the town.

 Convent and Church, Los Palos

Cynthia took advantage of her fluent Portuguese and her connections so we could stay with the nuns at the Lost Palos convent and school next to the church.  We stayed along with 4 teachers from Portugal, sponsored by the Portuguese government to teach the language here.  The steeple of the church was uniquely shaped like the tops of the traditional stilt houses of this area.

 Lene Hara Cave, Tutuala

Lene Hara Cave

Along the road from Tutuala to Valu Beach/Jaco Island are short trails to caves.  Lene Hara is the most interesting with a huge cavern, small terraced pools inside, and rock art at the entrance.  This rock art is notable because it’s similar to Aboriginal art from northern Australia and it is thought that the distance by sea used to be smaller and there was some human migration.

 Valu Beach, Tutuala

Valu Beach

Jaco Island Timor Accommodation – You can’t stay on Jaco Island because it is sacred, but you can stay on the beach opposite the island.  Valu Beach has white sand and a couple places to stay.  As it faces east, the sunrises are nice.  At nighttime, there is nothing to do but sit on the beach and watch the stars and the fireflies.  Absolute magic.

Jaco Island, Tutuala

Jaco Island arguably has the best beach in all of Timor Leste.  For $10, a fisherman will drive you thru the channel to the island and return later.  There is some spectacular snorkeling just steps off the beach.  Amazing fish, blue starfish, and you may see a turtle if you’re lucky.  Jaco and Valu are part of TL’s only national park.

 Home Stay, Tutuala

The town of the Tutuala is at the top of the hill track to Valu Beach and Jaco.  It’s a windy little city with a fancy Posauda hotel and not much else.  Cynthia and I were walking to the Posauda to stay the night when a friendly looking older man waved at us from the window of a small shop.  With nothing to lose, we went to talk to him and thanks to Cynthia’s Portuguese, we found a basic homestay with dinner.  Antonio, the owner, had been part of the resistance against the Indonesians and had fought in the mountains in the far east of TL.  It was a fascinating night to talk to him.   We asked for a simple dinner – rice, eggs, and vegetables but Antonio said there were no vegetables.  Due to an upcoming funeral, deliveries hadn’t been made.  To our amusement, after dinner Antonio fed his “pet” pig a whole squash!

In the morning we waited, and waited, and waited for a bus back to Los Palos but it never came so Antonio helped us find a ride in a truck that was going that way.  As we waited 6.5 hours, we watched cartoons dubbed in Indonesian with Antonio’s kids.

 Lazy Sunday Afternoon, Los Palos

We got back to Los Palos by mid afternoon and there was loads of activity near the church and convent.  The local youth was hanging out, playing football, basketball, and volleyball.  I joined in with some aerobics with the kids to English Christian rock music, much to the delight of the kids.

Leaving Los Palos

Cynthia had more research to do and I had to get back to Dili for a Tuesday flight so I confirmed several times that the buses to Dili leave at 4 to 5 am.  I wanted to catch an early bus to have more time in Dili on Monday afternoon so I woke up at 3:45.  At the previous night’s dinner, I had mentioned that I was leaving at 4am but there was no talk that I would be locked in the convent!  I felt bad, but I had to wake up the Mother and she had to wake the security guard to let me out.  In addition, the guard dogs probably woke everyone else.  On top of that, it started downpouring when I got to the field where the buses often stop and I was thoroughly soaked.  Within 10 minutes, a bus came by honking and yelling “Dili”.  As the first passenger, I grabbed the seat behind the driver with extra legroom and coastal views, but then we drove around the city of Los Palos for two hours trying to fill up the bus 🙁

Santa Cruz Cemetery, Dili

The Los Palos bus arrived in Becora station but no one got off as the bus driver turned to me and said “Dili, you get out”.  Knowing how bad the touts are at this station, I could already see them running at the bus and waving at me, I asked to get dropped at the center as none of the locals were getting off the bus.  It turns out, all the locals get door to door service but not for tourists.  I stayed on the bus and when I realized they were getting further and further from my hostel, asked to be dropped near Santa Cruz Cemetery.  This cemetery is jam packed with gravestones and was the site of a massacre during the Indonesian war.

Tai Market, Dili

Whereas the woven fabrics in West Timor are called Ikats, they’re called Tais in Timor Leste.  There is a sizable market with many vendors and lots of inventory of Tais and other souvenirs.  I was hoping to add to my refrigerator magnet collection and asked all the booths, eventually finding a guy that had 2 magnets.  I bought one for $3.

 Resistance Museum, Dili

This museum documents the events from 1975 until Timor Leste’s independence in 2002.  The most touching display is the video footage of the 1991 massacre in Santa Cruz cemetery.  Entry is only $1.  A great way to get out of the heat and enjoy the air conditioning for awhile. 

Dili Sunsets, Dili

Like Kupang in West Timor, the climate is dry and hot in Dili and that leads to some nice sunsets.

Timor Leste Accommodation – Where I Stayed

  • Dili: Central Dili Backpackers.  $15 per night for a fan dorm bed or $20 with air conditioning, with a nice breakfast.  Centrally located.  No wi-fi when I visited.  The owner Kim can give you invaluable tips about traveling around Timor Leste.  She also has lots of useful info on the walls of the restaurant, including the easy to use Microlets (25 cents a ride for small buses rather than using the dodgy yellow taxis to get around).  Book this place now at booking.com.
  • Baucau: Tato Taty (or Tato Tati) Hotel.  $40 per night for a room with A/C, TV, and warm-ish shower.  Nice breakfast of fresh bread, omelet, and bananas.
  • Los Palos: Convent next to the main church.  $20 per night for private room with small bed.  Cold bucket shower.  Nice meals included, including meat (chicken and fish).  My travel companion was introduced to the nuns by another nun so I’m not sure if any travelers could stay there without an invitation.
  • Valu Beach: Valu Sere.  At the end of the road from Tutuala to Valu Beach, take a left and these community run cabanas are the first development.  $20 for a private cabana, shared bathroom with cold bucket shower.  $5 extra for huge, but starchy dinner (rice, noodles, macaroni, veggies and a little bit of egg) and a small breakfast (yummy tea, squash, and small plantains).  When I turned off my lights for the night, there were 25+ flashing fireflies on my ceiling…it was like sleeping in a disco!
  • Tutuala: Antonio’s homestay.  He said we could pay what we wanted so we offered $30 for the room including simple dinner and tea for breakfast.  Outhouse bathroom with squat toilet and bucket shower.  An alternative to spending $50+ at the Posauda.  He can be reached at Antonio Branco (670) 77470082 and it’s in the shop behind the small Clinic/hospital about 30 meters from the entry gate to the Posauda.

