Articles from this Category
3 July 2013
Today was meant to be a relatively easy day of travel from Kupang to Denpasar, connecting to Lombok, all on Merpati Nusantara Airlines. The first flight left about 30 minutes late and the second was on time. I had a throbbing headache by the time I landed in Lombok’s new airport and taken the long taxi […]
2 July 2013
I had to wake at 0500 for a 0530 boat transfer to mainland Alor to continue by taxi to the airport. I had opted for a taxi at around USD15 rather than an ojek at USD5 because a couple had fell off their motorbike (self-drive) and scraped themselves badly after striking some sand on the […]
30 June 2013
Day 2 Diving Experience Today, both dives were muck dives in order to avoid strong currents due to the lunar perigee and recent full moon. That’s quite an irony to be doing muck dives when the waters around Alor are very clear. The first dive was Pertamina, just of the pier where fuel is shipped […]
29 June 2013
I did two days of diving with alor-diving.com based at La Petite Kepa. Their normal routine is 2 dives per day, leaving on their boat around 0730 and returning around 1330. Dives are EUR33 with all equipment. Day 1 Diving Experience First dive was at Abila Pura where the current was strong. I got separated […]
29 June 2013
My home for four nights in Alor (well, just off Alor island) is La Petite Kepa, a collection of huts by the sea on Pulau Kepa which is just off the village of Alor Kecil. It is a very rustic place; most walls (where they exist) are matting material and roofs are grass (except for […]
28 June 2013
This is my first day with semi-decent internet in over two weeks. Internet was too expensive in Australia and too slow in Timor Leste. I had admin mounting up so I cleared the backlog in a swift half hour. Then I saw Jetstar had a sale; they had flights from Auckland to Kuala Lumpur for […]
27 June 2013
Above: Typical scene on the way to the border. The minibus picked me up at 0845, a little later than the time I had been given. I had been waiting since 0800 as I’ve had early pickups as well; one never knows as they go around town collecting their prebooked customers.We headed west on the […]
30 December 2012
Above: “Pondan” is a brand of cake mix here but just across the border, it means “transvestite”. After a great buffet breakfast at the hotel, I ventured out. Nothing much was open being a Sunday morning. I found Carrefour and spent some time in there. I believe supermarkets offer an interesting insight into local life. […]
29 December 2012
Being normally an extremely heavy sleeper, I was surprised to have slept lightly through the night. I wandered out and found few choices for breakfast. With a long and rough day anticipated, I passed on the satay and opted for a selection of cakes. After breakfast, I investigated options for getting to Mandor where some […]
28 December 2012
My travel (pronounced truffle) picked me up at 1300 for the 3 hour (USD7) journey north to Singkawang. With a lunch stop and traffic, it took 4 hours. The scenery comprised forests, rice paddies, coconut groves, Kerala-like canals, homes surrounded by black water canals with people swimming and washing in them, and the brown sea […]