The Hell Journey and a little Kupang

Dili to Kupang takes about 12 hours you receive a complimentary snack box before you leave. Maybe sleeping tablets would be better. I was sitting in the front so I could take photos with the window wound down. Little did I realise that I would be seeing everything up close the pot holes, the splits in the road, the very skinny road, the sea down on the side(no guard rails), the trucks, the road works and the schedule the driver needs to keep to reguardless of the previously mentioned road works. I felt like I was in Nepal between Katmandu and Pokara the wide rivers with gravel and fine dust the roads.
The bad decision was sitting in the front – we stopped for an accident moved seating position -what I didn’t know was easier on my nerves.

It was great seeing the countryside from the road rather than a plane but there will be no rush to repeat it.

Now in Kupang the port for many places Bligh found it years ago.

Great seafood at the night market and music at the Lavalon bar with the sound of waves quietly splashing on the shore.

Delayed photos

Dili East Timor

Get off the plane, taxi ride to the city with a lady who works in Malyana.

They have a container terminal smack bang in the middle of the city right in the middle of the road along the beach not far from the many countries that have consular buildings. China has a new, flash and very secure one. China is paying for many of public buildings for the government. They bring in all the materials and labour. (There is a lot of unemployment here!!!!). What does China want? Australia already has provided aid to East Timor and negotiated a oil contract with East Timor which many say is less than generous!! Australia’s consul building is on a busy road far from prestigious.

Many UN, NGO’s vehicles buildings and people.

Pantai kelapa food is barbequed at the beach – chicken drumstick on a stick, fish, sausage, squid everything on a stick!!  The red meat is really well cooked or more so like leather. A meal for 2 – 2 pieces of chicken, 4 satays, 2 small squid and 4 ketupat (solid cooked rice) $7US

Apparently it goes until 3 in the morning might be tricky finding a taxi home at that time.

You can never have enough small money $1 $5 US notes are essential because it is not always easy to get change. Even the ATM’s give out $100US broken up into 4-20’s and 4-5’s. It is more expensive than Indonesia. Taxis are an easy way to get around

Indonesian is still spoken and can be a great communication aid if English Portuguese or Tennen is not part of the equation. Not cool for some though.

Obrigato, Nada  Thank you, You’re welcome in Tennen

Great to hang out on the sea front especially as the sun sets.

Goodbye Darwin

Delayed by plane BUT free accommodation meal allowance. Not quite East Timor but do they have a wavepool? do they have Austar in the room? hot water and air-conditioning and a minibar? is there a $70 meal allowance for 2 people? I don’t think we will be experiencing those things there!

We think it is goodbye Darwin tomorrow.

Into the great unknown………..

capital of top end

Stayed with the McCarthys in Darwin family and friendship connections we felt we were at home. The jetstar flight usually arrives at 1.55am or 2.30 on the 16^th June!!! Now I know why it is the cheapest air ticket to Darwin

Did lots of tourist things – Crocosaurus, fishing charter, tour of the wharf and coast, saw the sunset in Fannie Bay at the sailing club, feeding fish, art gallery and museum, concert, bus trip home alcohol fuelled and entertaining and our last meal was a NT special crocodile and barramundi.

People of the long grass

Pubs are busy early there is no such time as beer o’clock because it is all the time

Buses are cheap and free if you are a student pensioner or pre school

V8 supercar weekend at Hidden Valley Raceway– watched the concert ‘Bliss and Eso’ I didn’t realise that Chris Liley of Angry Boys had done such a good job of taking off rapping and hip hop artists. I thought he was a little extreme in the take off- not so.

At the art gallery the best or year 12 art is put on display called ‘exit art’

Watched a movie (a bit cheesey) ‘big mike’ that said to me amazing things can happen if you open up your life to include others. I am not sure if amazing things will happen to  Jane Michael Will Jessica and Millie but they definitely opened up their family to us-thank you all

first step of the journey

here we are sitting in adelaide airport
our immunisations have cost more than our airline tickets
and I don't believe in flu injections!!!
Thomas felt like an injection test dummy

the chilean volcanic ash has yet to stop our journey out of this cold place