Details on how we got to Jaco Island

I found very little info on the internet about getting to Jaco Island, other than tours that cost $1000 and more, so here are the nitty gritty details for anyone else who is planning this trip without renting a car.  We did our 5.5 day trip to Jaco from Dili for just under $200.  If you have a larger group, it may be well worth renting a 4×4 SUV or extended truck.  An Australian group we met paid just $120 per day for the car and driver plus gas, which is a bit expensive if you are traveling solo.

Details on cost to go to Jaco Island:

$5 ($2.50 each) for taxi to Becora Bus Station (learned later we could take the 02 Microlet from downtown for 25 cents each but we had bags)

$4 each for bus Dili to Baucau

$80 ($40 each) for 2 nights at Tato Taty hotel

$1 each for return Microlet trip to Watabo beach

50 cents each for Piscina du Baucau

$9 for a Portuguese style chicken dinner and 2 beers in Baucau

$4 each for bus Baucau to Los Palos

$40 each for 2 nights at Convent in Los Palos, including all meals

$30 ($15 each) for private Microlet rental from Los Palos to Tutuala

$0 walk to Valu beach, including stop at cave without guide

$25 each for 1 night at Valu Sere, including dinner and breakfast

$10 each for return trip to Jaco Island from Valu Beach

$20 ($10 each) for 4×4 truck from Valu Beach to Tutuala

$30 ($15 each) for homestay, including dinner and tea

$20 ($10 each) for 4×4 truck from Tutuala to Valu Beach

$4 for bus Los Palos to Dili

$1 for fish on a stick and rice cakes at roadside stop on the way to Dili

$5 for snacks and drinks not otherwise included

Total = $196 per person for a 5.5 day trip

Note: if you are willing to rough it and ride an Alguna and both walk down and up from Tutuala to Valu Beach, you can reduce the above transportation costs from $35 each to $4 each.  An Alguna is a converted truck with wooden benches.  If you are lucky, you will be crammed on a bench for 2-3 hours.  If you are unlucky, you will be standing like sardines in a can in the back of the truck.

Details on public transportation to Jaco Island:

  • Dili to Baucau buses leave from Becora station. Be prepared for a wait before the bus leaves unless you are lucky enough to get onto a nearly full bus.  If you ask nicely, they will drop you near the Pousada de Baucau where most of the accommodation is located nearby.  4 hours.  Costs $4.
  • For Baucau to Los Palos, get on a Dili to Los Palos bus under the big Banyan tree at the roundabout in front of the Pousada de Baucau.  Stand on the side of the road where traffic is heading down the hill, across from the vegetable market. 4 hours.  Costs $4
  • From Los Palos to Tutuala, there should be a daily Alguna (Truck-like bus) for $2 but no one could confirm if it had already gone on the day we were traveling.  There are multiple Microlets (vans with benches in the back) and one first offered a private ride for $50 but quickly reduced the price to $30.  Took a little over 2 hours but the driver made some photo stops for us.
  • From Tutuala to Valu Beach we walked down.  The locals claimed this 8+ km trip would only take an hour but it took us close to 4 hours, but we detoured to see the cave.  The walk down started with rolling hills up and down, followed by a steep rocky track down.  But, significant improvements are being made to this road so it may be improved if you travel there in the future.  There are not many good views from the track as you are surrounded by trees.  For this reason, I recommend walking down so you can make a detour to the cave, but getting a ride up.
  • From Valu Beach to Tutuala, we got a ride from the owner of the nicer guesthouse just to the north of the Valu Sere cabanas.  Paid $20.
  • From Tutuala to Los Palos, we were planning to get the daily $2 Alguna that was supposed to leave from 6 to 7am.  We woke up at 5:45 to be absolutely sure we didn’t miss the bus.  And then we waited.  And waited.  By 9am, we started asking about alternative transportation.  Tutuala is very remote and there are very few vehicles.  Finally at 12:30 we were able to catch a truck to Los Palos.
  • From Los Palos to Dili, about 8 hour bus, picking up passengers starting at 4am and left Los Palos just before 6am.  $8.

Would you like more tips on Timor Leste Travel?   Here are my tips for Timor Leste – things I wish I knew before traveling there.

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Jun 20

Kupang to Dili Bus (Now even see more of West Timor)

There are no direct flights from Kupang to Dili, even though they are the capitals and largest islands on the two halves of Timor Island, West Timor (Indonesia) and Timor Leste (formerly “East Timor”).  Possibly the best way to go from Kupang to Dili is to take the Kupang to Dili Bus, or shuttle bus by Timor Tour and Travel for 225,000 IDK.  But it’s worth spending some time in Kupang and some stops along the main highway to the town of Kefa, where you can also get the Kupang to Dili bus departing from Kefamenanu.  Note that it’s only a couple dollars cheaper to get the bus from Kefa (basically, if they can’t sell that seat to Kefa you’re paying the full Kupang to Dili fare).  Here are some of the great things I did in West Timor, before catching the bus from Kefamenanu to Dili.  Read more at the bottom about the shuttle bus and border crossing.

