With it’s limited routes, I took the first chance to catch the Berlin Nakroma ferry to Atauro Island. Luckily, the dock was a short walk from the house and there was a large crowd of people gathered outside. It took me a while to realize that I needed to push to the front and stick my hands through the fence to buy a ticket, but someone helped me, then we waited for a while for the gate to open to the port. I made friends with a Polish traveler, a sociology researcher, her friends and other locals as we sprawled across the deck. I was in awe of the ultra clear waters, especially near Atauro where the small market sold various wares and food gathered and caught straight from the coast. People came to Atauro to purchase foods unique to the island such as seaweed, fish, and steamed rice wrapped in leaf. The Polish guy and I explored the market then learned about the tuk tuks that could take us to other villages so we hopped on one. To our bad luck, it ran out of gas, but with numerous revs of the engine, we managed to get to the drivers house and refuel. Once we reached Vila, we walked around, exploring the empty streets, church and the beach where the Polish guy revealed that he had invested in a heavy duty drone which he pulled out and flew around, suddenly drawing in a group of kids who had never seen a drone before. After gathering video and taking a few pictures for his blog, we made our way back to catch the return trip. Every nook and cranny of the ship was stuffed with bags of bright green crunchy seaweed as we all laid on the ship enjoying the cool breeze on a very hot day.

Tip:
It takes up to two weeks to acclimate to a climate during which time it might feel like misery. Slowly the heat or cold will feel more bearable. In the meantime, one way to find some relief from the heat is to plan more movement into your activities such as ferrys and tuk tuk rides. Careful, some buses may be extremely hot and uncomfortable if you have to wait at the station for it to fill up with enough passengers.

Published by BE

I write about my travel and money experiences. View all posts by BE