Day 3 was a big day with bad roads. The road from Lospalos to Bauro was extra bad and the road beyond that to Tutuala was extra bad. The scenery however was excellent. Big difference from the north coast from Dili to Baucau. Heavy forest with distant rugged tall mountains. We saw a few Uma Lulik Traditional Huts along the way and stopped many times to photograph and film the scenery but the best view lay ahead.
Lake Lalairo is a huge lake now infested with crocodiles and covered in Lilies and algae. Local fishermen still brave the waters since the fish there a plentiful and large. Tutuala is the last main town before you hot the easternmost tip of Timor-Leste and it is perched on a slope 400m above sea level. The main feature is an old hotel built by the Portuguese in the 1900s and now owned and restored by a local owner and running again. It has a large grassed area in front with 180 degree views of the coast and coral infested crystal clear blue green ocean below. The best view so far. From here it is a steep descent through thick forest down to Valu Beach being the easternmost point of the Timor-Leste mainland. There is nothing here but huts and boats belonging to the fishermen of Tutuala who come here in the evenings to fish all night or sleep and wake up before sunrise for a morning fish. The prize is tuna up to a metre long and 10kg !!! We ate part one for lunch here – freshly caught last night and barbequed by the fishermen. Before lunch one of the fishermen took me over to Jaco Island in a Darwin-built tinnie – only 920m and 6min from Valu Beach. I was left there alone for an hour during which I completed a 2.2km swim along the length of the island enjoying the ample coral just below me. This coral is not as colourful as the Barrier Reef or Central Pacific Atolls and Islands but it has a myriad of interesting shapes and sizes. The island has white sand and the surrounding water has very shade of blue you care to imagine. This island and my lone swim was the highlight so far apart from being stung by something when my right leg brushed up against some coral. It stung like crazy but I had to keep going to achieve the 3km/h average speed. There is nothing like being on an untouched barely visited island totally alone. When I returned to Valu Beach we gobbled down our very chunky and filling tuna washed down by another fish – Yellow Tale Sav Blanc from Australia !!!
From Valu Beach we drove the 3hrs back to Bacau for the night along roads we had been on before – bad to worse !!! It was a relief to get back to a hot shower and some balcony Wi-Fi where I posted our first two days of Timor Travel !!! Enjoy !!!
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