A Day in Kupang

After my three-day tour of West Timor, I had to return to Kupang to pick up my Letter of Invitation from the Timor Leste Consulate, of which I had applied 3 business days earlier.  I just needed to give my name and I got a piece of paper that would allow me to cross into Timor Leste within the next 30 days.   Please check the requirements for Timor Leste Visas.  Some nationalities no longer need them.

Crystal Cave, Kupang

Crystal Cave Kupang

With the free time left in the day, a few of us from Lavalon Hostel visited the Crystal Cave, an amazing cave with swimming in some clear blue salt water and later my last sunset in Kupang was amazing.  I was a little late for sunset the previous two nights spent in Kupang.

Sunset and Night Market

Kupang Sunset

I was tired of rice and fish, so for dinner I had corn on the cob along the waterfront (they serve it with topping of sugar and hot sauce) and then had a delicious Soursop fruit juice at the night fish market.

In the course of the day, I decided to tag along with a chef from Perth, Australia for 3 more days in West Timor.  Several of the sites we would see would be things I’d see in the previous 3 days, but there were several advantages:

  • I would get to see Temkessi, which I missed on my first 3-day trip
  • I get someone to hang out with for 3 days and a bus-mate to cross the border with which is always great because you can watch out for each other and our stuff.
  • It breaks up the 12 hour shuttle from Kupang to Dili that starts at 5am.  Instead, my trip would start at 11am and be only 7 hours
  • I’d get to ride around for more adventure in “Susuki” and hang out with the humorous guide Aka.

Temkessi

Temkessi
Temkessi village

Temkessi (or Tamkesi) is one of the most remote villages in West Timor.  We crossed a high plain with spectacular views and cows and horses, then up one more rough road to find this village at the top of a limestone mountain.  It was a slippery walk up coral rocks to the top where a few villagers welcomed us.  Our guide Aka told us to report if we fall or drop something because this will give you many years of bad luck unless you pay a small fine to the villagers so I was extra careful on the rocks.  Two limestone cliffs overlook the village and one is restricted for religious ceremonies only.  For some ceremonies, a youngster has to carry a red goat to the top of the cliff and sacrifice and eat it.  They are not allowed to bring any of the meat back to the village.

Temkessi
Horses in the high plains on the way to Temkessi

 Gua Sta. Maria Bitauni Grotto Cave

Maria Bitauni Cave

On the way out to Temkessi, Aka mentioned there was a grotto cave we didn’t need to visit, but we were really glad we did.  The Maria Bitauni Cave has several chambers with lots of candles and religious statues, and a huge outdoor chapel beneath… room for hundreds of worshipers.

 

Baptism Parties

West Timor Party
Party!

At the end of our 3-day tour, our guide Aka asked if we would like to join him and his wife to attend a baptism party for a 12 year old boy.  We had time to go to the shop to buy a small gift and freshen up before the party.  There was lots of food at the party and after eating we had a chance to talk to a couple college girls that spoke good English.  After the brief visit, we hopped back into “Suzuki” and Aka said “We’re going to another party”, so we each pitched in a little money for a gift and headed off to a much more lively party for the baptism of a girl (apparently, multiple children are baptized on a single Sunday.  What a party this was!  After selecting our second dinner for the night, we were handled a small cup of Arak, the local whiskey made from palm juice and about 40% alcohol.  We chatted with the locals, flirted with a few guys, danced the night away, and did more shots of Arak.  The couple who were hosting the party were so happy we were there.  Not only did they convince us to stay another hour (until after midnight), they gave a short speech about how great it was that we could attend, and arranged a ride back to our hotel.

Timor Tour and Travel Shuttle Bus – Kupang to Dili Bus

These buses were surprisingly comfortable.  Nice big seats (limit of 3 people across), OK temperature, and no blaring music!  Have your hotel or guesthouse make a reservation for you the day before you want to travel.  They will likely pick you up at your guesthouse.

The bus from Kupang to Dili stopped in Kefamenanu just after its scheduled 11:00 am departure and the bus made good time towards the border.

Border Crossing Indonesia to Timor Leste

We arrived at the border by 1:30 pm and the bus was swamped by locals trying to grab our bags to porter for a fee.  We avoided the mob and then headed to get our Indonesian exit stamp.  I discovered that I wasted $35 on a paid 30-day visa to Indonesia. A previous blog said you needed to have a paid, not free visa on arrival, to leave the country at this border.  But my Australian travel companion had the free visa and she had no problem leaving.  So, my $35 souvenir to Indonesia is a special sticker in my passport.

We walked over half a kilometer in the hot sun to the Timor Leste border to fill out a couple forms, turn in our special invitation from the consulate, and pay $30 for our 30-day visa on arrival.

I happened to have a bag of guava fruits purchased near Kefamenanu the previous day and I thought I should declare them to the guards so they could discard them if needed.  The guavas were tied in a plastic bag on my backpack and when I showed to the customs official, he had a concerned look on his face that I should not have those.  He took out a knife to cut the plastic off my bag but instead of discarding, he unzipped my bag and put them inside!

Lastly, the Timor Leste guards check our names to the Timor Tour and Travel manifest and we were allowed to board the bus again.  The Timor Tour buses don’t cross the border so we got on a new bus there. 

Timor Leste Coastal Drive

The views from the border to Dili are spectacular, even though the grey skies weren’t the best for photography.  Rugged coastline and deserted beaches, and every once in awhile a “Danger Crocodile” sign.  Man eating salt water crocodiles are known live in the ocean off many of the beaches.

Insider Tip: When boarding the bus at the border, make sure you grab a seat next to the left windows for the best views and a chance to take pictures from the open windows. 

Arrival in Dili

We were super happy that we arrived in Dili in daylight, but then realized the drive would drop off everyone at their destinations first.  He asked for the address of our hostel which we had, but then after dropping off every single local on the bus, he dropped us at the Timor Tour and Travel office and said “taxi” as it was nearly dark by now.  Our hostel appeared to be less than 600 meters away on a map, even though the locals convinced us it was “over two kilometers” and we should take the local taxi.

