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A 16-day adventure by skip's retirement travel Read more
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  • skip's retirement travelEast Timor/ West Papua
    Day 2

    Kupang, West Timor, Indonesia

    May 17, 2023 in Indonesia

    Kupang is an Indonesian provincial capital located on Timor Island. It is a multiethnic city whose economy relies most heavily on the service sector and government spending.
    The 1st picture is the Tirosa monument, one of a number of monuments in the city. The 3 men represent 3 main islands of the province.
    The next 2 pictures are at the waterfront. The 2nd is the waterfront esplanade with the lighthouse in the background, and the 3rd looks along the beach in front of the esplanade at low tide.
    The next 4 pictures capture a bit of the Dutch history here, thanks to the Dutch East India company. The 4th picture is a graveyard that tends to get overgrown during the wet season which just ended. The 5th and 6th pictures are the old Dutch church from the colonial days, albeit renovated. They did maintain the original design. In the 6th picture, look at the columns. One of the designs looks like stick figures. I'm told this is a traditional art form showing the resurrection.
    The 8th picture is in a downtown night market. This market was mostly street food vendors. The 9th picture is of what I'm told are a small species related to tuna that are a staple for much of the population.
    The last picture is the entrance to Kristal Cave. It is a small cave with a lake inside. Access is by climbing down the native rock surface, partially using ropes. Sadly, my knee wasn't up to it.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelEast Timor/ West Papua
    Day 3

    Roslin Orphanage

    May 18, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Roslin Orphanage at Kupang is not what we usually understand an orphanage to be. The kids are from a parent or parents who don't have the resources to raise them. ISTM that this is more akin to a boarding school for the poor, at least from my understanding of the terms.
    The mission of Roslin is to educate. And so the children live here through university. They do not age out at 18. If parents withdraw the kids before graduating, they must repay the costs.
    Parents visit on occasion, and there is housing for them.
    I'm told that there are 31 kids here now and that more than 150 have passed through the program. They have doctor's, lawyers and more among their alumni.
    The 1st 3 pictures are in the central space of the orphanage. In the 3rd picture, the Roslin Kids (see another post) have gathered to entertain us.
    The other 3 pictures are views of the eco-farm next door. This is part of the orphanage where they raise much of their own food.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelEast Timor/ West Papua
    Day 3

    Roslin Kids

    May 18, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    The kids of Roslyn Orphanage (see another post) sang and danced for us. This video is one example. I'm willing to bet that many of you will recognize the song if you listen closely.
    The instrument is called the angklung, an instrument of the Sunda people of western Java.Read more

  • skip's retirement travelEast Timor/ West Papua
    Day 4

    Oé-cusse, Timor-Leste

    May 19, 2023 in East Timor ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Timor-Leste is the proper name for East Timor. This is the least visited country in Asia, and Oé-cusse is the least visited part of the least visited country.
    While not unique, Oé-cusse is separated from the rest of Timor-Leste as an enclave surrounded by indonesian West Papua.
    The 1st picture is the original monument at the location where the Portuguese first landed on Timor Island in the 16th century. The 2nd picture is a newer monument that has a ship, sailors, natives and more to commemorate that event.
    The 3rd picture is a bit of the beach in the main town across the street from the old Portuguese administrative building in the 4th picture.
    The 5th and 6th pictures are of the old Portuguese church dedicated to Saint Anthony. The building has been renovated, but much of the original architecture is maintained except that the building was white stone. This is now plastered.
    The last 2 pictures are at the waterfront enclosure dedicated to Mary. The entry is guarded by 2 angels (picture 7). The 8th picture is a statue of Mary, the mother of Jesus. An annual town festival centers here on a Mary feast day.
    The last 2 pictures are at the airport. It's a beautiful new building, obviously built for future growth. The last picture is the departure board for all the day's flights: our domestic flight to Dili.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelEast Timor/ West Papua
    Day 5

