Travel from Dili to Pante Makassar - Oucusse in East Timor
In my recent travel to East Timor I've stayed for 15 days in Oecusse, that can be written in the dialect of Tetum, Oekusi-Ambenu, Oecussi, Ocussi, Oekussi, Oekusi, Okusi, Oé-Cusse, a district of East Timor an exclave (not enclave) inside in the western part of the island of Timor inside the Indonesian part of West Timor, which a part of the province of Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia.I was in touch with local communities in the capital of the district, Pante Macassar, that was also called, Vila Taveiro in colonialist Portuguese Timor.
Getting out of Dili at 7:00 AM for a 7 hour trip to Pante Macassar in Oucusse district
We have to reach the first Indonesian border after Batugade before lunch.
A last photo of the Atauro Island, living Dili the capital.
Here goes the Map of the trip.
A great stop for a morning espresso with Timorese black coffee in a beautiful and quiet Hotel with the excellent Ximanagane Restaurant outside the doors of Dili on the beginning of the way to Liquiça.
I still made the last visit 2 weeks later for a super lunch with a local Timorese friend, that I'll report in a future post.
With a paradisiac landscape around, to the right.
And the view of the left.
Back on the road....
Another stop to take some photos of the famous lagoon of Maubara where the bodies of murdered Timorese where thrown by the Indonesian military.
The legend says that all the dead trees that we can see near the margin are a result of the spirits of the dead people.
Next stop is the Maubara Fort that in 1851 was occupied by the Dutch and was exchanged with the Portuguese with a beautiful island called Island of Flowers/ Ilha Das Flores.
Some photos from the fort that today is a restaurant and accommodation place.
And the way out of Maubara Village. I'll get back with some photos of the local market on the way back from Oucusse.
A view after the way out ot Maubara Village, on the right.
And on the left, the typical Asian landscape of rice fields post-harvest of the rice (they are greener before the rice crop).
Arriving the Timorese part of the border to cross to Indonesia.
Now we are entering the "military democracy" of Indonesia, always pressed by military looking for ways to get money, mainly from local people.
Lunch in an Indonesian Restaurant with the powerful chili called "Amanitas". They like everything fried or cooked in lots of oil and spices even tofu is fried with egg and flour.
Black meat of buffalo, chicken, and cow, a lovely fish I don't remember the name, and all meals must have rice that locally is like the bread we eat with our meals.
Some more views of the way. On the left.
On the right.
Arriving to the Indonesian border of Wini to cross to Oecusse district in East Timor.
And finally inside East Timor, much less intimidating border, but still some guys still try to get something "for tea" like in China.
And we are happy to arrive to Pante Makassar, captital of the Oucusse District and finally I found a road sign with name of the village, a rare thing in East Timor
Here is my first sunset at Pante Makassar, Oucusse , East Timor
Later....
Big change.
A strange fact and joke about Anarchist intervention in Timor
"In the 1970s and 1980s, New Zealander anarchist Bruce Grenville began a hoax, claiming to have founded the sultanate of Occussi-Ambeno. He invented a history for the state of tribes united against the Portuguese, and produced many cinderella stamps for his creation."
"he gained notoriety for a hoax involving the fabrication of the utopian Sultanate State of Occussi-Ambeno, an exclave located as an on the Island of Timor, with himself as the self-proclaimed Sultan. Stamps were produced for the "Sultanate".
source :https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oecusse_District.
Bruce Grenville - All the story.
And I finish part 1 of this post here and I'll come back with some photos of my visit to Lifau, the first place the Portuguese arrived to Timor, and to Faot Sub (pronounced Fatchuba)an ancient prison run by the Portuguese during colonial ocupation with beautiful views of the village of Pante Makassar.<
Making a translation for the Portuguese Language community to publish soon.
See you next post :)
