Australian_Geographic_-_October_2015_

96 Australian Geographic

BOTTOM LEFT: DAWN DELANEY / GETTY

W

HEN I decided

to travel to

Timor-Leste –

or East Timor

• I wasn’t quite
  sure what to expect. Similar to most
  Australians, much of what I knew
  about this South-East Asian neigh-
  bour had come from news reports and
  the picture painted was not one of an
  idyllic destination. It goes without
  saying that Timor-Leste has had a
  turbulent history, which has shaped its
  culture for hundreds of years. But
  today – since achieving independence

Dr Dean Miller is a filmmaker and marine

biologist who travels the world to research

and film animals in remote, inhospitable and

interesting corners of the planet. His last story

was Northern exposure (AG 121), about an

AGS-sponsored expedition to Greenland.

in 2002, and having enjoyed a number

of years of peace and stability – the

people of Timor-Leste are planning

for a much brighter future.

Just a 90-minute flight across the

Timor Sea from Darwin, Timor-Leste

is one of Australia’s closest neigh-

bours. The island of Timor is the

largest of the Lesser Sunda Islands,

with the western half belonging to

Indonesia and the eastern half to

Timor. It is mountainous and thickly

vegetated, with relief from the rugged

terrain provided only by the magnifi-

cent coastline, where white sandy

beaches meet crystal-clear waters

fringed by tropical coral reefs. As I fly

over this scenery on my way to the

capital Dili, it dawns on me that any

preconceptions I might have had

about Timor-Leste are probably not

accurate and I am filled with

excitement about the adventure ahead.

Upon landing I meet my driver for

this expedition, a young Timorese

man named Joal, who speaks in

broken but clear English. This is

fortunate because my Portuguese and

Tetum (major languages spoken here)

leave much to be desired. He wel-

comes me warmly and is brimming

with pride for his country.

We weave through the streets of

Dili, a city of more than 200,000, just

as it awakens under the rising intensity

of the equatorial sun. It’s an eclectic

mix of modern Western-style blocks,

extravagant embassies, basic dwellings

puffing smoke from cooking fires, and

bustling market stalls. There are cars,

trucks and scooters everywhere. All

this colour and activity creates an

energy and vibrancy that are testament

to the nation’s new beginnings.

DESTINATION

City life. Dili provides a vibrant insight into the traditional

ways of the Timorese. You‘ll find fishermen (below) selling

the catch of the day, every day, at the local fish markets

alongside skilled artisans plying ancient crafts, such as the

creation of tais. This traditional handwoven fabric (bottom) is

an integral part of the local cultural heritage.