It’s not been long since my last post, but there has been a lot going on, so a new post is needed. As usual, I will let my pictures do the talking.
Ainaro Trip
We have two volunteers in the town of Ainaro (Ian and Christina). It was Christina’s birthday and, so, a few of us volunteers decided to go and celebrate with her. It was also a great excuse to travel and see a new municipality. Also, it was great timing being just before some PDM training in Dili.
Shelby and I travelled from Fatuquero/Gleno together and met up with other volunteers along the way. It was a total of 10hrs of travelling for us with public transport (including some long breaks), which included 2 microlets, 1 bus, 1 taxi and 3 angunas. Due to the road network, we had to travel into Dili and then back out. We arrived in time for Christina’s birthday party at her host family. It was a nice time, with Timor karaoke (as is the normal thing at parties here 🎤). The roads are extremely mountainous and “wind” constantly back and forth. We saw two children puking on the anguna rides 🤢
Ainaro was relatively cold and wet (relatively) and the weather along with the scenery reminded me of summertime in Scotland. I include some photos below of the team and the views. I loved Ainaro and I will be back.
Below a shot from the very uncomfortable bus ride Shelby and I took from Gleno to Dili (pretty typical for that route). The bus driver will cram as many people on as possible. A bus designed for 12 people ends up carrying 24.. way beyond its designed capacity. Shelby is seen here squashed the other side of the door. My seat had no room for my feet. Unfortunately, as volunteers, we can’t ride motorbikes (them’s is the rules) but the realities of public transport often mean an uncomfortable and potentially dangerous ride that is unavoidable because that’s the way it is. The positive is that we get to interact with everyday people and appreciate what they have to deal with every day.
We managed to hire a private anguna for the last part of the trip to Ainaro and the first part of our return to Dili. Leg room galore!
And so, we stayed 2 days and then returned to Dili for PDM Training. This would be a 4 day training in Dili with our counterparts from our organizations.
PDM Training In Dili
The training in Dili was 4 days with sessions walking the team through Project Design Management techniques and focusing on methods for creating proposals and applying for funding grants for our organizations.
I brought Maun Jacob, from one of my orgs EAMO, to the conference/training as my counterpart. Having the Timorese counterparts at the conference definitely made it “interesting”. The Timorese have quite a different culture when it comes to meetings and conferences. Lots of “diskursu” (speeches) and quite a bit of “lightheartedness”😂. Maun Jacob (see photo below) certainly meets that cultural mold and he was quite an entertainment to the group (he is quite the character). Some photos of the conference below including a really nice group photo we took outside the hotel.
Volunteers, counterparts and some organization staff……
TL-13 volunteers….. I love this photo 😍
On the day before I had to leave Dili, I took a trip to Cristo Rei, which is a pretty large (89ft high) statue of Jesus built on a rock at the tip of the peninsula just east of Dili (see map below). It was unveiled in 1996. The small peninsula is beautiful and relatively quiet, with crystal clear water beaches. A microlet, from Dili, can be taken right up to Cristo Rei and then steps lead up to the monument. I was able to walk up and back down the opposite side. Then I walked back towards Dili and stopped in at a really nice café which is part of the Beachside Hotel. All in all it was an enjoyable and relaxing walk. I will return…😁
Some nice shots from inside the Beachside Hotel.
Return To Dili, By Bike For PSN Training
To cut a long story short, after returning back to Fatuquero after PDM training I needed to return again to Dili for some additional Peer Support (PSN) training (2 days) as both Katie and I were accepted as Peer Support representatives for TL-13. Our role is to “outreach” to volunteers, check on them, support them as needed and arrange group events and activities.
I decided this was an opportunity to get a decent ride(s) in and use my new bicycle pannier bags (which my Brother had brought from the UK and handed me while in Singapore). So, I saddled up and went just after one of my kids classes at EAMO which I had rescheduled to be a day earlier than normal. Photo below of those very intelligent kids.
Even though the ride from Fatuquero to Dili trends down for 31 miles (Fatuquero sits about 2,400ft above sea level) there is still about 1,200ft of climbing. Elevation map shown below. Nearing the top of the second climb a group of kids started running along side me (with the climb and my bike bags I was not breaking any speed records). I stopped at the top of the climb at a kiosk and was able to buy a cold drink and chat to them They were a fun bunch (photo below)😀.
The final descent was pretty fast and long. On Strava, I posted my fastest 5 miles EVER (and I’ve been on Strava for many years). The bags (and new tyres I bought in Singapore – Panaracer Gravel King 700Cx45C beefs) held up really well. It was great to reach the coast where I stopped to grab a well earned coconut milk. Some photos below.
Katie was already at the DeTerra hostel when I arrived. We, as volunteers, normally stay at the DeTerra hostel in Dili. Its a really nice hostel and the girls that run it are super friendly and helpful. Katie kindly cooked a meal for us in the hostel that night, which I was super grateful for. It was a really tasty pasta (thanks Katie 😋). Photos of the hostel and Katie’s creation below.
After two days of PSN training I returned to Fatuquero. That ride now turned into an uphill total ascent of 3,600ft. It was long, but I actually felt pretty good. I actually got my fastest time (out of about 4 rides) on the 2nd hill from Railaco through to Fatuquero (even with bags on the bike!!)
It’s clear to me now that the parasite infection I had before going to Singapore was probably with me for a few months based on how I felt before and how I feel now. I track my resting pulse rate on Garmin and it’s only now getting down to where it normally is. For the months before Singapore my resting heart rate just kept rising steadily week on week.
I stopped about 3/4 of the way back home at Timor Global coffee shop in Railaco and had a coffee and coke. I got chatting to the owner, Bobby, and hope to have some upcoming economic development activities with him and his org (more to come on that). I will leave you with by bike packed for the return trip back (including a tent donated by a TL-11 volunteer 🙏) and the well deserved coffee and coke. Till next time……. Cheers! James.
Leave a Reply