We zig-zagged our way across West Timor and became even greater rock stars as we headed into more remote areas. People were often so surprised and happy to see us. We got very used to having people walk approach us and ask for photos. It's fun for a while but I'd hate to be a real rock star!
We stayed in a nice, but noisy, room in a small hotel in Kefamenanu run by a Chinese Indonesian lady who spoke some English. She had spent some time in Australia. She thought we were the bees' knees and presented me with a traditional ikat scarf when we left.
Aka, our driver/guide, usually stayed somewhere cheaper than us - he sometimes slept in the car! Kefamenanu was his home town though so he slept in his own bed this night. After that, one of his daughters joined us for the remainder of the trip. She was lovely but didn't speak much English.
A funny thing happened at this hotel. We arrived for breakfast (rice, fried noodles, chicken and stir fried vegies) and, as usual, country music was playing. The TV displayed what songs were coming up and Merle Haggard's "Let's Chase Each Other Round The Room Tonight" was listed. This is a song that John and Bob heard in the US once and it became a bit of a joke in the family. We told the lady we were amazed to see it so she played it for us. It was great to finally hear it. The lady then played it again.....and again....... Luckily it didn't take too long to eat breakfast and Merle finally got a break!
First stop that day was to see how the local alcohol is made. Palm juice is collected from the trees, then fermented in buckets like this. with a certain type of wood providing the yeast for fermentation. Mmmm, looks tempting - not!
To distill it, they cook it up in pots then it evapourates, then condenses down these long bamboo poles into old beer bottles. A crude but effective method, and the end result, 'sopi', wasn't bad either!
We went to a local market. This was a small one and not manic like the last one. There were many animals here being poorly treated. Pigs were trussed tightly and left lying in the sun, waiting to be sold. Chickens didn't fare much better. Some fighting roosters were being sold. Cock fighting is illegal here but not in the villages apparently. The roosters here were briefly tested against others to see what their fighting ability was like. Later, knives would be attached to their talons for the real fights. Good fighting roosters sell for about treble the price of normal ones. This boy carried his rooster around the market proudly.
On a happier note, Aka started talking to this group of people. They were lovely. John commented on the lovely (ladies') glasses the guy on the left was wearing. We then heard a very interesting story...
About two years ago, this man had had cataracts removed and could now see very well. He said people from Australia had performed the operation. We donate to the Fred Hollows Foundation, an Australian charity that removed cataracts and performs corneal implants for people in third world countries. They certainly operate in Indonesia. It seems logical that it was the Fred Hollows Foundation that restored this man's eyesight. It was so good to see real life results of their work.
John commented on this lady's headwear (a local scarf wrapped around her head) and she was so pleased.
Back on the road, the style of traditional buildings changed again. Many were now more like outdoor rooms. People seemed to just hang out here or do work in the shade.
The main form of transport is definitely the motorbike, but many things are carried on people's heads.
We passed these people thatching a roof. When we drove past again a couple of hours later they were well on their way to completing it. Many hands make light work!
We headed to the remote village of Temkessi and the roads got rougher and rougher. Rains from last December had washed whole sections away and they still hadn't been repaired.
To get to Temkessi, we had to park the car then walk up a rough stone track between rocky outcrops. Before we entered the village, Aka gave us the heads up. We were not allowed to drop anything in the village. If we did, it would bring bad luck to the people. We would have to pay a small fine and the villagers would have to pick the item up. A chicken might have to be sacrificed to appease the ancestors!
There were only about 6 families left here. Many had moved to New Temkessi, a short distance away but with better access to roads. Every building in this village was thatched and the whole village was built along the rocky ridge. This made it very photogenic but the tracks were rough and living here mustn't be easy, particularly for older people.
I loved the carved verandah posts.
Local tradition has it that at least once very seven years, a group of men must climb this local peak. They take up a red goat and a white rooster. The two animals are sacrificed on the flat rock you can see in the dip between the two peaks here. The men must eat the animals and can't leave until all the food is eaten.
As we headed out, we could see how dry this part of the country is.
The patterned mats here act like curtains - they slide along a rope and can be opened and closed.
The patterned blinds were rare though. They were mostly just plain. These ones were keeping out the afternoon sun.
We stopped for a break at a beach late in the day. Of course, we made friends with a heap of kids.
John wrote our names and some of their names in the sand.
The beach was quite lovely.
Of course, there were pigs on the sand!
We passed some rice paddies just as the sun was setting. Aka suggested we walk along the road for a bit. He must have known that there were people harvesting the rice and they were all coming back at the end of the day. Lines of people carried loads of rice back to a waiting truck. Of course, all work stopped when we got there and we became rock stars again. It's amazing how many phones are tucked away in pockets and everyone wanted a selfie with us!
