Getting to Manufahi District

Getting to Manufahi District:
Same (pronounced Sah-meh) is the capital of the District of Manufahi and is easily accessible from Dili by the local bus, known as ‘bis’, which runs daily between Dili and Same, depending on inclement weather. At the time of travel, fares were $9 each way. To catch the bis from Same, go to the ‘terminal’ at the Same market. To catch the bis from Dili go to the Hali Laran market in Balide. The bis also stops anywhere along the route when flagged down and space is available.
Each bis has its own name, dashboard decorations and windscreen tinting. Some bis have their own sound systems where a mix of Timorese, Indonesian, Brazilian and Western pop music blares out of speakers.
Tips for travelling on the bis:

• Wear a headscarf or hat to avoid getting your hair covered in dust (like the pink teddy on the dashboard) and to cover your mouth from dust generated from oncoming traffic
• Take photos as the bis does not travel very fast and the scenery is magical
• Bring ear plugs if you don’t like loud music (ipods are useless!) or ask around for a bis that doesn’t have a sound system
• Keep an eye out for birds, such as eagles
• Take some medication if you suffer from travel sickness as the roads are long and winding
• Wear a warm jacket as it can get cold and windy, especially around Maubisse and Flecher
• Wear boots in case you need to jump out of the bis and walk up the hill through the mud

           
The drive from Dili to Same takes in views of mountains, casuarina forests covered in lichen and epiphytes, coffee plantations shaded by madre de cacao trees, rice fields in Aileu District and passing through the busy markets of Maubisse and Aileu. You might also see Timor ponies laden with goods to take to the market or tied along. The trip is about a 6 hour or more drive along winding and bumpy mountain roads going up from Dili into Maubisse and then down and around and up and down into Same, with an hour break for lunch in Maubisse or Aileu.
                              
MAF (www.maf.org.au) fly to Same as requested, landing on the airstrip at Ladiki, allowing NGOs to access remote areas of Timor-Leste and assisting those with medical emergencies to fly into Dili. The flight to Same takes about half an hour, but can take longer during inclement weather. The plane is a small one which can seat seven passengers and one in the front next to the pilot. The flight goes up, up and up over the mountainous terrain of Timor-Leste’s interior and onwards towards the South coast and then turns around and descends onto the grassed airstrip in Ladiki. The flight can be a bumpy one because of turbulence over the mountains and especially during heavy rain.
An aunt and a cousin accompanied me on the flight to Same and both had never been on a plane before. Hearing them retell their experience is always entertaining as the Timorese have a talent for storytelling and both commented on separate occasions about how the other did not cope very well with the flight. When my aunt spoke about her experience of flying over the clouds and being able to see everything clearly below, others would listen intently and laugh at her experience of being in a plane for the first time.
          
Same is a pretty town, as one Australian had said to me, and the journey there is also a pretty one! As another Australian said to me, you have to do the drive at least once!