So we started walking and I was following the basic map from the Lonely Planet but none of the street names were matching the street signs we saw.  We asked multiple locals and none of them seemed to know the street we were looking for or the Dili Central Backpackers hostel.  Finally, after walking for over 15 minutes, we thought let’s hop into a cab and pay 2 dollars just to get there.  A yellow taxi stopped and asked for $10 dollars, but we said $2.  So we put all of our stuff in the cab and literally drove 10 feet and I saw the Dili Central Backpackers sign.  “Stop” I yelled as we grabbed our stuff and refused to pay the fare.  We have been warned that the yellow taxis are a bit corrupt.  I’m guessing if we hadn’t seen the sign, he would have drove us around a few blocks and dropped us to make the $2 fare.

Where to Stay

Kupang – the Lavalon Hostel is a great place to meet other people to share on a Timor tour.  Edwin can book a trip.  Private and dorm rooms available.  Alternatively, if you want to splurge and stay at a nicer place, there are 3-4 star hotels often for less than $30 (Check rates and Availability).  You’ll want to do your splurging on the Indonesia side before you get to…

Dili – Accommodation is VERY expensive in Dili.  Many basic hotels costing $100+  I stayed in Central Dili Backpackers.  It’s another great place to meet other tourists.  Choice of rooms with fan or A/C.  (Book it here).

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For West Timor guidebooks, I recommend the Lonely Planet Indonesia which dedicates an extensive chapter to West Timor:

Jun 08

West Timor Tour (How to See More in West Timor)

West Timor Travel is generally off the tourists’ radar when in Indonesia.  West Timor is part of the Indonesian region of East Nusa Tenggara, along with Flores and other islands.  Other islands such as Java, Bali, Lombok, and Sumatra are thousands of times more likely to be visited to Timor.  That was part of my draw to this area, as I was looking to get off the tourist trail.  It’s difficult to do this completely on your own due to language and transportation difficulties so the best way to do this is on a West Timor tour…

Upon arrival in Kupang, the most populated city at about 500,000 people, I caught a taxi to my hostel for 70,000 IDR.  The driver, who spoke a little English, was excited I was American and he put a thumb drive in his stereo system to play country western music.  So we were belting out Alan Jackson’s “Living on Love” as we drove to the Lavalon Hostel.

The Lavalon Hostel is run by a former Indonesian actor.  He has screen shots from his films, including a love scene, on the walls of the small hostel.  There are only 3 rooms – two private rooms and a dorm consisting of 4 beds.  Much smaller than I had expected given its extensive write-up in the lonely planet, but the only Kupang hostel in West Timor.   About half of the people staying here were on their way to Rote Island for world class surfing and weren’t even visiting West Timor.   There were a total of 3 other guests when I arrived – a retired Australian surfer and a couple from the Bay Area that had just finished a private 5 day tour of West Timor.  They talked up how great their tour with the guide Aka, that when he put together a 3-day itinerary that would see the main sights of the area, I agreed at a price around $115 per day once accommodation and meals were added.

What we did on my West Timor Tour:

Getting my Timor Leste Visa

My plan to cross to the country of Timor Leste (aka East Timor) requires that Americans have a visa.  The visa is available at the border, but I must first have a letter of invitation from the Timor Consulate in Kupang, Indonesia.  I headed off to the Consulate with passport and photo in hand only to learn there was no photocopier, nor photocopy shop nearby.  So I had to give a guy 20,000 IDK, enough for him to make copies (my passport, bank statement (latest ATM receipt), and flight ticket out of Timor Leste), a motorbike ride, and a few cigarettes as a reward.  Once all the necessary papers were in order, I just handed them over, hoping that my letter will be ready in 3 business days.

Waiting to get the car fixed

Aka and I went back to the hostel to get the jeep but it was still being repaired.  I was debating to start my tour the next day so I could get 3 full days of tour, but Edwin and Aka convinced me I would have enough time to see the beach and get to Boti by 6pm if we left by noon.  It was approximately noon by the time we left Kupang city.

Kolbano Beach

Three hours later, we arrived at Kolbano Beach on the south coast of West Timor.  Kolbano is a totally deserted beach.  It was me and some locals collecting red and white rocks to sell.  At the far west of the beach is a shipwreck.  We stopped at some very photogenic rocks and I had a walk around.  I wish that I had the time to explore, but a large raincloud was forming and we wanted to get to Boti before it was too dark.  So I had a quick, late lunch at a small diner across from the beach as the rain poured down.  When I mentioned I wanted a seat with a view, the café workers moved a table outside for me!

 Boti Village

middle: king, right: his brother, left: his niece
Ikat weaving

We had some very torturous roads to get from Kolbano to Boti, and at moments there was a few yards of visibility.  Not something you want when at any curve you could drive off the edge of a cliff.  With the roads wet from the rain, there was also a slim chance of landslide.  We arrived to Boti to discover there was a mother and daughter from England – the first tourists I had seen this day.  We checked into our very basic guesthouse and had dinner with traditional Boti foods – rice, corn, tomato sauce, chicken, cooked green papaya.  The meal was not the tastiest, but considering they grow and cook everything without equipment or electricity they do what they can.  We were supposed to have dinner with the king but he was at a school event.  We did get a chance to have breakfast with him the next morning.  The king of this village is in his 50’s and never has been married or has kids.  He works all day in the fields next to the rest of the villagers.

Boti is the most interesting village in Timor because it was so hidden from Portuguese missionaries, it never converted to Christianity like the other villages.  The 312 villagers from Boti are less likely to leave their village than others, and are very self-sufficient.  They make money from the several hundred visitors per year – charging 100,000 IDK visitor fee plus 100,000 to stay the night and have breakfast and dinner.  They also sell handicrafts, like their traditional ikat – hand woven sarongs and belts.  Some are made from cotton they grow and spin themselves.

