Bemvindu em Timor Loro-Sa'e!: Batumanu Part I

This week's field trip was to Batumanu, another Red Cross project village in the remote mountain region of Ermera district. Usually we stop at one of the markets on our way to bring some food because in the villages there is hardly enough for local people. Today we stopped Gleno market - arriving there in the early morning hours was a good opportunity to experience busy market life! The air was fresh and its smell was an interesting melange of various scents of fresh food, fire (from burning waste) and cool morning air.

After we had breakfast at Gleno market, we continued our drive and the roads got worse. It is still a 5-hours drive to Batumanu!

Finally we arrived in Batumanu around noon (we left Dili at 6.30 am) and after a quick lunch we started our village walk.
The Red Cross base next to Chefe de Suco's house:

The Red Cross team was supposed to do monitoring of the project activities (mainly water infrastructure like tap stands, tanks, pipes etc.) and this was a good chance for me to get an impression of the village. We were accompanied by the local Field Team, Chefe de Suco and some other guys from the village. Since we arrived, I didn't see any woman or girls. Apparently they were all busy with field work, cooking or weaving the traditional Tais.

The primary school:

Agriculture in Batumanu focuses on coffee (mainly in the higher regions) and some small rice fields. People mainly live on meat, rice and some importend goods (as long as they can afford it) - apparently no vegetables at all!

The Red Cross Field Team with one of the community's eldest:

A local family... the baby hasn't seen any "Malai" before and couldn't stop crying!

Picture in front of a traditional house with Chefe de Suco's wife and their children:

Beautiful sunset...

The Field Team preparing dinner:

Dinner is ready... please notice the rooster below the table! It's one of the Team member's pet and he never goes somewhere without it! The rooster is important for cockfights, a popular sunday-afternoon activity in Timor-Leste.

Miriam and I were invited to sleep in Chefe de Suco's house - they even offered us one of the two beds!

However, it's good to have a Mosquito-Dome - not only because of mosquitos but also to keep away spiders and rats dancing on the roof during the night!

The morning starts with a walk to a spring to explore the track of a new pipeline.

This area, surrounded by dense bamboo-forest, served as a hiding place for the community during Indonesian occupation (starting in 1975). On the picture two Red Cross team members (with the red caps) and Batumanu's Chefe de Suco (next to me).