The
seaside village of Com is on the east end of Timor. Com is short for
Comfort and it is spelled both ways on signs. It is about a 4 hour
drive east of Dili.
There isn't a whole lot going on there but it is a peaceful place to
stay for the night.
I stayed at Alex and Angelo's but there are a number
of other homestays there. The going rate is 5USD.
The US dollar is the national currency at this time (2006), but they
use Timorese coins. The idea is that it gives the economy stability but
it also makes things more expensive.
The rooms are
a good value and they expect you to buy some meals from them which run
about 3.50. They have beer and cokes and other snacks.
The
kids come around trying to sell shell necklaces and bracelets.
Sometimes I buy stuff just to help them out a little and some of it is
really good. The women sell the local weavings called tais. A lot of them are well made and make good souveniers.
It is really peaceful sitting out there along the "beach" at night
having a few beers. The Sina Seaside guesthouse has a small beach out
front and they allow camping there but still charge 5.00 dollars a nite.
In front of Alex and Angelos the shore is shallow and rocky but nice. At night the locals
are out there with lanterns checking the tide pools for fish. It remains
shallow for a long ways out.
There is
no electricity in Com so you use candles and lanterns. The Com Beach
Resort does have it's own generator.
It is a good idea to have a lighter and a candle handy in case you have to
use the toilet at night. It could be real dangerous otherwise. They
have the traditional Indonesian style toilets and mandi.
The guesthouses
provide a mosquito net but there were no annoying insects at all. It is
really a pleasant place to stay. The food needs improvement is about
all I can say.
The Com Beach Resort is the only place with electricity and
airconditioning, cable tv.
Backpackers and budget tourists would probably opt for the guesthouses
but there are quite a few people working for the Un and various NGOs
that can afford the fancier digs.
It is a nice place and they have a bar on the beach.
There is a pier at the end of the road where Thai fishing boats dock when they are not methodically depleating the area of tuna and lobster.
They do not have permits to fish the lobster but I see the 2 meter lobster pots stacked on the beach. There is no oversight over the fisheries in East Timor. It is most unfortunate that a few politicians have gained financially selling out the Timorese birthright for a pot of porriage. A properly managed fishery would be a wealth for years to come but they gave it away for a song. This really pisses me off.
Timorese are supposed to be happy spearing a few fish a day while factory ships bring the gold home to Taiwan or wherever.
The Thai fishermen in Com have modern equipment and run a first class operation. They are pros.
They were not too keen on having a foreigner checking out their set up
but what can I say.
Once a fishery is destroyed it takes years to recover and it probably never will.
Other viewpoints are welcome and will be cut and pasted here.
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