Fatulia

 Today I traveled up with Ash to the Baucau, a town about 200 km East of Dili, to help photograph some projects for the Food and Agriculture Organisation with the United Nations. I won't post these photos on this blog, as it is part of a much bigger project, however, I thought I would post some images of the amazing ride on the bus (bis in Indonesian, and thus, Tetun), as well as some images of the small rural village of Fatulia.

The bus to Baucau is an amazing cultural experience in itself. For $4USD, you too can enjoy the hardcore stylings of country and western, Bryan Adams, Shakira, and a wide array of pop music. If you like the breeze, riding on the roof costs $1USD. We decided to go for the comfort of the cabin (not really by choice - different bus vendors compete for your custom by using techniques such as seeing you exit a taxi, grab your bag, and placing it in the bus in order to make you choose their service. Once aboard, it can be a bit of a tight squeeze. People hang out the door. Much like the goats hanging off the ceiling.

When we arrived at Fatulia, we were shown the mountains, the rice paddies, and of course, the people of the village. Villagers were chopping up timber along the roads. It was later explained to us that these trees were felled as power lines are to be introduced into the village.

Lady and child on the bus. They were sitting on a bag of rice. The headdress the lady is wearing is used as a cushion to carry cargo on top of her head. The child stared at me with curiosity so I gave him some biscuits I bought in Dili as a sign of good will.

Rice paddies from the bus.

The drive up to Baucau, although long, is actually very beautiful. The whole way is lined with cliffs, sea views, and people clinging on to the side of the bus.

An elderly couple at their house in Fatulia.

An elderly villager in Fatulia.

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