Fabulous Timor and Rote

[simage=2357,200,n,left,]Our original Lebaran plan got messed up. After enjoying Flores so much last year, we wanted to visit the islands at the east of the chain – Alor and Pantar. The best way to get there is via Kupang in Timor, with a couple of small airlines connecting to Alor. After booking our Kupang flights, Alor began to elude us. First, the recommended Le Petite Kapa Homestay on Alor messed us around – promising us a room and then telling us that they could not guarantee it, and then offering us only a few nights. The legendary Mepati airlines then seemed to change our flight on a daily basis before canceling the flight altogether and telling us to rebook. Instead, we decided to give Alor a miss and see what Timor had to offer. Great decision.

Our friends Pete and Merin and, more recently, Dan had been to Timor and said good things about climbing Gunung Mutis and the dry, karst landscapes. But we were pleasantly surprised throughout our trip and can’t recommend Timur enough.

We started with a few nights in Kupang, capital of the province of NTT. The Lonely Planet gets it right and it is the simple night market that makes Kupang – one part of the main downtown street is closed every night to traffic and the road is filled with small “kaki lima” stalls that cook fantastic grilled fish. There’s also a good pub on the waterfront.

From Kupang we headed out to do a day hike to climb Fatu Timau that Dan recently “discovered.” What a great find! The journey is fantastic. If trail bikes were/are available in Kupang, this would be one best rides in Indonesia. The road is quite rough but the scenary is fantastic and makes up for the bumps. We stopped to take photos many times – karst outcrops, traditional houses, semi-wild horses, cacti – and we arrived at the trailhead in 5 hours. The trail to the summit is easy and takes less than 1 hour and we could see the north coast of Timur and Gunung Mutis to the south. We particularly enjoyed hiking through the eucalyptus forest, with crunch of dry leaves underfoot and distinctive smell. This is off-the-beaten path Indonesia at it’s best.

We then headed by ferry south to the island of Rote, which is famous for it’s surf off the coast of Nemberala village. The beach and coastline here are fantastic – not just for surfers. The limestone rocks means the beaches are white sand, and they are virtually deserted and pristine. We hired bicycles and rode through sleepy villages with pigs and chickens running around. The family and staff running the Losmen Anugurah were great and the food was simple and fantastic. One day we took a boat with some of the other guests out to the islands further southwest – even more remote with a few villages that are known for their ikat weaving. Unlike many other places in Indonesia, there was no hard sell and only a group of curious kids followed us around. The only regret is that I didn’t have a few surf lessons, after being foiled when someone told us there was no surf teacher available – there was.

Somewhat reluctantly we left Rote to go back to Timur and drive directly to the starting point for the hike up Gunung Mutis. It was a long drive and it was dark and around 7pm when we arrived at the village of Fatumnasi where the village head runs a Homestay. We were welcomed like long lost family, and Pak Mathius’ extended family gathered around and we chatted as we were served dinner. We had warned Pak Mathius that we were vegetarian, but he did seem disappointed that we would not eat any pig – vegetarians don’t eat pig? Not even a little bit of skin? The accommodation is very basic – a dirt floored, tin-roofed hut with rough wooden beds and a thin mattress. It was freezing cold after 4 nights on Rote and we foolishly had not packed any warm clothes or a sleeping bag. But we survived and we woke to another gloriously sunny morning to start the hike at around 7:00 am. We took motorbikes (ojeks) up the bumpy road for about 8 km, through eucalyptus and pine forest. The hike starts near a large karst outcrop and is a glorious trail through the forest past other outcrops and stunted eucalyptus trees. The most enjoyable part of the hike is walking up through some grassy meadows, which are very unlike any other hike we’ve done in Indonesia. A cross between southern Australia and Scotland? The trail passes some interesting sites – the graves and home of some former Dutch colonists and the “pintu Mutis,” where you should leave a small offering to ensure safe passage to the summit. It’s an easy hike and one that we will remember for a long time.

We can’t recommend Timur and Rote enough as a holiday destination. Off the well worn tourist trail, but easy and full of great people.
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