Timor-Leste and part of Indonesia are both on the island of Timor. Before Timor-Leste's independence, this island probably saw only a few intrepid visitors each year. Leaving Timor-Leste I entered Indonesia at the town of Wini. Indonesia has started to charge US$35 for visas again, possibly to recoup some of their losses from the pandemic, and I was in a bit of a dilemma because you can only pay with US dollars or Indonesian rupiah, and I couldn't change Australian dollars at the moneychanger at the border. Fortunately I was able to withdraw some money from the ATM; something I couldn't do at all in Timor-Leste. Rather annoyingly, ATMs in Indonesia tend to allow you to only withdraw a maximum of 1,000,000 rupiah (about US$70), which isn't much when my bank charges me US$5 for each withdrawal. Armed with a visa after surrendering exactly half of what I withdrew, I was in Indonesia. Three previous trips I've done to this country of more than 17,000 islands, hundreds of languages, and just about as many adventures. I figured I'd try hitchhiking to Kupang, so I was picked up by a guy whom I asked to just drop me at the corner about a kilometre up the road. He asked me to buy him a pack of cigarettes and then offered to drive me all the way to Kupang at the cost of around US$70. When I started walking he followed me and stopped four times asking if I would like for him to take me all the way to Kupang. However, I've learned to stand firm in most situations, and he eventually left me alone. A few minutes later I was picked up by a guy named Edu who was going to his home in Manamas, about 20 km down the road. He invited me to his home for a coffee and I was really exhausted by then. It was after 5 PM, and he offered to let me stay at their home for the evening. It is really beautiful out this way.
From what I've seen so far in terms of landscape, West Timor may be the better half. Edu's friend Bone (Bo-NAY) would come over this evening. He's an English instructor from the area who said he works for the government. Bone told me that someone called him after noticing a foreigner in the area, and he would tell me that it's common for people to be concerned when they see a foreigner in an area that doesn't usually see foreigners. I was asked if I was a spy, among other things but I was able to share my story along with my blog and the website for Fearless Journey. Bone would send his friend to buy me a SIM card and some credit for my phone. Since Bone speaks English fluently it was nice to have a normal conversation with someone.
This morning I woke up refreshed, and after two coffees, Edu decided to do the run from his home to Kefamenanu (commonly called "Kefa"). We made sure to get a nice photo before setting out.
The landscape of West Timor seems to be even more dramatic than that of East Timor.
This drive is truly magical! The sky screams with blue and small villages filled with green dot the area. From what I've observed so far, West Timor is the least polluted part of Indonesia. From Kefa I'd be taking a bus to Kupang. Hitchhiking isn't particularly easy in Indonesia due to the language barrier and the fact that many vehicle operate as unofficial transport taking fare-paying passengers. For a few hours the bus ride was uneventful and I even fell asleep for a bit, but in the town of Soe that had been a huge landslide. It apparently happened earlier in the day as large numbers of people, including a group carrying a coffin, were walking around it.
Locals were offering to carry my bags but they would have expected money at the end of it. It would take awhile to organize some transport as there were no buses; I ended up taking a private car to Kupang. Finally at about 7 PM, my weary self met Conny, my latest CouchSurfing host. She and I would get pork satay for dinner as I told her about my adventures throughout both East and West Timor.
West Timor is one of those places that is crying out to be explored, and if I had more time I'd love to see places where virtually no other travellers have set foot.
