week forty three | back to timor-leste

It’s only been nine months since my last trip to Timor-Leste and yet it felt like so much had changed. Like I have mentioned in this blog time and time again, I have a incredible job and I’m so very lucky to travel for work – especially to somewhere as exciting and beautiful as Timor-Leste!

A couple of months ago (in late June) I was able to head back. New team - same projects - same Timor-Leste but so many things have changed! It seems like nine months of constantly thinking about a place means it really gets into your heartstrings. I was shocked just how different Dili was - a place of consent road works and building where there was none last year. The city seems to be a buzz with activity.  However, stepping out just a little also brought home the very quite everyday life of most of Timor-Leste. There are essentially no tourists or travelers, which makes every little trip or visit a bigger adventure then it may be in 10 years once the tourism industry takes off.

Similar to last year, this trip we split our time between Dili, Alieu and Atauro Island (still three of my favorite places) to spend time and to visit our partners and projects that are doing so well. We were also able to do a couple of new things that I didn’t get a change to do last year.

Below are my four top moments from this latest Timor visit.

1) The National Resistance Museum – We missed out last year but it was as exceptional as everyone said. Very well put together and presented. Very interesting to hear and see the struggle of independence from the Timorese perspective.

2) The Green Farms and Hills of Alieu – our last trip was much deeper into the dry season so this year we saw the beautiful fertile landscape of Alieu district in the mountains of Dili. They looked idyllic and peaceful - a dramatic contrast to the dust and noise of Dili.

3) The Parade of the Youth Cross – Our visit this year over lapped with the visit of the Youth Cross from Portugal. Timor-Leste is a deeply committed Catholic country and as the cross visited each district, the streets would be lined with hand made bamboo decorations and everyone from the local community would come to see the cross and to join in the celebrations. It was beautiful to watch the dancing and singing and to see communities working together to prepare and decorate. This was not something we expected to see during our visit but it was fascinating and beautiful and an honour to be able to see this.

4) Whale Watching on the way to Ataruo Island – This is probably better described as a life highlight and I don’t think I’ll ever see anything so spectacular again in my lifetime. On our way to Atauro the captain of our boat spotted a whale. We pulled up beside it and watched it swim slowly passed before taking a dramatic dive to the depth of the ocean after presenting its back and tail for us to admire and enjoy. We were all memorized and applauded after he was gone because honestly, what else do you do when a whale waves hello??

Over all, another incredible trip to an incredible country. I love being in the place I think about every day. I love sitting on it’s beaches and talking with the people.

If you are at all interested in an adventure holiday like no other, you should consider Timor-Leste as an option, you won’t regret it.

5/5  days at the beach 

week forty two | maningrida, northern territory

The whole reason for our trip north was to visit Max’s friend Jess, who along with her partner Tim and her little brother Pete were the most wonderful hosts for our entire trip. Jess and Tim are both teachers and we spent many happy evenings on Jess’s front porch with a glass of wine discussing everything under the sun.

Maningrida is a small community about 7 hours north-east of Darwin that also safely wins the award for the most isolated place I have ever been. Getting in an out of the place is a nightmare and if it weren’t for Jess and Tim’s 4WD (and their ability to pilot it) we wouldn’t have made it. It’s all dirt and there are a few pretty exciting (read: terrifying) river crossings.

About 4 hours into our drive from Kakadu we stopped to take some pictures and I was completely overwhelmed by the vastness of the landscape. There were big rock formations and endless sky – I remember thinking that the dreamtime stories made complete sense in that moment. You could almost feel the land, which I know sounds a little wanky but you’re going to have to believe me until you visit yourselves and write something better. 

Once you arrive there isn’t much except a shop or two, a really cool art center, the school Jess and Tim teach at a couple of other bits and pieces. For Max and I, the trip wasn’t really about any of that; it was about hanging out with friends and fulfilling the promise Max made to Jess about a million years ago.

I knew that there would be some differences but was amazed by just how differently life operated. The entire community is at the complete mercy of the weather, the barge that delivers supplies, the flying doctors service etc etc.

Maningrida was also the perfect place to actually relax. Days filled with sleep-ins and then naps (because sleep-ins are really exhausting) and then wanders and cooked lunch. By the time Jess and Tim has finished their work days, Max and I were just about ready for the day and so afternoons got to be filled with boat rides, fishing trips, visits to the creek, fireworks and bonfires.

I loved our trip because it was absolutely perfect and had the best balance between sleep and adventure. I can’t wait to go back!

5/5 fishing trips 

week forty one | kakadu national park, northern territory

I can still remember the exact moment I added ‘camping in Kakadu’ to my bucket list. I was on the plane flying home to Melbourne for the very first time. I was scared about moving ‘back home’ but was equally as excited to see as much of Australia as I possibly could. Fast forward almost three years and Max and I were packing tents, mats and sleeping bags, heading north and ready to tackle whatever it had to offer.

The other thing you probably need to know about this trip was that I was throwing caution to the wind and going in without a plan. Max had mentioned a couple of times that he’d had one but I have a feeling he was just saying that to make me feel a bit better. In the end it was better to not have anything planned because the sudden out-of-season rain stuffed everything up anyway. So when it turned out we had to get an unplanned early-morning bus to Kakadu, the new easy-breezy Matilda didn’t batter an eyelid.

Day one saw us bussing to the tiny town of Jabaru which lies right in the middle of  the Kakadu national park. I was surprised by the park itself; I’m not sure what exactly I was expecting it to look like but it was different, filled with a much wider variety of trees and birds then I had imagined. It was hot (as I expected) but far more vast then I ever knew land could feel.

Once in Jabaru we wandered down to the campground ready to set up the tent and wait to hear word from our friends who we had planned to meet up with. It was really cool, and once we’d set up tent we made a beeline towards the pool and the bar for an afternoon of uninterrupted lounging.

(This is probably the point in the blog I would mention about how Max can’t swim but because I’m an okay sort of person I have decided to leave this out. Don’t worry mate, it’s our little secret.) 

After one great night in Jabaru we were able to meet up with the wonderful Tim/Jess/Pete combo deal, and jumped into their 4WD ready to take on the park. There’s a lot to be said about driving on dirt roads and while some people might think 4WD-ing might get old, those people are very wrong because it is ridiculously fun.

One we had finally settled on a campground and waterfall combo we quickly set up the tents and set out on the hike up to the swimming hole. Gumlum Falls is a pretty famous one but even the hoards of long weekend campers couldn’t wipe the sweaty smile off my face as I first laid eyes on it. Three or four cool pools over looking the campground and park. It was spectacular and the five of us were extremely happy campers.

After all the joy of the hike and swimming, someone (name withheld for privacy reasons) spoke up, and once the suggestion to drive back Jaburu  (specifically, the bar at Jabiru) was floated, it was almost inevitable that our Gunlum falls camping trip was going to be pretty short lived.

What happened next was an adrenaline-fuelled dash: three hours back to Jaburu, tent tied to the roof (perhaps not our most enlightened idea). We roared past fires and over a couple little animals and “TIMECHECK!”-ed our way back. Thank god Tim is such a good driver because it was also prime sunset watching time from the back of the truck.

To cut a long and hilarious story short we did make it back, we did have some beers and we did eat some great food. Then we set up camp (for the second time that day) and settled in for the night.

So there it was: Camping (check) four wheel driving (check), hiking (check), swimming in a waterfall (check), good friends (check) and beer (check). We did it, and we have the pictures to prove it.

5/5 waterfall swims