Timor Leste is heaven for camping. Being less populated than other parts of SE Asia, there’s plenty of land to pitch a tent on, be it on the beach or up high in the mountains. Be careful on the beaches though as salt water crocs inhabit these waters too, something I got warned about after the locals saw me bathing in the ocean one afternoon.

One of the strangest things was the peoples reaction to me camping there. Naturally they want to check out all the weird gear that I’ve got but generally not before asking if they can come and look. Even when camped in the fields they keep their buffalo in, they would stand some way off just watching and waiting for me to signal them over before approaching. It was almost like they respected my own space. Or maybe they are just wary after 250 years of having their land and resources taken from them by foreigners and are a little wary about why I’m here too.




camped by the beach as the sun sets behind me


flowers at 2000m


one of the more memorable campsites


wild horses running through the mountain tops at first light


visitors were always super curious. would have been great to have a better conversation that "Hi. Robert. Australia" then laughing


cooking in the tent is a no-no but cooking from inside the tent is still ok


a HDR shot of the sunset from 2000m


More here: https://oztoice.wordpress.com/2012/0...n-timor-leste/

Riding a motorbike around foreign countries give a unique insight into the culture that your immersed in, unlike package holidays or following the tourist trail, armed with a copy of *insert mass produced travel guide here*. I still get to see all the touristy spots but also get to see all the pieces in-between that haven been set up to accommodate for tourist and maintain a more genuine feel.

The story was no different in Timor Leste where I got a feel for how a country might work without the need nor desire for interference from a centralised government. Watching an extended family pitch in to build a new house was something of a revelation to me. They used what they could to get by, salvaging materials from other construction sites and substituting restrictive building legislation with experience and common sense. While I’m sure the house they were building would have won any design awards, it still served the same function as the McMansions back home and they probably had more freedom in its design than most people do. It was good to see people getting on with life without the need for people sitting in offices telling them how to do it.

The cock fighting match was another experience altogether. I’ve never seen it before and its becoming more of a rarity in SE Asia as countries like Indonesia try to ban it from happening (countless cocks kept under woven bamboo baskets throughout Indonesia tells me the government is loosing that battle) but in Timor Leste its still completely legal and happens all over the country. Even in some of the most remote corners of Timor Leste large sums of money are exchanging hands while roosters try to avoid razor sharp blades strapped to their opponents spurs in the hope that they wont become tonight’s dinner. With it so heavily ingrained in the culture, even the kids have their own roosters that they are taught to raise properly in order to one day turn them into money making machines in the local arenas. A small table off to the side of the cock fighting arena that served as a kind of roulette table with minimal moving parts turned the former rice paddy field into a veritable village casino.


the men of the family pose for a photo before i leave


all concrete was mixed by hand, the stones and sand mined from local rivers and sized manually while water was carried on the back of motorcycles from a nearby stream


the arrival of a foreigner at this village cock fight was enough of a rarity to halt proceedings until i had been introduced to everyone and the obligatory questions had been asked like "where are you from, how many cc, how old are you, how did you got so big?"


the fighting and gambling quickly got underway again


a future hopeful champion


some fights ended quickly and cleanly, others were drawn out with plenty of blood and excitement from the gathered crowd


when things in the cock fighting ring got a little boring, everyone migrated over to the roulette table to try their luck on a ball rolling around on a divoted surface


more here: http://oztoice.wordpress.com/2012/01...e-family-home/

Passing through Timor Leste wouldn’t be complete for an Australian without a visit to the small and rather unremarkable village of Balibo. Most people will never have heard of the place but this is where the Indonesian government of 1975 first invaded Timor Leste, which began 25 years of military rule that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Timorese. Australians will know it as the place that 5 journalists reporting on the invasion for Australian news channels were murdered by the invading military and the proof of what happened destroyed when their bodies and footage were burnt. It was also the beginning of the Australian governments dubious history with Timor Leste as they turned a blind eye to the murder of the Australian journalists and the Timorese people.




a couple of locals by the roadside


with very little support from the government, this family were walking back home after clearing a large tree off the road using only their parangs (machetes)


pretty standard fuel stop in these parts


a very old and very cool looking truck that looked like it had been parked up for a while


this was a buffalo about 2 hrs before this. now its almost dinner





more here: http://oztoice.wordpress.com/2012/01/12/balibo/

Excellent pics & report Rob