June 20, 2025 • 7 mins
Exploring the remote enclave of Oé-Cusse, a little visited but beautiful part of Timor-Leste completely surrounded by Indonesian West-Timor
More information on Atauro Island - https://exploringtimor.com/oecusse/
Website - www.exploringtimor.com
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@exploringtimor
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jonty (00:06):
Bondi.
Welcome to exploring Tim Este,the podcast that talks about
Southeast Asia's best kepttravel secret.
I'm your host Jte, and I'llshare firsthand insights, expert
interviews and practical traveltips.
Whether you're a traveler, acultural lover, or just curious
about places rarely covered inthe mainstream.
You're in the right place.
Let's explore two more.
Less day.
(00:31):
Today's episode is about one ofthe least visited parts of one
of the least visited countriesin the world, and that is the
enclave of a kui.
Kui is completely surrounded byIndonesian West Timor.
It was actually the first placethat the Portuguese established
themselves on the island ofTimor, and it was the capital of
what was then called East Timor.
During the 17 hundreds, therewas quite a lot of conflict
(00:52):
between the Dutch and thePortuguese at that time over
control of Timor.
And so the Portuguese moved thecapital to Dili further away
from the border with the Dutchforces.
It's now accessible from therest of Timor ETO by Overnight
Ferry Plain and Road.
It's little visited, but it is abeautiful place with a number of
low key sites, includingimpressive infrastructure for a
(01:14):
relatively small place with arelatively small population
thanks to government investmentas a special zone of social
market economy of Timor-Leste orxms.
I visited Kui three times, andit was one of my favorite places
to explore in Timor Estate.
So it doesn't necessarily havemajor sites, but it has a very
nice atmosphere, a beautifulscenery, and some of the best
(01:35):
infrastructure in the country.
So today's episode, I'll giveyou a bit of a flavor for what
you can see and do in a kui.
It probably wouldn't be on a oneweek itinerary of Timor less
day, but if you were gonna staylonger, I would definitely
recommend that you try andvisit.
The easiest way to reach Kui isby air.
There are a Dili
flights from Dili to a Kui on Mondays and Fridays.
(01:56):
Making it a great place to spendthe weekend.
There's only really one town inKui, which is pate Mara, where
you'll be spending most of yourtime.
It is home to one of the bestairports in the country.
A better airport than Dili,ironically.
And to the west of the airportis the AL Monument.
So this is where the PortugueseExplorer is first arrived in
(02:18):
Timor Este, and there is nowquite a large monument to their
arrival, including a replica ofa caravel and six golden figures
reenacting the first encounter.
There was once a Portuguese
fall
on the site.
The first one they built inTimor, but it was destroyed in
the mid 17
hundreds.
and only an old piece of artillery remains the beach.
There can be a popular place toswim and picnic, and there's one
(02:42):
of the best walks in the EEstarts from there, which is the
Via Scra trail.
This is a stations of the crosstrail, which is quite easy from
a navigation perspective'causeyou just have to look out for
the 14 crosses as they head upthe hillside, marking the route
to the top of the hill from thesummit, by a radio mast are
fantastic views of the town.
Every year on Good Friday, therewas a huge procession with
(03:03):
thousands of people who walk upthe hillside on this trail.
On the two times that I did it,I didn't see a single other
person behind the main town isFaba, which is the remains of an
old prison, and the residents ofthe Portuguese Regional
administrator.
So there's it's ruins, butthey're quite atmospheric ruins.
And there's a statue of VirginMary, which was added during the
Indonesian occupation, whichmakes it a popular pilgrimage
(03:24):
site every May.
There are a few views of thetown, but less than you would
expect for the effort to get upthe hill.
There are much better views fromthe via SCRA trail, but it is
definitely worth a wander to thetop.
Allow 20 or 30 minutes to walkto the summit.
In the town itself, there's somebeautiful gardens around the.
Don could missionary sisterswomen's college, and they also
(03:44):
have accommodation on site andthere's a small cafe with lots
of shade and water features, andit's a nice relaxing place to
avoid the sum.
Heading onto the waterfront,there were a number of
memorials.
The most recent of which is theKorean memorial.
So during the unrest and Timmore Leste, back in 2003, there
were a number of peacekeepers invarious countries and there were
(04:05):
five U un peacekeepers fromKorea who died on 6th of March,
2003 when their vehicle wasswept away while crossing a
flooded river.
And this memorial was in theshady and peaceful Korean
evergreen force Memorial Park.
There are a number of othersites along the waterfront,
which at any time of day isquiet.
That's one of the main thingsabout Ku CI found.
It is a very quiet and peacefulplace in comparison to many
(04:28):
parts of two more less day Themain church is the Church of St.
Antonio by the waterfront.
During Easter, there's a bigprocession which follows a
lifestyle statue of Jesus' body,which is carried on a special
platform from the church.
The second most importantreligious site is the Chapel of
St.
