City of mountains and beaches

East Timor conjures up images of conflict. But LYNNETTE HOFFMAN finds a developing tourist industry, great diving and a distinctive sense of humour


Sorry I'm a little early. Don't rush."

A little early? We've organised to meet at 10am and our scuba diving instructor is waiting outside our guest house at 8.30.

"Didn't we say 10?"

"Timor time," he nonchalantly smiles.

Ah well, what's breakfast anyway? We're in a forgiving mood and this guy comes highly recommended.

Malo Oliviera runs Dili Dive Centre, the only locally owned dive centre in East Timor.

Jacob, the 12-year-old Australian boy staying at Dili Guest House a few days earlier, couldn't stop raving about him.

"He's hard to get hold of," he warned. "He's not listed in the phone book and if he's on a dive he won't answer his mobile, so you just have to keep trying.

"But it's worth it," he insisted. "Malo knows all the best places to dive. He's cheap too. And he has a car."

Jacob is right. Malo runs his four-year-old business out of his house on the outskirts of Dili.

It's a dark, concrete place that's minus a shower, but that's no problem. If you want to rinse off (after a salty snorkel in my case) Malo will direct you to his uncle's house next door, where you can stand in a basin and dump buckets of water over your head.

All the gear is imported from Australia, courtesy of friends Malo made when he lived in Adelaide a few years back (that explains his perfect English). For US$25 ($36) we get door-to-door transport, diving equipment, a lesson, an hour's dive for my husband, and a snorkel and flippers to entertain me.

I'm an admitted ocean-phobe, much happier traipsing around the rugged mountains that surround the capital, or chatting with locals at the bustling, if odorous, markets.

But I've dragged my husband to yet another developing nation and I have to concede something to him it seems. Scuba diving is it.

Fortunately for me, Malo offers one thing that his foreign competitors with their flash boats and renovated office buildings can't: insider perspective, and a sense of humour to go with it.

He shouts at the "important" government vehicles surrounded by motorcycles which angrily honk their horns, expecting him, and other ordinary drivers, to get out of their way.

"What do you have to hurry for here anyway?" he yells out the open window.

And it's true that downtown Dili, with pigs, goats and chickens wandering leisurely across the main road, and friendly locals shouting "Bondia" (good morning) to passers-by, has a laid-back sort of feel.

This is a city nestled in the mountains, lined with palms and ancient trees. A giant statue of Jesus - arms outstretched - stands atop a steep hillside overlooking Areia Blanca, one of the city's most popular beaches.

Dili is missing much of the begging that characterises so many other developing nations, maybe because it's not overrun with tourists yet.

It's also missing traffic lights, which if it did not make driving so frightening or dangerous, would probably contribute to the easy-going atmosphere as well. These days Timor-Leste is laissez-faire land.

"See that over there," Malo gestures towards a jungle of worse-for-wear homes off the windy highway. "That used to be my house. Some guy built his home in front of my driveway while I was away, so I can't get into the garage any more."

He points out the pink remains of the Prime Minister's palace, burned during riots a year earlier by frustrated citizens, angry over high rates of unemployment.

"I missed the whole thing. I was diving down the coast in Com," he laughs. "I had 100 missed calls on my mobile, everyone trying to get me to come back.

"But why would I want to come back to that when I could be diving?"

By the end of the day even I can see his point.

Fewer than 15km out of town and just off shore - no boats required - Dili Rock swarms with countless species of psychedelic fish and coral. Best of all for beginners, there's no current and rarely a poisonous fish in sight. Water temperature and air temperature are nearly the same.

In Timorese terms Dili Rock is classified as a "Tasi Feto Tetum" - female beach - so it's perfectly calm.

It isn't as good as the best of Timor's renowned dive sites, some of which are virtually untouched, and have been said to be better than the Great Barrier Reef (not that Malo is biased), but there are not many places where you can enjoy world-class diving not far from the heart of the capital and without needing a boat.

And it's even better if you have a guide who likes to talk.

If you go to Timor, keep in mind that there are no travel information offices, no outdoor public phones, no drinkable water running from taps and no reliable electricity.

But this is not to say a stay in Dili needs to be an uncomfortable one: the presence of Western UN peacekeepers and employees of NGOs has provided a market for upscale hotels and restaurants equipped with diesel generators and air conditioning.

Prices are high compared with other developing nations: posh hotels such as the Esplanada with its wicker furniture and breezy ocean views and the exceptionally equipped Hotel Timor nearby will run you US$90 to US$120 ($130 to $175) upwards, though prices are beginning to drop as the UN withdraws its forces.

A more affordable but hotter and itchier night can be had in Dili Guest House or Villa Harmonia, both basic budget places that cost US$5 to US$7 a person.

After a morning of diving, stop by Lilivanit's, a local favourite, and if Malo's not booked for the afternoon he'll happily take you for lunch - and conversation, of course.

HOW TO GET THERE

Air North flies twice daily from Darwin. Its non-changeable, non-refundable discount fare is A$517 ($580) return from Darwin, but it is advisable to book early as seats for these discount fares fill up fast.

Alternatively the Indonesian airline Merpati flies to Dili from Bali once daily.

EATING OUT

A meal at Lilivanit's will cost you about $2.50 for your pick of a vast selection of meat and vegetables, curries and stir fries - too much rice for even the hungriest person to cope with - and drinks.

MORE INFORMATION

Dili Dive Centre, owned and run by Malo, is at or call 670 723 4590.

OTHER DIVE COMPANIES INCLUDE

The Free Flow or +670 723 4614) and

Dive Timor LoroSae or +670 724 0092).