Irabere

liliomar_143.jpgIrabere

The south coast of East Timor is absolute magic to me. The people are so good and the scenery is amazing.

This part of East Timor gets little traffic and is crossed by many rivers. During the wet it would be easy to get stranded down there because you could have raging rivers on both sides of you and nowhere to go.

During a heavy rain the streams are impassible.

liliomar_150.jpgGetting stranded could turn into a neat experience if you like to meet the local people because you would have to wait a few days for the rain to stop.

If the sky turns black and you can sense rain coming make preparations to get under cover somewhere because it is miserable to sleep in wet clothes.

The mosquitoes don’t seem to be a big problem in this area because most of the water is running downhill to the sea.

liliomar_146.jpgMy experience has been that someone will welcome you into their home for shelter.

If you decide to take a trip down there look over your equipment to make sure that it is in good shape.

If it breaks down you will get to do some walking because there are no repair shops, benzine shops or and guesthouses or restaurants.

There is very little traffic either. Traveling down there is for people that are not on a tight schedule and are flexible about their requirements.

liliomar_167.jpgMost of the streams are fordable during the dry.

By Irabere the river is too deep to drive so you will need to get some local guys to help you carry your bike across.

In the dry, the water is only a meter or so deep but gets quite full during the wet and the current would be ripping. You could loose your bike.

I told the guys that the deal was if they swamp the bike I would be moving in with them. They found that to be pretty funny.

liliomar_173.jpgThey didn’t have any problem and I could not keep up with them as they zipped across the river. The rocks were slimy and they are a sure footed. I trailed way behind because didn’t want to end up in the drink with my digital camera.

For people into trekking this might be a good area to explore. There is a ridge that follows the coast that has a spectacular view towards Australia. It is nice and cool up there. But there is no easy access to the sea.

You would likely have to take along all your provisions and would have to boil your water or just drink it straight from the rivers.

Irabere – south coast of East Timor

Aug 13, 2006 www.dutchpickle.com

4 responses to “Irabere”

  1. I gave each of these guys a dollar for carrying my bike across the river.

    I really miss East Timor but have found a new home in the Philippines and enjoy exploring the back country here by motorbike as well.

    dp

  2. Actually it is no more need to pay people to carry you across the river, because we already have a bridge over the river…

  3. Hey Rick I am about to publish a book about 2006 in ET in Poland. You are in it of course! Dont you mind if I use your photos on my book page (you get the credits of course)

    Dr mateusz

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