Anthony of Ne Espero, which is acouple of streets back from the
waterfront, and there theycelebrate the saint every year
(04:50):
on the 13th of June.
Kui has some good markets, whichare busiest.
On Saturday, it's quitelabyrinth light to explore, and
it's also home to the busterminal.
To the west of town is the PonteNFI fan, which is the largest
bridge in the country, whichwouldn't normally be a tourist
site, but in Timor there's notthat many big pieces of
infrastructure.
(05:11):
So the three spanned GreenBridge is a bit of a landmark.
You get the best views from theVia Saria Trail.
I'm not sure it's a touristattraction, but it's certainly
an important piece ofinfrastructure for Timor Less
Day as it provides access toabout half of the Kui region,
during the wet season.
The river is very dangerous tocross, so there's bridges, a
real lifeline for thecommunities living the other
(05:32):
side of the river.
Now CCI is quite a spread outplace for walking around with
little shade, but there arefrequent TomToms, which are
effectively electric tuk-tuks.
These cost 50 cents per trip perperson, and they basically
operate as a shared taxi.
So just let the driver away, youwant to know, and they'll drop
you off.
Only takes maybe 15 minutes toget from one side of town to the
(05:52):
other on
Tom
Tom, but obviously a bit longer if you're on foot.
There are a number of hikes inthe kui, although you will
generally need a local guidebecause it's very easy to get
lost.
They tend to go up river systemstowards waterfalls, and you'll
need to provide money to thelocal community to access their
land, but it's certainly a goodway of avoiding the sun and
(06:12):
going for some refreshing walks.
You can speak to youraccommodation about organizing a
guide, but getting to and fromthe starts can be a little bit
tricky without your owntransport is also worth speaking
to your accommodation to see ifyou can rent a scooter or a
motorbike to be able to getaround.
Again, distances are not vast,but there's not a lot of people
living in the EY and the TomToms keep to the main town area.
(06:32):
The last place to highlight isonly really accessible if you
can rent a motorbike, and that'sabout an hour's drive south into
kui inland towards the borderwith Indonesia.
This is the Nosa Ura Leo Batan,which is a sister statue of the
Virgin Mary to the one that topsMount Ramal.
And this was installed in 2017and it's on top of mountain.
(06:54):
Not quite as hard to reach asRamal, but you certainly get
some very scenic views from thesummit.
Thank you so much for listeningto exploring Timor Less Day.
If you've enjoyed today'sepisode, please consider leaving
a rating or review.
It really helps more peoplediscover the show.
If you have any questions orfeedback, I'd love to hear from
you.
Drop me an email at exploringTimor lessDay@gmail.com.
(07:17):
Until next time, or Bodo ADEs.
Bondi.
Welcome to exploring Tim Este,the podcast that talks about
Southeast Asia's best kepttravel secret.
I'm your host Jte, and I'llshare firsthand insights, expert
interviews and practical traveltips.
Whether you're a traveler, acultural lover, or just curious
about places rarely covered inthe mainstream.
You're in the right place.
Let's explore two more.
Less day.
(00:31):
Today's episode is about one ofthe least visited parts of one
of the least visited countriesin the world, and that is the
enclave of a kui.
Kui is completely surrounded byIndonesian West Timor.
It was actually the first placethat the Portuguese established
themselves on the island ofTimor, and it was the capital of
what was then called East Timor.
During the 17 hundreds, therewas quite a lot of conflict
(00:52):
between the Dutch and thePortuguese at that time over
control of Timor.
And so the Portuguese moved thecapital to Dili further away
from the border with the Dutchforces.
It's now accessible from therest of Timor ETO by Overnight
Ferry Plain and Road.
It's little visited, but it is abeautiful place with a number of
low key sites, includingimpressive infrastructure for a
(01:14):
relatively small place with arelatively small population
thanks to government investmentas a special zone of social
market economy of Timor-Leste orxms.
I visited Kui three times, andit was one of my favorite places
to explore in Timor Estate.
So it doesn't necessarily havemajor sites, but it has a very
nice atmosphere, a beautifulscenery, and some of the best
(01:35):
infrastructure in the country.
So today's episode, I'll giveyou a bit of a flavor for what
you can see and do in a kui.
It probably wouldn't be on a oneweek itinerary of Timor less
day, but if you were gonna staylonger, I would definitely
recommend that you try andvisit.
The easiest way to reach Kui isby air.
There are a Dili
flights from Dili to a Kui on Mondays and Fridays.
(01:56):
Making it a great place to spendthe weekend.
There's only really one town inKui, which is pate Mara, where
you'll be spending most of yourtime.
It is home to one of the bestairports in the country.
A better airport than Dili,ironically.
And to the west of the airportis the AL Monument.
So this is where the PortugueseExplorer is first arrived in
(02:18):
Timor Este, and there is nowquite a large monument to their
arrival, including a replica ofa caravel and six golden figures
reenacting the first encounter.
There was once a Portuguese
fall
on the site.
