It’s 5:56am. Kupang, Indonesia. I have been tossing and turning for the last hour so I stopped fighting it and wandered out to the foyer of this clean little hotel we are staying at. Funny how when you are travelling through Asia those descriptors become meaningful. A “clean” hotel. You expect that as an absolute baseline in Australia but when you step across the trench and immerse yourself back into this amazing SE Asian world it all shifts. A fellow traveller recommends a certain hotel because it is “clean” and you find yourself driving for miles out of your way through sweaty, dusty city streets just to get to it. Gotta have a clean hotel.
But we are getting used to the opposite. Dirty. Good old Indonesian bathrooms with hand flushed toilets – just one small tiled room, cold water, cracking tiles, palm frond roof. The open sewers of Dili, the waterways that are groaning under refuse and everywhere this strange mentality that rubbish will just mysteriously disappear when you throw it on the ground. You watch as plastic lunch containers are cast overboard from the ferry into pristine blue tropical waters and you just struggle with it all. It must go somewhere. The earth doesn’t just swallow it all up and clean it for us. It’s like these places are a microcosm of the larger environmental problems. You drive through a village and they are busily hacking down a beautiful tree that adorns their front yard giving shade and shelter. You wonder WHY on earth….but then realise that when the decision is between shade and cooking a meal or selling the wood to buy food then its pretty straight forward. In the organised abundance of the Western world we never have to make that decision. It’s never either / or – it’s both. I want shade AND my firewood – so get it for me. So we cut someone else’s tree down. I often wonder how we would all go when the resources we use had to come from our own backyard and the rubbish we produce had to go back into our own backyards.
Anyway – it’s too early for environmental studies 101.
So we are back in Kupang, West Timor. How casual that sounds just “back in Kupang”. Like we have been casually cruising the Indonesian Archipelago jumping from island to island like little salty sea dogs. But we left the strange, chaotic, emerging city of Dili with it’s disorder and two tier economy fueled by NGOs and aid agencies. Its amazing coffee, gaping wealth disparity and its’ “I’m not a tourist/cooler than thou” expat Australian aid workers who never say hello to you.
The girls gained their Asian travelling stripes on the 14 hour bus trip from Dili to Kupang. Cramped. hot, sweaty, dusty and windy. The eternal bone jarring bus trip through torturous mountain roads that drop off into nothingness to your right. The Indonesian border where you have to walk across no mans land to the new bus carrying packs and surfboards and food and drinks. All the while hoping that the girls are holding into my belt or backpack or SOMETHING because I have no hands free. Aggressive Indonesian hawkers and porters who shattered the relative peace of Timor Leste and reminded me of how this place works. But we made it. The last 2 hours I spent with my head out the window deep breathing to keep lunch down. Dark windy roads that never seemed to end. I have never been so grateful to see the lights of Kupang appear on the horizon and I have never been so proud of my daughters for just putting up with it all.
Then two days later we are sitting under coconut trees, drinking Bintangs at sunset as we watch world class surf peel slowly down a reef. Surrounded by the usual Indonesian surf camp array of Australians, Pommies, Americans and the odd Brazilian. A week of that surreal island time where you are up at 6am, surf for three hours, then eat, then sit, then surf, then eat then watch the sunset. Every single day. Mel already has an idea of a blog post where I describe the last week from a surfers point of view and then she describes it from a non-surfers point of view. I am sure I will learn something new about her.
Today we fly to Flores – the launch off point to Komodo Island so the girls can say they have seen a real live dragon. We are not sure about how we will get across to Bali then onto Java where the roads are better and there are trains. Beautiful, smooth, air-conditioned trains. I MUST be getting old because I have lost a little of my capacity for rough Asian travel. I can put up with cold water bucket showers and I love eating the local food….but something about that 14 hour Dili-Kupang bus trip has settled into my consciousness. And for once, without any hint of sadness, nostalgia or defeat I am looking at the 24 hour bus trip from Flores to Lombok and I saying loud and proud: “I’m too old for this…..”