Before dinner, I got to chew betel nut for the first time.  Most of the locals in the country chew this.  They put a nut, a bit of stick, and limestone powder and chew it to make them get a little bit of a high feeling.  The combination turns red and they spit out any liquid – that’s why you see red spit all over the road.  The older people seem to have permanently stained mouths and teeth, if they have any teeth at all.  It didn’t really make me feel high, just made my mouth feel a little numb.

West Timor Mountain Roads

West Timor Roads
Making sure the car is ready for the roads

There were some crazy mountain roads – hills and drop offs.  This was why we needed a 4×4 for this journey.  And the car was always overheating so Aka was daily working with the engine, much to the amusement of the locals.

Local School

School administration

I got to visit a primary school, much to the delight of the children and headmasters.

Oenlesi Market

Onelesi Market

This is the largest market in West Timor and only held on Tuesdays.  They sell everything from chickens, goats, pigs, to vegetables and fabric and batteries.

Villages around Kefamenanu

Everywhere I went, the locals wanted to get their pictures taken with me.

It was raining at the Temkessi village so we stayed near to Kefa.  You can visit some salt and brick production facilities – it is amazing the amount of hard work that goes into making something like salt or bricks, which will be sold for a very small amount of money.  There are many poor people in West Timor.

Convent & School

My guide went to spend the night with his family so I was alone for dinner so I went up to the main road for a small bite for dinner (ate something bad the day before so couldn’t stomach much).  I ran into a couple nuns and one of them spoke great English and invited me to their convent.  The next morning, I visited the convent and school.  The high schoolers were so excited and said I was the first visitor they had seen.

Niki Niki Market

Meat market

This is a large market held every Wednesday and I liked it even more than the Oenlesi market.  There was a whole building where Ikat weavings are sold.

None (pronounced No-Nay)

I have alot of followers in None, West Timor

This village is known to have the fiercest warriors in Timor.  They only stopped headhunting in the 1940’s.  The head hunting involved chopping off the head of an enemy, having a ceremony with the head for 4 days, and then presenting to the king.  The rocks surrounding this village is very clearly coral even though we are in the mountains.  Unlike Flores that is volcanic, Timor Island was created from pushing land up from the sea.

Oehala Falls

It’s a short walk down the steps to see this 7-level waterfall.  One of the drops has a nice pool for swimming.

Sasondo Music

There is a shop that makes a 24-string instrument from bamboo, native to Rote Island off the southwest coast of West Timor.  The shop has several players who have played in the US and Europe.  I got my own private concert that ranged from Indonesian songs, to “What a Wonderful World” to modern hits.  Really beautiful music that sounds like a harp.

If interested in a freelance guide for West Timor, contact Aka here.   Edited September 2018:  based on an account in my comments, they said Aka was not the best guide.  An alternative would be arrive to West Timor and find a guide there, which is likely at a lower, negotiated price.

In my 3 day jeep tour of West Timor, I only met 4 other tourists – the mother & daughter from England and a couple in a self-sufficient 4×4 camper along the main road.  At the hostel in Kupang, I only met 5 other people in the 3 nights I stayed there.  I don’t know if I’ve ever visited a place with so few tourists.

My thoughts on West Timor:

  • The standard of living is so low here.  You can see this with all the heavily manual work to produce such little goods.
  • But the children are so happy.  They literally play with sticks…a stick and a motorbike wheel rolled down the road, a stick with a palm leaf pinwheel, a game where the kids shoot rubber bands at a stick.
  • Water is precious.  In many cases, the well is far from the village so they need to transport by buckets and bamboo water carriers.  Even the hostel I stayed at requires water to be shipped in from the countryside.
  • I felt like a celebrity.  Everyone wants to shake my hand, and if they have a cell phone camera, to get a photo with me.
  • The smiles are precious.  A wave and a smile goes a long way.

Where I stayed:

  • Kupang: Lavalon Hostel.  Small place but best place to meet other travelers.  Clean and in a good location on the sea and near the night fish market.  70,000 IDR for a dorm bed, includes breakfast.  Great sunrise and sunsets.  He can also arrange a West Timor Tour.
  • Boti: Boti village guesthouse.  120,000 IDR per night, includes dinner and breakfast.  Very basic.
  • Kefamenanu: Hotel Ariesta.  180,000 IDR per night for private room with fan, Indonesian TV, western toilet, and mandi shower (a tank of water and a small handled bucket), includes breakfast.  Hotel was quiet because it was off of the main road.

Guidebook:

I highly recommend the Lonely Planet guidebook.  There’s an ample chapter on West Timor:

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Jun 04

Things to Do on Flores Island other than Komodo National Park

Every tourist you meet on Flores Island has visited or is on their way to Komodo National Park for its wildlife both on land and in sea.  This 4-Day Itinerary for Labuan Bajo includes diving, Komodos, and more. But Flores Island has so much more to offer.  There are many Things to Do on Flores Island other than Komodo National Park. See if you think so too… Note that sites in this Flores Itinerary are listed from West to East, and a good amount of time to see these is 1 week.

Things to Do on Flores Island Indonesia – Flores Indonesien Backpacking:

Things to Do in Labuan bajo…

Labuanbajo Sunsets

Labuanbajo Sunset

I found that the island of Flores was much cloudier than I expected it to be, but it seemed clearer off the west coast and meant there were amazing sunsets nearly every night.  The solidary Ciao Hostel on the hill has some of the best in town.

 

Batu Cermin Cave (Labuanbajo)

Batu Cermin Cave
fossilized turtle

This cave is just a few miles out of LBJ town.  Entry fee was 20,000 IDR and when asked to take a guide, I just said I’d tag along with a group of Indonesians.  This cave is small but you have to crawl under two spots so they give you a sweaty hard hat.  Inside the biggest cavern, there are sea fossils, most notably a fossilized turtle, head and all.  The last chamber has an opening where on a sunny day, there is a short period where a ray of light shines in.  I took a motorbike taxi for 10,000 IDR one way and walked back.

