BAUCAU TO TUTUALA
This is the stretch that is going to make East Timor famous - see it now before
the developers get to it. The first town along the coast after Baucau - 20
minutes or so - is Laga. It’s essentially a group of fishermen’s houses
strung along the shore, all built in the traditional Macassae style and all
fronted by gardens stuffed with flowering shrubs. While the men fish, the
women tend rice paddies that flow right into the ocean - a lovely sight. Facing
inland, Mount Matebian provides a stunning backdrop to a series of low foothills
from which a ruined fortress glares out over the coast. There are some perfect,
deserted beaches as you continue eastwards towards Lautem, the district capital,
and even better ones beyond - although this last segment of the road leaves
much to be desired (eroded and rocky). Muro is the northernmost village
in East Timor and worth a stop.
UNESCO is funding the restoration of two traditional sacred houses in Muro which shelter the lulic, holy treasures, of the region’s clan, the Fataluku. These include talismans made from the feathers of rare birds, centuries old gold and silver pieces, antique woven cloths and old firearms. A little way uphill from the houses is an alleyway formed by massive banyan trees growing over a number of freshwater springs. The conjunction of water, trees and sunlight makes this a sacred place for animist devotees, and the trees have been hung with amulets such as such as the skins and skulls of animals (birds, buffalo and deer). Artistically deteriorating Portuguese buildings near Muro’s (beautiful, white sand) beach harken back to its days as a resort town in the 18th century. Also of interest are the town’s Dong Son-style houses. These eccentric-looking tall, narrow and carved dwellings are scattered in pockets throughout the eastern tip of East Timor, and are taken as evidence of ancestral ties to northern Vietnam, where the Dong Son culture originated.
It’s a very nice walk from Muro to Com, the largest
town along this stretch of coastline, passing through a palm forest and scrub
inhabited by long-tailed macaque monkeys and several species of birds (watch
for eagles flying over the reefs). The earliest settlers in Timor are believed
to have landed roughly in this area, and a heap of stones known as the Sacred
Boat is revered in their memory.
Com is a coastal town with houses descending the hillside to a (beautiful,
white sand) beach which boasts some of the best snorkelling in the country.
The Com Beach Resort gives some idea of what lies ahead for this area, and
although somewhat pricey it is the only accommodation outside Dili that can
be booked over the internet.