Map of Timor Island showing the capital, Kupang.
Margaret and I travelled to West Timor aboard the small but cosy Saga ship the "Spirit of Adventure" on a trip to the North coast of Australia. The ship docked at Kupang, during a heavy tropical shower of rain, which was quickly followed by the expected bright sunshine.
We were welcomed by some of the local Timorese people dancing a traditional cultural dance.
We were welcomed by some of the local Timorese people dancing a traditional cultural dance.
Colourful coaches, West Timor style.
We boarded a brightly painted local bus to find that the built in double seats were very small and we were unable to sit together in comfort. As these are the local public transport buses in disguise, hastily commandeered for the day to convey us tourists, I began to appreciate the smaller stature of the West Timor inhabitants. We had a police escort driving and clearing the way in front of our convoy of eight small buses. This was an essential, due to the wide variety of traffic on the roads. The roads were full of ruts and bumps, and we enjoyed a hair-raising ride through the city centre, as we stopped the trade in the local stores, because the locals stopped what they were doing to enjoy the spectacle. Our tour guide on the bus was a very enthusiastic local girl, who proudly pointed out some of the important local buildings that we passed, including the Governors house. I could not help noticing in contrast though, the run-down squalid housing and general poverty on display, as we drove through the city.
Textile and rug making factory
Our first stop was a textile and rug making factory, where we were able to watch some of the local people, hard at work producing some beautiful rugs and textiles. We were able to purchase some of this work, to take home as souvenirs of our trip to West Timor.
Kupang Cultural Museum
There are various artefacts on display in the museum, reflecting the skills and lifestyle of the local Timorese people.
This is the skeleton of a whale that had been washed up and stranded on the seashore and the uses that the people had made of this bounty from the sea.
Lasiana Beach
The next stop on our cultural tour was a visit to lovely Lasiana Beach.
We were driven in our buses, past some very colourful buildings and constructions , run-down and poor shacks, and shops and stalls, selling a wide variety of locally produced food and goods to the local population.
When we reached Lasiana Beach, we were greeted with the wonderful banner that is illustrated opposite, welcoming us to the beach. Music was being played, and many local people had turned out to welcome us, and to have a good time dancing, and to enjoy the afternoon in a spirit of carnival.
First we were treated to a display of Palm tree climbing in the traditional way, by an incredibly agile young man, who made this well practised skill look very easy. The young man gathered some fruit from the very top of the tree before shinning back to the ground. We were able to enjoy the fruits of his efforts whilst we sat and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon entertainments.
We were driven in our buses, past some very colourful buildings and constructions , run-down and poor shacks, and shops and stalls, selling a wide variety of locally produced food and goods to the local population.
When we reached Lasiana Beach, we were greeted with the wonderful banner that is illustrated opposite, welcoming us to the beach. Music was being played, and many local people had turned out to welcome us, and to have a good time dancing, and to enjoy the afternoon in a spirit of carnival.
First we were treated to a display of Palm tree climbing in the traditional way, by an incredibly agile young man, who made this well practised skill look very easy. The young man gathered some fruit from the very top of the tree before shinning back to the ground. We were able to enjoy the fruits of his efforts whilst we sat and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon entertainments.
Then we enjoyed some local music, and traditional dancing, performed by some of the local people in their traditional cultural costume. The sound and the colour was fantastic, and almost all of the local population turned out to enjoy themselves, and we were made to feel very welcome.
This video shows a musician playing a Sasano, which is a harplike, traditional musical stringed instrument, made from bamboo, set in a container made from palm leaves. I managed to get behind him while he was playing to enable me to video his fingerwork on the strings.
This is a slideshow presentation I put together showing the highlights of a wonderful trip to a very friendly, vibrant and colourful part of the world which Margaret and would certainly hope to visit again.
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