Batu Cermin Cave
ray of light

 Night Fish Market (Labuanbajo)

Labuanbajo fish market

Every night, at the northern harbor in town, you can get a whole grilled fish for 35,000 to 100,000 IDK.  A good size for one person is 50,000 IDK (under $4).  You also get rice, vegetable, and hot sauce.

Rangko Cave (Labuanbajo)

Rangko Cave

This cave is not fully on the travelers’ radar yet.  TripAdvisor only showed 6 reviews and most of the tour companies in town said there were no trips.  Others advised renting a motor bike to go on a treturous road to a village and get a boat to the cave.  Luckily, the Ciao Hostel in LBJ had a boat that would take us all the way from town for 1,000,000 IDR and shared by 4 people so it was very reasonable.  We made a 5 hour tour that took us to the sinkhole cave and then to a beautiful little deserted island coral and bird reserve with a perfect small white sand beach.

 

Things to Do Elsewhere on Flores Island…

Visit Catholic Churches (Whole Island)

Ende Church

Flores has a predominately Catholic population, from Portuguese and Dutch visitors many years ago.  Yet many still follow traditional religions such as Roka and there is a bit of mixing the two.  There are some large churches on the island.  I visited one near Labuanbajo and talked to the Priest who said there are 10,000 members of that church.

 Trans-Flores Highway (Whole Island)

Trans-Flores Highway

I like to call Flores the Land of 1,000 hairpin curves.  You go through many different landscapes on this trip, from tropical forest to views of the sea and mighty volcanos.  Travel along this route is by public bus, travel shuttle buses (the big blue Gunung Mas buses), or private car.  If you can get with 3 or more people, it isn’t that much more expensive to get a car and that allows you to visit a few sights along the way.  I also took the Gunung Mas shuttle service.  A huge bus with only 3 passengers.  If doing this, I advise not eating or drinking much as the bus didn’t stop for nearly 5 hours.

 Spider Web Rice Fields (West of Ruteng)

Flores Rice Terraces

Not the spider rice fields, but nice anyways.I didn’t get to stop here as I was on a bus and it was the wrong time of year to see the lush green rice paddies in the shape of a spider web.  The pictures look awesome.

 Tour to Villages (Bajawa)

Bajawa
Bajawa

Probably my most fun day in Flores was a 12 hour tour with Ryan.  We stopped at three different villages (Bela, Luba, and Bena).  What’s interesting about the villages in this area, the land passes to the female descendants, not the males.  Each clan has symbols for males and females on the roofs of houses (a small man for men and a small house for females) and in the central square (umbrella shape for man and small house for women).  There are graves scattered throughout the yard and there appears to be no regard for the tombs (used as a seat, playground for the kids, etc).  We had coffee in each of the villages and even played soccer and danced with the kids.  To get in touch with Ryan, contact him here.

 Waterfall (Bajawa)

Bajawa Waterfall

The first stop on my day tour to villages.  A nice waterfall fed by a spring.  You can swim there in summer when the falls is smaller but we weren’t able to swim on this trip.

Hot Spring (Bajawa)

Bajawa Hot Spring

The last stop on my day tour to villages was a hot spring.  There are a number of hot springs around Bajawa.  In addition to a soak in the dark, we had a small bonfire and dinner at the spring.

Attend a Party (Whole Island)

Flores Party

An awesome addition to our day tour around Bajawa was our invitation to join into a first communion party near one of the villages.  The family knew Ryan so we were asked to be their guests.  The family was quite poor so in addition to a big pan of rice, and some of the hottest sauce I’ve ever tasted, the meat served was pork fat and dog!  The girl who was being confirmed posed for pictures with her little cousins and grandmother and even put on her best dress before we left.

 Blue Stone Beach (West of Ende)

Blue Stone Beach

All of the beaches on the south coast of Flores are black sand beaches.  One is famous for its many blue stones.  Unfortunately, these blue stones are popular in Japan and Bali so the stones are being exported by the bagful, with bags lining the highway.  Hopefully they will save some of the blue stones so this unique beach can be enjoyed in the future.

 Village/Home Stay (Whole Island)

The Geckos Moni
Nua One

I found a great AirBnB near Moni, in the small village of Nua One.  It is a small village with a traditional house for the chief.  English speaker Lopez has two rooms with a shared toilet and shower (coolest bath I’ve seen in Indonesia, with stones and plants inside).  He’s building two more rooms.  Every night, you can pay a small amount and cook and eat with the family.  Lopez also showed me around the village.  It was an interesting time as there was a 4 day mourning period for a young girl that died, so no one is allowed to work and they just cook big communal meals and hang out.  Breakfast is fried bananas and coffee from Lopez’ garden.  You can find his place at “The Geckos Moni”

 Kelimutu Volcano (Moni)

Kelimutu
Things to do on Flores Island

This national park is a volcano with three hued lakes.  The colors change from year to year from blues, greens, black, and even red.  At the time of my visit, the two nearest lakes were turquoise and dark green, and the third lake was dark blue.  In addition to the lakes, there is a forest with lots of birds and plastic loving monkeys.

 Waterfalls (Moni)

There are many waterfalls around Moni but there is one that is the most accessible.  Others involve impossibly steep, muddy tracks.  It’s just down the hill via a concrete path from the Rainbow Café on the main highway through Moni.  Note to get to the falls, you have to cross a bamboo bridge without railings.

 Kolorongo Hot Springs (Moni)

Kolorongo Hot Springs

This is a natural hot spring in the middle of a rice field.  The water is a warm temp and would be refreshing on a rainy, cold day.  As it was, I visited on a hot, sunny afternoon so the water wasn’t tempting.  It’s easy to miss this as the signage isn’t great.  It’s on the main road to Kelimutu and there is a small black sign with white letters that says “Air panas kolorongo +-30M”.  Follow the small dirt path.