    Dili

    May 20, 2023 in East Timor ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Dili is the capital of Timor-Leste, the smallest and newest country in Asia. And this is the least visited country in Asia.
    The 1st picture is the Christ the King statue on a hilltop overlooking Dili and the harbor. It is reminiscent of Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio.
    The 2nd picture is the presidential palace, and the 3rd picture is a portion of the parliament building. The 4th picture is of a former presidential house that has been converted to a museum commemorating the life and presidency of Jose Ramos-Horta. Mr Horta received the Nobel Peace prize which is show in the 5th picture.
    The 6th picture is one of several traditional markets in town.
    The 7th picture commemorates a dark time. When the people is Timor-Leste voted overwhelmingly for a independence, the anti-independence group went on a rampage and scorched earth retreat. It became a genocide. This cemetery is when those killed at the time are buried. This particular monument is to a journalist who brought news of the killing to the world community, cementing international support for independence.
    The 8th and 9th pictures are of the Roman Catholic cathedral.
    The last picture is of the headquarters of the political party and that became the party of the early national government. As is typical of revolutions, the group leading the rebellion often takes power in the new government. That is the case here, and this is the party descended from that group. They remain a political party, albeit in opposition these days.
    Our visit coincided with both the national (independence) day and national elections. So many places were closed    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelEast Timor/ West Papua
    Day 6

    Atauro Island

    May 21, 2023 in East Timor ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Atauro is a inhabited, oceanic, volcanic island about an hour and a half by boat off the coast of Timor-Leste. It is a relatively untouched island with an ecotourism reputation. That rep includes diving and snorkeling.
    The 1st picture is the view from my front porch. The 2nd picture is along the beach looking back towards where my cottage was located. The 3rd and 4th pictures are scenery on the island. The last picture is along the road in the town of Beloi. Most of the roads on the island are unpaved    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelEast Timor/ West Papua
    Day 8

    Jayapura, West Papua

    May 23, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Jayapura is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of Papua. It is on the north coast of the Island of New Guinea. It was originally known as Hollandia when it was established by the Dutch.
    The 1st 2 pictures are of houses originally built by the Dutch. The 1st had been remodeled, but the one in the 2nd picture is original. It is the only one left that retains its original design and construction.
    The 3rd picture is of the new St. Paul's church, taken from the street with the Dutch houses
    The 4th picture is the new executive offices of the Papua Province government.
    The 5th picture is an overview of the city and its harbor from a nearby ridge. During world war 2, there was a naval base here. The 6th picture is of a park where guns had been emplaced to protect the harbor. Today, there is an old Sherman tank and other WW 2 weapons placed on the site.
    Jayapura is also known for its stilt houses. The 7th picture looks across the harbor to one of the islands with stilt houses standing out from the shore. The next 2 pictures look at a bit of how they get around the communities of stilt houses. That walkway is as rickety as it looks.
    The last picture is of a fishing vessel out in the harbor. I'm told they fish using nets, but I'm not clear on how the vessel operates. I can say that I've never seen anything quite like it.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelEast Timor/ West Papua
    Day 10

    Beliam Valley, central West Papua

    May 25, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    This is a 360° panorama taken from atop a rocky mound in this valley in the mountains of the island of New Guinea. New Guinea is divided roughly in half with Papua New Guinea to the east and West Papua, Indonesia, to the west. I've heard that this is a beautiful area. It's not an understatement.Read more

  • skip's retirement travelEast Timor/ West Papua
    Day 10

    Suroba Village

    May 25, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

    Suroba is a village of the Dani tribe in the Baliem Valley near Wanema (see another post) in the central mountains of West Papua.
    The 1st picture is one of the bridges over the Aike River along the path to reach the village. There is only access by footpath. The rest of the pictures are in and around the village.
    The 2nd picture looks toward the village as we approached. The 3rd picture shows the wall around the village and the main gate.
    The 4th picture is of the women's compound. The long building to the right is the pig house. Pigs are released to forage during the day and return here for the night. The building to the left is the cook house where meals are prepared. And the small huts to the rear are sleeping spaces. The 5th picture is also in the women's compound looking in the opposite direction. You can see a gate the lifts to allow pigs to enter.
    The 6th picture shows the entrance to the men's compound. The entrance to the women's is similar. Note the Y shaped stick under the door. This is a step up over the protective wall to keep out unwanted critters.
    The 7th picture is of the men's compound. Here is where the initiation of boys to manhood takes place. The hut to the back is for single men    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelEast Timor/ West Papua
    Day 10

    Wanema Traditional Market

    May 25, 2023 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    If you've been following my posts from my travels, you know I have a thing for traditional markets. The 1st 4 pictures are in an older market while the last 2 are in a newer one.
    The 1st 3 pictures show some of the breadth of what is available for sale here, from fruits and veggies to handcrafted goods. Those items to the right in the 2nd picture are carry bags where the load is carried on the back with the head through the opening and held on the forehead.
    The 4th picture is of the small fish market. These are species caught in the local rivers.
    The 5th picture is in the small meat market. The animals shown are tree kangaroos.
    The last 2 pictures are in the newer market that includes a similar set of fresh produce plus a few small shops in the adjacent building.    Read more

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