March 17, 2019 - Dili, Timor-Leste - Sunday , Day 70

March 17, 2019 - Dili, Timor-Leste - Sunday , Day 70

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! 

We arrived at the anchorage in Dili at 7:30 this morning under gray skies. Timor-Leste requires a visa for anyone getting off of the ship. The cost is $55 each. 

Since Dili is just starting to develop its tourism trade, there inso suitable pier for cruise ships. So this is a tender port. When we first stopped here on January 16th, we decided to remain onboard and wait for the reviews of those who did go ashore. These were mostly positive so we will go ashore today.

First Look At Dili After The Rain

We were warned that the condition of the pontoon used to offload us from the tenders was very unstable and the gangway was steep. We would have to use the handrails, follow crew instructions and accept their assistance. The tender ride was slow because we were over a mile away and due to the swell in the harbor. The pontoon was very bouncy, but our tender was unloaded without incident.

Tender Ride

Tender Pontoon at Pier

The Terminal Is Vacant

Looking Down the Dock

TourBus

Port Exit

We had made a list of places we wanted to visit. It included a church near the pier, the cathedral, the Tais Fabric Market, the cemetery and the governor’s palace. We had located these on the poor map provided onboard, but we had been told that there would be local representatives at the pier who would have maps. We had also been told thatEnglish would not be spoken by many  of the people we would meet. The first guide we spoke to did struggle with English. He wanted very much to help us. He gave us a map and referred to another man who did speak English. He explained the taxi system and pointed us on our way.

We studied the new map and found the jetty. Then we started out along the waterfront toward the cathedral. We knew we would have to turn inland eventually. It was a pleasant walk. The sky was still gray. We walked past a park and soon saw the church. The grounds were large and full of people sitting on chairs and benches. The church was overflowing. It was Sunday Mass. It looked like everybody was here. This is a former Portuguese settlement, and the population is primarily Catholic.

As we walked along the waterfront we came to a place where a river was dumping into the sea. It had rained just before we arrived and the water was running muddy from the wash off from the hills. we had noticed that the sea looked dirty when the tenders were lowered. Their wake trail left a bit of clear water. We had attributed this to the ships thrusters stirring up the bottom as they held us in position. Now we knew better. It was natural byproduct of rain, and it was dirty. As we looked at the shoreline here, we could see 2 boys swimming in this muddy runoff.

From the church we continued on along the waterfront. We had decided that we would turn inland at a point where the shore road veered right. After passing the lighthouse that we had noted from the ship, we started passing various embassies. The walk had become quite long. Pretty soon we came across men selling fresh caught fish to passing cars.

Thai Embassy

Other scenes along the way.

At Least Someone Wants It Clean

Painted Fence Wall

Government Office

ATM Inside 

Then it happened. The shore road did not veer right. It ended at a road that went inland. This was not on our map. We stopped to ask some of the fishermen where the cathedral was. It took a “town gathering” for them to figure out what we wanted. Then came the dawn. They waved that it was way back and away from the water. They stopped a taxi for us. We and one of the fishermen established that the driver, who spoke no English, would take us to the cathedral for $5. Deal.

They Helped Us Get A Taxi

We were not sure what we had gotten ourselves into when we boarded his old taxi. He was kind and a good driver. He drove us back past the embassies. As we approached the lighthouse that we had walked past an hour ago, he asked to see our map. He looked at it as he drove. Then he passed it back to me and turned onto a main road just before we reached the lighthouse. Maasdam was bobbing at anchor off to our left. After quite a ride he made a turn, then exited part way around a roundabout. There was the cathedral ahead of us. Upon arrival I tried to open the taxi door by reaching through a hole where the handle used to be. I missed the twine that was hanging out of the hole. The driver chuckled as he reached back and grabbed the twine to open the door. So it wasn’t a fine vehicle, but it got us here safely.

We visited the cathedral. It is very simple and pretty large. It was empty except for us and a few others from the ship. We left the grounds the same way the taxi had entered. Other gates were locked. 

Our map was more useful now. We were able to walk just 3 blocks through the neighborhood to get to the Tais Market. This was a square block of tin sheds that house vendors selling woven fabric of local designs. We watched as some women in the first few stalls worked their looms. These products were very nice. We visited each vendor and saw a lot of similar things. We were having difficulty finding something to buy.

After our first pass through the market, we need to find a toilet. We had left Maasdam at 9:00. It was now 12:30. We went to one shop where some of the ship’s tour buses were parked. We asked one of the guides about a toilet. He let us know that there were none. He suggested that we take a taxi. The driver would take us to a toilet for cheap. This was not going to happen. We had notice a small restaurant just outside the market. We made a beeline for it. They had a sign pointing to the toilet. We gladly bought 2 cokes and used the toilet. The cokes were each $1. The currency here is the US dollar. I gave the waitress a $5 bill. She called out to someone in the back. A small hole opened up in the wall, the waitress passed in my $5 and out came 3 100 cent coins. We now had $3 in Timor-Leste coins.

Back in the market we found a woven piece that started at $10 and we purchased for $6. I paid with the 3 Timor coins and $3. Whew!

Now to get to the cemetery. Outside the market we found a you man with a very nice taxi. We asked him to take us to the cemetery, wait for us for 30 minutes and then drive us to the port. He started at $20. I offered $5. He came to $10. I offered $7. He happily accepted. We entered this clean vehicle and started the 10 minute drive to the cemetery. He parked in the shade. We went for a cemetery walk in the sun. This reminded me of the cemetery in Havana, but the graves were not nearly as well maintained. The government does not provide that service here as it does in Havana. The graves are also much closer to each other. In fact once we left the entrance path we had step on and climb over graves. Part way into the cemetery we met 2 men and a woman mixing cement. They were in the processing of improving a family grave. We asked if they could direct us to the grave of Sebastio Gomez, a hero of the November 21, 1991 student massacre in the struggle for independence from Indonesia. He led us on a walk far back into the cemetery crossing over many graves to get there. He left us to return to his work. After a moment of prayer we made our way back to the taxi. Our driver happily took us back to the port and his $7. He was happy. We were happy. 

Taxi Dash

Taxi Driver - On Left

Gomez Grave

They Led Us To The Grave

Cemetery Entrance - Chapel At End

Next we would walk along the shore in the other direction. We passed hotels and parks and finally arrived at the Governor’s Palace. This large white complex is impressive. One striking feature is a pair of orange triangles. One is mounted on the roof. The other is mounted on a tower at the edge of the property near the harbor. Each had a light in the center. These were certainly range lights. Looking out to sea we could see that they lined up with the center of the channel that brought ships in through the surrounding reef. We confirmed this later when we looked back as the tender negotiated the channel.

This was a pleasant visit.

Back onboard we prepared for the farewell to Asia dinner. Passengers were encouraged to wear clothing representative of the regions we had visited. What better for me to wear than my barong. Once again it was a real hit. The next time we visit this part of the world Alice will buy something to wear other than a Sari. Even though it takes some effort to don the Sari, Alice would do it, but this time it is still hanging in the closet at home. Something easier to slip into would definitely be more pleasant.

Some of the decorations for the dinner.

Tonight we joined the St. Patrick’s Day singalong the piano bar. Of course we made grasshoppers a green part of that. It was a good crowd. Jamm’s selection of songs was fun. He led us in a key that maximized participation. 

What a nice end to a busy day.