 Flores Island Indonesia Accommodation – Where I stayed:

  • Labuanbajo: Ciao Hostel.  150,000 IDR for A/C dorm bed, 6 beds to a room.  This was a bit pricey for Indonesia as it didn’t include breakfast and there really weren’t any working hot showers.  They had a good tour desk with reasonably priced tours, but you could get cheaper if you bargained in town.  The sunsets are amazing and they show a movie at 9pm each night based on group vote.  A good social hostel – easy to find people to go to dinner or do tours.  Note: Ciao does not offer private rooms and the choices for reasonably priced private rooms in town had dire reviews on the internet.  Book it now at booking.com.    If not already registered at booking.com, get $25 off your first stay by registering here.
  • Bajawa: Queen Homestay.  150,000 IDR for private room, shared bath with cold shower (thanks to my neighbors that had a private room that let me take on hot shower).  I wanted to stay at highly ranked Edelweiss Homestay but they had overbooked, so this house across the street was a good alternative.  If you want to stay at the Edelweiss, it’s wise to have reservations (Check Availability and Prices).
  • Moni: The Geckos.  $12 per night booked on AirBnB for private room, shared bath with cold shower.  Really unique place in a small village outside of Moni.  Since it’s far to the town, you can eat what the family eats for minimal cost, and pitch in on cooking the meal if you want.

May 29

Camping in Komodo Park (Being chased by a Komodo Dragon when it’s that time of the month)

Visiting the Komodo Dragons has been a long-time dream of mine.  There’s something so interesting about seeing the deadly world’s largest lizard.  They have a poisonous venom that kills large prey slowly and then the dragon can eat the animal, bones and all.  Komodos typically eat once a month and will eat 80% of their body weight, so it’s common for them to eat deer, water buffalo, or even young komodos.  Only 20 days before my visit, a visitor from Singapore had ventured on his own and been bitten by a komodo so there is some danger in visiting.  They can also smell blood from miles away.  Little did I know that I would have a run in with these deadly animals when I was on my tour that involved camping in Komodo Park, off the coast of Flores Island.

In February, when I booked my 3 day/2 night trip to camp near Komodo National Park and do some trekking with komodo dragons in May, I looked at the calendar and noticed there’d be a chance it’d be “that time of the month”.  But, there was a chance one might be early or late so I predicted the chances at 50%.  Nevertheless, I started researching if I’d be allowed to trek in that condition and found no definitive answers via Google – some sites said I wouldn’t be allowed to tour, and others said the guides would ask every woman before the tour and protect any as needed.

The first night in camp, the night before the visit to Komodo Island, it happened.  I was debating if I should tell our guide and ultimately told him the next morning.  He said I should not go in the forest in Komodo Island, but after seeing the disappointed look on my face, just said “stay close to the rangers”.

Juvenile komodo

We arrived to Komodo Park and immediately saw some juvenile komodo dragons walking about but minding their own business.  There were 4 large adult dragons hanging outside the “Kitchen”, where the rangers have their meals.  Komodos are attracted by the cooking smell but the rangers said they do not feed them.  So we set off in our group of 10, with one ranger in the front and one in the back.  I stayed close to the front ranger for awhile but we didn’t see any komodos on the walk.  Back near the ranger station we visited the Kitchen again.  One of the dragons that was just laying about decided he wanted to start running in our direction.  The guides leapt to action with their two pronged sticks and cornered the large komodo dragon.  It still tried to run but eventually it realized it couldn’t get past the rangers and just ran off to an open field nearby.  I can’t say for sure if it was running after me or if it was just a coincidence but I definitely was happy to have extra protection.

Besides Komodo Island, there was so much to do in and around the park of islands. Wild komodo dragons can only be found on 5 islands in the world, and they are all in Komodo National Park.  Only 2 of the islands – Komodo and Rinca take visitors.  As a part of taking a 1 day trip and a 3-day camping trip, I was able to visit both, along with many other islands and snorkeling spots.

Padar Island view

The 3-day Flores XP camping tour visits all the spots I wanted to visit except for one – Padar Island for the viewpoint.  Since I had two full days after arrival until the Flores XP trip, I decided to book one of the cheap day tours in Labuanbajo town.  For 400,000 IDR ($30) I got a 12 hour boat trip that visited Padar Island, Komodo Island, Pink Beach, and Manta Point, plus a 1.5 liter water and a box lunch.  It was a hot, gravel filled hike up the hill but Padar viewpoint was amazing – the view of a rocky mountain and 3 bays and beaches.

At Komodo park, we saw a young, smaller komodo immediately and then saw a couple huge ones near the “Kitchen”.  The komodos are attracted by the smell but we were told they are not fed here.  We took a short trek and saw another large komodo by the watering hole.  Komodo Island is very dry so there is a hose to attract deer and other animals in the forest for the dragons to hunt.

The third stop was Pink Beach, a beach on the south side of Komodo Island that is pink in color due to red coral that breaks up into small pieces of red sand and when mixed with the white sand looks quite pink.  The soft corals at this beach are colorful… like multicolor carpet.

We drove around Manta Point for nearly an hour but didn’t find a manta ray to swim with.  In all, we were in the loud, slightly smoky boat for over 9 hours of a 12 hour tour, with a 5:30 am start.  I’m not sure if I’d do it again, but the view of Padar is one of the best.

Flores XP 3-day camping, or “Glamping” tour was a totally different experience.  The motor was quite a bit quieter so we could actually talk.   There were moments of gas smells, but not nearly as bad as the cheap tour.