The first one they built inTimor, but it was destroyed in
the mid 17
hundreds.
and only an old piece of artillery remains the beach.
There can be a popular place toswim and picnic, and there's one
(02:42):
of the best walks in the EEstarts from there, which is the
Via Scra trail.
This is a stations of the crosstrail, which is quite easy from
a navigation perspective'causeyou just have to look out for
the 14 crosses as they head upthe hillside, marking the route
to the top of the hill from thesummit, by a radio mast are
fantastic views of the town.
Every year on Good Friday, therewas a huge procession with
(03:03):
thousands of people who walk upthe hillside on this trail.
On the two times that I did it,I didn't see a single other
person behind the main town isFaba, which is the remains of an
old prison, and the residents ofthe Portuguese Regional
administrator.
So there's it's ruins, butthey're quite atmospheric ruins.
And there's a statue of VirginMary, which was added during the
Indonesian occupation, whichmakes it a popular pilgrimage
(03:24):
site every May.
There are a few views of thetown, but less than you would
expect for the effort to get upthe hill.
There are much better views fromthe via SCRA trail, but it is
definitely worth a wander to thetop.
Allow 20 or 30 minutes to walkto the summit.
In the town itself, there's somebeautiful gardens around the.
Don could missionary sisterswomen's college, and they also
(03:44):
have accommodation on site andthere's a small cafe with lots
of shade and water features, andit's a nice relaxing place to
avoid the sum.
Heading onto the waterfront,there were a number of
memorials.
The most recent of which is theKorean memorial.
So during the unrest and Timmore Leste, back in 2003, there
were a number of peacekeepers invarious countries and there were
(04:05):
five U un peacekeepers fromKorea who died on 6th of March,
2003 when their vehicle wasswept away while crossing a
flooded river.
And this memorial was in theshady and peaceful Korean
evergreen force Memorial Park.
There are a number of othersites along the waterfront,
which at any time of day isquiet.
That's one of the main thingsabout Ku CI found.
It is a very quiet and peacefulplace in comparison to many
(04:28):
parts of two more less day Themain church is the Church of St.
Antonio by the waterfront.
During Easter, there's a bigprocession which follows a
lifestyle statue of Jesus' body,which is carried on a special
platform from the church.
The second most importantreligious site is the Chapel of
St.
Anthony of Ne Espero, which is acouple of streets back from the
waterfront, and there theycelebrate the saint every year
(04:50):
on the 13th of June.
Kui has some good markets, whichare busiest.
On Saturday, it's quitelabyrinth light to explore, and
it's also home to the busterminal.
To the west of town is the PonteNFI fan, which is the largest
bridge in the country, whichwouldn't normally be a tourist
site, but in Timor there's notthat many big pieces of
infrastructure.
(05:11):
So the three spanned GreenBridge is a bit of a landmark.
You get the best views from theVia Saria Trail.
I'm not sure it's a touristattraction, but it's certainly
an important piece ofinfrastructure for Timor Less
Day as it provides access toabout half of the Kui region,
during the wet season.
The river is very dangerous tocross, so there's bridges, a
real lifeline for thecommunities living the other
(05:32):
side of the river.
Now CCI is quite a spread outplace for walking around with
little shade, but there arefrequent TomToms, which are
effectively electric tuk-tuks.
These cost 50 cents per trip perperson, and they basically
operate as a shared taxi.
So just let the driver away, youwant to know, and they'll drop
you off.
Only takes maybe 15 minutes toget from one side of town to the
(05:52):
other on
Tom
Tom, but obviously a bit longer if you're on foot.
There are a number of hikes inthe kui, although you will
generally need a local guidebecause it's very easy to get
lost.
They tend to go up river systemstowards waterfalls, and you'll
need to provide money to thelocal community to access their
land, but it's certainly a goodway of avoiding the sun and
(06:12):
going for some refreshing walks.
You can speak to youraccommodation about organizing a
guide, but getting to and fromthe starts can be a little bit
tricky without your owntransport is also worth speaking
to your accommodation to see ifyou can rent a scooter or a
motorbike to be able to getaround.
Again, distances are not vast,but there's not a lot of people
living in the EY and the TomToms keep to the main town area.
(06:32):
The last place to highlight isonly really accessible if you
can rent a motorbike, and that'sabout an hour's drive south into
kui inland towards the borderwith Indonesia.
This is the Nosa Ura Leo Batan,which is a sister statue of the
Virgin Mary to the one that topsMount Ramal.
And this was installed in 2017and it's on top of mountain.
(06:54):
Not quite as hard to reach asRamal, but you certainly get
some very scenic views from thesummit.
Thank you so much for listeningto exploring Timor Less Day.
If you've enjoyed today'sepisode, please consider leaving
a rating or review.
It really helps more peoplediscover the show.
If you have any questions orfeedback, I'd love to hear from
you.
Drop me an email at exploringTimor lessDay@gmail.com.
(07:17):
Until next time, or Bodo ADEs.
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