Kupang is a university city and the largest in West Timor, Indonesia. With very little tourist traffic, I was not even able to get information from the hotel, but I visually assessed my offline map to determine a path via main roads which would take me across town to Lavalon Seaview Hostel and Cafe, which also seemed nearer the city center. The mini minibus adventure worked out, I explored the area a little and made it to the hostel where I learned that some Polish traveler had just departed with his motorcycle. I hung out and chatted with an ex-British military officer who had resigned his post abruptly one day and decided to travel the world. He wanted to buy a hammock and offered me a ride to the Lippo Mall with him where we looked around and I heard his story about losing his shoes in Cambodia and adapting to a bare-foot lifestyle. I thanked him for all his travel tips. Then from the mall, I opted to trek back along Jalan Frans-Seda passing numerous universities and sites along the way from FKIP Unika, to Museum NTT, a hospital, Hypermart, monuments and some interesting neighborhoods, I got a slice of daily life.

Tip:
It takes a while to get accustomed to walking around on bare feet, but it can be a good investment of time to practice in advance to a trip. With bare feet you don’t have to worry about rain, puddles or flooding, which can be major detriments when traveling.

Published by BE

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