Fifteen years ago, when Timorese lawyer Paul Remedios, 54, touched down in Dili on a plane from Macau, shortly after Indonesia invaded East Timor, he could not believe his eyes. Buildings were burning, and unrest was everywhere. Other than its mountains, the newly-independent nation’s capital, Dili, was at ground zero. But if you still hear of such tales today, it’s time to quell those rumours. While conditions are still far from posh, even the worst-hit city, Dili, is now functional. Life has moved on for the Timorese. “Locals used to hawk seashells, corals and wood carvings. Now they sell fish and Samsung phones,” says Edvarcl Heng, 33, who was a member of the Singapore military medical team that supported the United Nations peacekeeping mission in East Timor in 2001. Timor 2000 was the only hotel in Dili till just about a decade ago, but now hotels and rental bungalows line many of the capital’s untouched golden beaches. While it is true that you may not be able to find a money changer or get a stable internet connection, the trade-off is invaluable: you’ll experience unpolluted nature in its many-hued splendour. Here are five things to do here.
Go on a food hike
The more than 400 years of Portuguese colonisation, 24 years of Indonesian occupation and the recent presence of Australian NGOs shows in Timor-Leste through the food its restaurants offer — a smorgasbord of Portuguese and Indonesian food with a hint of Australian flavour. Besides ordering safe choices like yellow-fin mackerel, try Zela’s squid dish, stuffed with tomatoes and herbs in olive oil, at the Portuguese restaurant at Metiaut Beach. The 88 Restaurant offers a lunch buffet for US$5. New Palace (next to the Cuban embassy) offers reasonably good laksa done the Singaporean way. It is a must to round off every meal with the region’s renowned organic coffee, harvested from the lush, misty hills of Dare, just outside Dili.
Buy low-priced organic coffee
A 30-minute drive towards the south of Dili will take you to Dare, a small coffee plantation community high up in the hills. Similar to those small plantations of the Malay archipelago, Timor-Leste’s coffee is grown without the use of chemicals. The best brew from its organic Arabica beans carries a full, smooth and sweet note that highlights a cocoa tone, and cost US$3 for a 300g finely-grounded pack. The harsher-tasting Robusta bean is also available. Interestingly, 40 per cent of Timor-Leste’s coffee export goes to Starbucks, and the rest to Nescafe and other top coffee blenders. The difference lies in the remixing, packaging and marketing.
Historical site/ museum-hop
Take a walk down Santa Cruz Cemetery, and you will experience how fondly the 200 people massacred by Indonesian troops on November 12, 1991, are remembered. Fresh flowers can be seen at the well-maintained, painted tombs. The cemetery sits where more than 200 civilian mourners on a peaceful memorial procession were killed on sight by Indonesian troops, with many taken away by the military. The massacre is the one event that got the world to understand the plight of the Timorese people in pursuit of independence. Next, visit the Chega! Exhibition, located in the former Portuguese/ Indonesian prison at Balide. Chega in Portuguese means enough, and in the exhibition , a multimedia presentation brings to life 2,800 reports covering human rights violations that took place in Timor over the Indonesian Times. A guide will bring you round to the prison building and cells, where you will hear stories of how prisoners were tortured. Housed in an impressive white new building, the Resistance Museum chronicles the young nation’s long struggle for independence and displays the guns and gear used by the FALINTIL (military wing) as they fought and found refugee in the hills. End your day catching the sunset at the foot of Cristo Rei de Dili, where a 27m-tall statue of Jesus oversees the eastern coast of Dili. Modelled after Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer, the statue was initially given to the Timorese people by President Soeharto in 1996 to mark the 20th anniversary of East Timor’s integration with Indonesia.
Bask on the Beach
At Dili, choices are aplenty as to which beach you would like to get a tan at. The most popular is Areia Branca It looks like an expat beach, readied with plastic chairs and large umbrellas as shelters from the sun. However, saltwater crocodiles may make their random appearance by the beaches. To take a better glimpse of the underwater world, go scuba-diving in the clear and warm waters surrounding Atauro Island, a two-hour ferry ride north of Dili. Closer to the open seas, here’s your other chance to sight dolphins and migratory whales.
Shop at Tais Market
Finally mentioning the “S” word that makes you tick. Open everyday, the obscure, small public textile market compound is rarely visited by locals and is poorly tented, but it is the cheapest place in Dili where you can shop for hand-woven cotton Tais products that carry intricate geometric patterns, wooden carvings, silverware and straw baskets. Tais can be used for traditional adornment, a house decoration, or given ceremonially. Here’s the place to put your bargaining skills to good use. You can explore an alternative at Maubara, a crafts market beach-facing village 30-minutes away from Central Dili.
Five things not to do in Dili
Coop up in Timor Plaza, Dili’s only shopping mall
Yes, there is only one shopping mall in the flat capital of Dili — reaching a heady five stories with gleaming porcelain-tiled floors, bright airy spaces, and blasting air-conditioning. It might be a temptation for us city-dwellers to stay indoors in this familiar oasis, but when in Timor-Leste, do as the Timorese do.
Walk alone in the streets at night without mosquito repellent
There is a real possibility of contracting dengue, so generously cover yourself with mosquito spray to avoid unsightly welts or getting sick. The nearest International SOS is in Sydney. And besides, you don’t want to be walking alone on the empty streets of Dili where global youth unemployment is at its extreme.
Snide at bad packaging
The country is not called the poorest country in Asia for nothing. The best of Timor-Leste’s pickled red-hot chilli is packed in Australian-brand Spring Valley’s used green-capped glass bottles that are most commonly sold in kiosks, while wild honey is packed in reused Aqua plastic bottles.
Ask for an address
There are no functioning road signs in the country. Even in Dili, locals recognise streets by prominent-enough buildings that are adjacent or close to their destinations. So don’t be put off by locals who cannot give a definitive answer to where your destination lies.
Accept any amount the taxi driver asks for
When a suspicious taxi driver tries to convince you that a 10-minute journey really does cost US$10, when it’s probably only around US$1 or 2 for locals, do bargain starting with a US$3, then slowly increase to US$5, where the deal is usually struck.