Day one of Flores XP trip started by pick up at 7:30 at my hostel.  We boarded the boat and everyone had arrived by 8:30 – a Mexican family from Singapore, a stem cell researcher from San Francisco, a couple from Belgium, and an accountant and physician from Toronto.  This would be our traveling companions for the next 3 days.  A diverse bunch, but we got along really well.  The day was pretty relaxed, we snorkeled off a private island resort and then snorkeled another spot before going to check out the camp, where we had a couple hours of daylight to explore the beach and see an amazing sunset.  After dinner, we had a small bonfire on the beach as we watched the stars above.

Day two started by a trip to Komodo Island (see the story above) followed by snorkeling on Pink Beach and a short snorkel with Mantas at Manta Point.  Then it got even more exciting.  Due to winds and currents, we got back to camp at 7pm, just as the sky had gone totally dark.  The wind was blowing, the waves were crashing, and it was low tide.  We first had to transfer from the big boat to the dingy.  Then we took the dingy until we got caught up in the dead coral rocks.  Getting 15 people to short with 2 flashlights was a challenge.  Nearly everyone let out a big sigh when we finally reached the beach.

One red claw of a fiddler crab.. there were 100’s of these crabs with one red claw.
Flying foxes – 1000’s of fruit bats

Day three was the highlight of the trip, despite the gray skies.  We snorkeled off of a small volcanic island called Batu Balong.  There must have been a million fish here.  We swam with a few manta rays at Manta Point and another at a small pink beach at Mawan.  This Manta just kept swimming in circles, perhaps because some scuba divers had it partially cornered.  We had a bit of time to visit the komodo dragons and Rinca Island.  I highly preferred this island to Komodo…much wilder and natural with great viewpoints.  Our last stop of the day was Kalong Island.  We stayed on the boat and watch 1000’s of bats rise up from the mangrove island to cross the sea to search out fruit on Flores Island.  These bats are also called “Flying Foxes” due to their large size and look.

If you visit Komodo Park, make sure you do the other Things to do on Flores Island.

May 22

Long Layover in Taipei (Taipei 101)

You gotta love long layovers.  It sometimes allows a twofer on a longer trip.  I had previously flown through Taipei, Taiwan but the layover was too short to go outside.  On my way to Indonesia, on Eva Air, I had a long layover in Taipei… a whopping 19 hour overnight layover in Taipei.  This is my recommendation on what to do for an overnight layover in Taipei.

Clearing Immigration

Immigration is quite efficient.  No visa is needed for most nationalities.

Getting Downtown – Taoyuan airport to Taipei

Getting to downtown takes 35-50 minutes to get from Taoyuan airport to central taipei depending if you take the commuter train or express, on the brand new purple line MRT.  They run on the same track and the cost is $160 Taiwan dollars (a little over $5).   Don’t make the same mistakes I did and assume the public transportation takes credit cards.  I only traded $20 US to get some nice food in town, but neither the the subways or the airport train took credit cards, so I found myself using the ATM later.

It was getting close to 5pm by the time I arrived at the main train station (note: the walk is nearly 10 minutes from the airport train to the normal subway lines).  I was debating between dropping my bag at the hostel and checking in, or carrying it with me and heading straight for Elephant Mountain.  As I was looking to buy tickets and guy came up and asked in English how and where to buy subway tickets to Elephant Mountain.  As we both were traveling solo we decided to pair up for the evening.  He was from Atlanta and works for an airline and has been to 69 countries at the young age of 29.  Top tip for the subway: there is no use in buying the 24-hour pass unless you’re going to ride the subway (not including the airport line) 7 times or more.  My 3 trips cost a total of $75 TWD, but the 24-hour pass was $180.

Elephant Mountain

Taipei 101
Taipei 101 at sunset

So we caught the subway to the end of the blue line and did the walk up Elephant Mountain.  There are directional signs, but you can also ask any local for directions.  Elephant Mountain provides an amazing view of the Taipei Skyline, including the most famous Taipei 101 building.  This was the tallest building in the world for awhile but now is beat by the Burj Kalifa that I visited a couple years ago.   The sky had been pretty grey in the afternoon but the sunset was pretty nice.  It was getting dark by the time we came down, the the tower was aglow in purple lights.

Taipei 101

Raohe Night Market

Raohe Night Market
Any meat you want
Guava juice
Guava juice

We walked well over a mile to Raohe Night Market.  This was a cool night market and combo of established shops and kiosks selling goods and food.  Some of the food looked absolutely disgusting and didn’t smell good either.  You can pretty much get the body part of any traditionally eaten animal… from chicken feet, to pigs ears, to whole duck heads.  I wasn’t feeling too adventurous so we had the pepper pork buns, by far the most popular food stand in the market, but the line of 30 or so went quick.  This was at the eastern entrance of the market so we also checked out the temple next door.

Getting Some Sleep & Longshan Temple

If you have an overnight layover in Taipei, and your flight the next morning is late enough, consider reserving a hostel or hotel in central Taipei.  I had to check into the Duckstay hostel by 10pm so I said goodbye to my new friend.  This hostel was good but it seemed like it was dozens of young Taiwanese folks (not sure if they were traveling or students or ?) and me.  If you need a place to stay on your long layover in Taipei, booking.com (Check Rates & Availability) has a huge selection for Taipei.

Longshan Temple

 The advantage of staying here was that I had time to check out Longshan Temple at 6am when it opened and have enough time to get back to the airport.  The bed was great, I had my own pod.

Longshan Temple opens early in the morning and it’s a nice spot to view the early worshipers.   Make sure you find the waterfall in the city.  It’s a nice way to end a long layover in Taipei.   Make sure you head back to the airport with plenty of time.

Do you have more time in Taipei?  Check out this great guide for more things to do in the city.

Taipei Airport

TPE airport is a great airport.  They even have a whole gate devoted to Hello Kitty and an orchid garden.  If you have Priority Pass, there are several lounges that can be visited.

Taipei Airport

Do you have a planned long layover?  Check out my planning guide on “How to Spend a Long Layover“

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