After a relaxing transit evening in Bali, I started the last leg of my journey to Timor Leste at 8 o’clock in the morning. Looking forward to setting foot in Dili, the excitement faded off when the flight that was originally scheduled at 10:15 was able to leave two hours later. Through informal chats with other passengers, this situation was not a surprising one, it’s normal according to them and this is even better than 3-5 hours delay which occasionally happen.
After the long wait, Merpati finally took off. Being in Singapore Airlines for the first two leg of my journey, I would like to justify my complain, Merpati aircraft was below the standards i.e. my seat fall back the moment the aircraft was 45 degrees up, in-flight magazine dated April 2011, although it is still a bit better than other cheap airlines.
The flight took 1 hour and 40 minutes which was the first time I ever felt nervous of all the flights I had as it descent seemed to be only few meters away from the ocean. The ‘international airport’ was along the coastline which made me figure out why the ocean was only few feet away as it prepares for landing. Compared to other international airports, Nicolao Lobato International Airport was very basic; you won’t see any tube but the typical stairs where you have to walk through the runaway in order to reach the arrival area. The baggage conveyor was probably just 10 meters long and limited trolley. I got visa upon arrival without any question from the officer however, the immigration officer asked about the purpose of my trip which I said a visit to a friend and when I answered 30 days when asked how long, he said, it’s a long visit nonetheless he stamped it with the number of days I specified.
All passengers were crowding around the conveyor, while I struggled to find a trolley but eventually resorted to waiting for free ones which were retrieved outside. I patiently waited for my huge suitcase and started to felt nervous when I couldn’t find it only to discover after a few minutes that porters have put aside in one corner the suitcases which were already in the conveyor but not picked yet. As I queued at customs in the line ‘nothing to declare’, the officer requested me to move to the opposite line. I asked the officer what I should do next, then another guy asked me to open my bag. Good enough, the first bag I started to open was my hand-carried suitcase with my UNDP business card as the bag tag. When the officer saw the bag tag, he told me, so you work with the UN which I did not hesitate to say yes knowing that it would make a lot of difference which really did as the immigration officer told me, no need to open, you can go. Now, I would really be missing the perks of being with the UN system.
The smiling ChildFund Logisitcs Officer and my boss who is a Filipina were there after a long wait. I was relieved to have finally arrived in Timor! One striking observation was the several UN cars moving on the road, and a helicopter at the airport.
Dili reminds me of Chipata, so many unpaved roads, box-type buildings although there were also new structures which were mostly government offices. Litters are a common sight, stray pigs (which made me worried as this sight might affect my appetite for pigs), small shops, and other basic infrastructures. However, this is of minor concern to me as I have no problem with laid-back and slow-paced city. The first question I uttered, what would my life be in Timor for 2 years?
From the airport, I checked in at Hotel Audias which I have no idea in terms of its ‘star-rating’ but it is fine although I am hoping that I would get a house soon.
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