On the road again

29 September - 6 October 2013

I have just returned from being in Saui since Sunday, familiarising myself with the rural water supply systems in the region and to be part of an opening ceremony for a recently completed water supply for Foholulic (“Sacred Mountain”) in the area.  It took us about 8 hours of driving from Dili to get to where I stayed in Suai.  I might need to send google maps a message about the incorrect trip time, they said it will about take 2.5 hours!  It would for a 160 km journey in Australia, less if on a freeway, the road conditions here are not conducive to speedy travel as the following map, elevation and speed history testifies.

Unfortunately I did not stop to take many pictures along the way as the clouds were blocking the view of TL’s highest mountain, Mt Ramaleu.  On the way back I had the GPS on all of the way to find out the elevation  - it is certainly a lot cooler up high, the GPS confirmed 1950 m at the highest point along the way (and highest in TL).  We had to divert through Ainaro as the Same road, which is considered more scenic through the coffee plantations, has disappeared from a recent landslide.  So it made for interesting times when the road is only one car wide and there was a bus/truck coming in the other direction.  

Soon after lunch in Ainaro we stopped at a location where many Timorese (about 200) from Ainaro in 1999 were massacred and their bodies pushed over the cliff edge after being shot.  The cliff height looked about 60 metres or more and miraculously, one man survived!  The Timorese I was travelling with called the place “Jakarta Rua” or Jakarta Two as reference to who did it.  Very sobering and sad, especially considering the claim that massacre was committed by other Timorese who had been brainwashed by the Indonesians; some claimed they were medicated in order to commit the atrocity.  There is a memorial cross at the site as well as an attempt to build a safe viewing platform.

It was with relief when we finally got to Suai in one shaken and stirred piece – certainly wasn’t as suave as James Bond and there were no casinos to be seen.  Suai is an interesting place which unlike most places in TL has a level of order brought about by the Indonesians during the occupation.  Their plan was to relocate up to 250,000 people from other Indonesian towns throughout the archipelago into Suai.  The streets are laid out in a grid-like pattern with a number of silly statues at major intersections (sorry, no photos in the interests being able to upload this blog painlessly).

We headed to Foholulic on Monday to make finishing touches to newly completed water supply system for the village in preparation for the opening ceremony on Tuesday.  

(left to right: planning for next day’s fiesta, spring in foreground and solar array further up hill, welcome arch being prepared)

The system relies on water from a spring located approximately 100 m down the hill, water pumped using power from a solar array (only pumps during the day – no batteries) to a 20,000 L tank.  Water is then distributed to a number of tap stands located throughout the village. Their water supply is more reliable than my house’s back in Dili!

The whole village turned out in celebration for their more reliable water supply.  It was a celebration that went over two days as the contractor bought a cow for the ensuing fiesta, so there was plenty of food to go around and a welcome break from eating chicken.

(from left to right, elder giving the girls a pep talk before dignitaries arrives, elders and village welcomes dignitaries, one of many ribbon cutting ceremonies (solar array) during the day)

We headed back in convoy with the dignitaries back to Suai, they were the lucky ones as they flew from Dili that day.  We drove back the following day on the same bumpy roads as the way there, I think I even bruised my collar bone from the seat belt.

Oh the pain I had to endure for a few photos (near Ainaro) of the rugged hills!  Thanks Kev for my pose’s inspiration.