I wasn't until I saw this photo on my computer that I realised that it wasn't only rice that was being carried back to the truck!
In the town of Betun, I even got the rock star treatment while I was sitting in the parked car! I had to get out for this photo.
We overnighted in Betun and found a local restuarant for dinner. The owner was so excited to see us that she kept bringing out plates of food! She also called her son, who runs a small shop nearby, to come and meet us. He closed his shop and came over. He spoke English fluently and was interesting to talk to. He had studied literature at university in Jakarta, and now was running the family store until he could find something else. It sounds like Australia isn't the only country with educated young people who can't get a good job.
Back on the road, the vehicles were sometimes as interesting as the scenery. Aka stopped to talk to a bus driver friend of his. The buses are so colourful. Again, it must be difficult to see through the highly decorated windscreens.
Public vehicles are often chock-a-block full.
As we changed to a different region, the houses changed again. These buildings weren't just shelters - there were sleeping and eating areas set up high under the roof.
Aka took us to meet the king of a village. We didn't know it at the time but we were about to experience one of the highlights of our trip. First, plastic chairs were brought out for us and Jeremy, the king, explained some of the local history. The people here believe that the island of Timor was formed from a crocodile. We are very close to the East Timorese border here and they believe that people on both sides of the border are brothers. They also believe that Timorese people made their way to Australia many years ago to become the Australian aborigines. My understanding is that scientists believe this too.
We were shown through the traditional house. This is known as the white house. First we had to climb a rickety ladder. At the top was a bit of a verandah. We then entered a room inside which had an open fire for cooking and a sleeping area. One old lady slept here. I don't know how she manages to get up and down the wooden ladder. I think she's supposed to be a guardian of sorts. I don't really really understand why there is such a large structure for one person to sleep in but I think it has religious significance. It certainly seemed very important to them.
Some parts of the structure were held together with branches and rope made from hair from a cow or horse tail.
Jeremy's family moved to this location from another one seven generations ago. Some people still live in the original location and Jeremy asked if we would like to see the original village. He said he had never taken tourists there before. We didn't have a lot of spare time but he said it was only 3kms away so we said yes. He jumped in our car and, before we headed off, his wife had a discussion with him. Apparently she was making sure that he didn't show us certain sacred things. We were becoming more intrigued!
We drove along remote roads for a lot longer than three kilometres, then we suddenly came across a series of picnic tables in the middle of nowhere. Then there was this huge sign! It was so weird. Aka made the comment that no Indonesian tourists come here anyway as there was no rubbish!
John, Jeremy, Aka and his daughter Tasia.
We were then presented with scarves! It was all such a big deal!
Jeremy explained that the design on the scarves represented the unity between their village and the people of Timor-Leste.
Photos were being taken left, right and centre. I just handed my phone to a lady and let her take what she wanted.
A traditional sarong was hanging nearby and Jeremy explained how the crocodile motif is used to represent the story of Timor being created from a crocodile.
This was the local schoolteacher.
This guy was the local magic man.
The girl who spoke English.
This young guy was a great photographer.
This child had probably never seen a white person. As soon as I took this photo he burst into tears. Everyone thought it was hilarious!
This guy looks like the wild man of Borneo!
We then were taken to a place further up the road. They had just had a three day festival here - we missed it by a day! The important totem was still in place from the festival though. We were shown all the details of it but we weren't allowed to take photos. It was an intricately carved branch of a tree. Carved into the wood were a crocodile, people and animals, all representing certain things. Strangely, a glass table top sat on top of the totem. Other carved figurines and masks sat on the glass. Everything had significance. We were so lucky to be allowed to see this.
After extended goodbyes and much hand shaking, we finally left and headed to Atambua, our final destination. We bought our bus tickets for the next day then Aka and Tasia headed home. It had been an absolutely fantastic trip.
West Timor is such a great place. The people are amazing. They are so friendly and always seem so happy. We saw no cross words between people on our whole trip.
The animals do it tougher than the people. Most animals are reasonably well fed. Only dogs are often skinny and we saw some starving ones. I don't think anyone owns these. Animals, including chickens, are often tied up and chickens are sometimes carted to and from markets tied upside down by their legs to the back of motorbikes or even the back of buses.
West Timor is a beautiful region. There are few tourists, hence the rock star treatment. Travel here is very cheap. The most expensive hotel we stayed in was $55. The food is good and the people are so welcoming and friendly. If you've been reading this blog and think this might interest you, just do it. Go now, before everyone else discovers it. Bee, you would love it here!
As I write this, we're about to head into Timor-Leste. We've been reading the travel warnings - robberies, riots and sexual assualts are a problem. It sure makes West Timor look good!
Hooroo!
Heather and John
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