Atauro Island -

We had heard about the fantastic snorkelling to be had on Atauro Island, about 30kms from Dili. We booked one place for two nights and another for two nights because I couldn't get all four nights at the one place.

I was a bit concerned about the boat trip out there (I could get sick just thinking about rough seas) but it was fine. In fact the views of the island as we approached it were beautiful!

We pulled up on a beach, right in front of a rustic sign that said "Barry's Place". This was our accommodation!

Barry's an Aussie with a local wife and has lived here for years. His resort is very eco-friendly - think thatched roofs, palm frond walls and natural ventilation. We were taken to our room and I fell in love. Our little hut was right on the sand at the end of the cluster of shacks. We had a large verandah overlooking the beach. It was so romantic and so wonderful!

We sat on our deck and watched local families fishing. We loved the way the village life happened around us.

Mosquito nets around the bed added to the romantic touch.

Our little house.

Toilets were shared and were pit-style but they were the best pit loos we've ever come across. They certainly didn't smell.Showers were traditional mandis where you just ladle water over yourself. There's no need for hot water in this climate.

I felt like a modern-day Robinson Crusoe here. We had 24-hour electricity (partly solar-powered) but few other modern concessions in the room. Unfortunately, when it came to sleeping, it wasn't so comfortable. The bed sagged and the thin sheet didn't hold onto the mattress properly. With the constant humidity, the sheets were slightly damp and they stuck to us every time we rolled over. I had the beginnings of a rotten cold and chest infection and kept coughing myself awake. Never mind. I still loved the feel of this place!

Carvings stood guard outside each hut.

We snorkelled each day we were here. We caught local boats a short distance out to a pristine barrier reef. Barry had organised it so locals get money each time we visit the reef. This makes up for them not being allowed to fish here. I love the traditional outrigger boats.

Manuel took us out a couple of times.

The corals here were incredible! Masses of untouched coral gardens went on for ages. Snorkelling here was like slowly flying over an other-wordly garden.

I really loved the anemones. I've never seen so many varieties before.

These were my favourite anenomes. They grew inside the ridges of a coral and had big blobs on the end. The clownfish had two homes - an anenome and a coral!

A green anemone with a variety of corals, soft and hard.

The only problem was that there were a few jellyfish. A couple of other people got stung but they weren't dangerous.

Back on dry land, we found the village life interesting. There seemed to be many huts that were very basic. They looked more like shelters for animals but people were cooking in them. Maybe they were kitchens but we didn't see other houses nearby.

The people of Timor-Leste are not as adulatory as those of the Indonesian islands we travelled in on this trip, however kids were often pretty pleased to see us.

We went for a walk one morning. We didn't go too far as it was so hot, but it was lovely.

Fishing forms a large part of the lifestyle here.

Saturday was market day. Apparently dried, salted fish is a specialty here. Mmmm, love the smell of it - not!

This lady was a bit of a character. I asked if I could take a photo of her dried octopus and she jumped in the photo!

We met some wonderful people at Barry's Place. John, Julie, Anne and Phil were all Aussies. We also met Julia, but I didn't get a photo of her.

It was time to move up the hill to Beloi Beach Resort. We caught a tuk-tuk a few times to avoid the hill in the hot weather.

Our accommodation was such a contrast from Barry's place. We had a proper hotel room with aircon, flushing toilet and crisp white sheets! There was an infinity pool and there were great views over palm trees to the sea. It lacked the amazing character of Barry's though.

A bonus though was the cocktails.They were so scrummy, especially after not having had any for a long time. Yum!

One of the official languages they speak here is Portuguese. John and I hadn't spoken any Portuguese for years and we were very rusty. We soon learned that the local Portuguese was quite different to the Brazilian version we knew a bit of years ago. We found we were often much better understood if we spoke Indonesian. Luckily, many people spoke English though.

It was time to leave Atauro and Timor-Leste. It had been a very interesting place to visit.

As I write this, I'm at an airport, half-way through our long slog to PNG. We have five flights in 26 hours and we go via Australia. Timor-Leste and PNG aren't that far apart but there are very few direct flights. 

Bye for now.

Heather and John