So I am looking up how we can fly.
how amazing are you girls. we are so proud of you. Tully oh Tully, stop growing for a minute will you please. Journey on and hold onto dads belt please. x G’ma/Michael
Hi mat, ( Mel & girls)
I hope this email finds you all well. I have kept up with the last few posts on your ‘two roads’ blog and have found them wonderful to read. Your trip sounds very exciting although, at times , quite challenging. I am currently sitting in the car with my son traveling to ‘werribee’ so he can practice his upcoming license test. Certainly not as exciting as the road to kupang but a journey you may have to do in a few years time with the girls when they ready to drive.
I have just read your last entry to him and he is all keen to go to the Komoto islands – he asked me how to get there so I’ve told him to follow your blog!
The winter months are beginning to finish here and we have just had a couple of smashing melbourne spring days. Have probably had enough of the cold weather and looking for a few warmer days.
All is going along quite well at Newport Lakes. We have just had the Father’s Day breakfast and the ‘Art Show’ and we gain possession of the double storey portable this week. The yr.3/4 classes will officially begin classes in the new building in term 4.
We have 1 more week to go for the term, which marks the completion of my 2nd year at NLPS- time passes by!
You would be pleased to hear that our Yr.5/6 student survey results were much improved this year- from the bottom 25% to the top 25% in almost all areas- still much to do , but good to know we are heading in the right direction. NAPLAN results were once again very good but we do have a significant ‘tail’ so investigating some different forms of intervention programs to assist in this area. Deciding at this weeks SC meeting on whether to update the oval with more artificial surface or have.a crack at putting in turf. Hopefully it will be the later – lot more maintenance and care required but it would be nice to have some real grass in the playground.
I think the flight to Lombok would be a good investment / 24 hours on an Indonesian bus is not much fun for anyone. – you still have a long way to go! I’m still getting over an overnight train trip from Jakarta to Jogajarkata I undertook 18 yrs ago. We made a mistake and purchased 3rd class tickets rather than the 1st class> a train trip I will always remember , unfortunately for all the wrong reasons.
Say hi to Mel and the girls for me. I look forward to your future posts.
Cheers
david m
Thrilled to get your post Matt. Had no idea you spent so much time in Timor. As Christine says “hang on to Dad’s shorts. Haven’t seen many photos of Z oe. She still with you? Love always, missing you. Nan and Pops
Oh those buses! Go girls! It seems OK to put your own life at risk, but somehow not your kids’? That’s certainly how we felt; ended up hiring private cars with driver thru Laos! In fact it was really informative; the drivers told us so much about what we passed. Great to get another blog, have been waiting waiting waiting. Itchy itchy itchy feet. Enjoy!
Thanks for those beautiful pictures.
Oh so glad to hear from you. Your giving Tony the heebee geebees on the bus trip story. He back packed for a year in Asia and had plenty of those, 6′ 6″ knees around his ears, chickens on his shoulders and a cloud of clove cigarettes along with bowels that have a mind of their own. I’m sure he’s happy with me sharing the details with you, not. I cant believe how you guys did it with 3 little ones. It has taken me 3 goes to reading your blog with the “its my turn, no its my turn” thing going on. Here’s a contrast, we are off the Australian ballet tonight to see The Nutcracker. A long time friend of ours is dancing in the grandma role, she is 80 years old! how about that! Stay safe, must fly and finish sewing the dress, love love love rel
Hello brave travellers. Our family met you briefly in Kakadu (we are also friends of Brad, Taffy and Tilda). We are enjoying your writing and sharings of your travel – thank you for taking the time to do this. We wish you well on this amazing journey. Sending love to you, Bianca, Dan, Kailani and Iluka
Thanks Bianca. We hope your trip is still going well, and that time doesn’t go too fast for your last few weeks. X
We made it to Sumbawa in Indo on our big trip back home from London and definitely remember those trying bus trips!
So great to read and catch up with your journey so far…..It looks beautiful, and I’m sure that you’ll find a suitable flight. Any flight so long as it’s not a bus right? Love to all your adventurers! Amazing stuff!