Tag Archives: mountains

AFET: Wrapping up

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After the last patients had been treated, the church doors were closed.  The Sisters had kindly prepared lunch for us, before our trip back to Dili.

I suddenly remembered that we had to go back down the mountain, on those same winding, bumpy narrow roads.  And I didn’t want to be on those roads when darkness fell.  But at that time, there didn’t seem to be any rush to leave just yet.

On the way back, we stopped in Maubessi again, the half-way point, from where we parted ways.

 

Along the way, we handed out the extra goody bags to the children.

  

Needless to say, the smiles on the children’s faces were worth the day’s sores and bumps.

AFET Mission: Turiscai

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We arrived in Turiscai after a bumpy and winding two-hour drive, hugging the side of the mountain and hoping that we wouldn’t meet any big trucks coming from the other way.

The sun was up and getting warmer, as we drove down to the courtyard by the church.  It was good to get out and stretch the legs again, and to be sure that we were stepping on firm ground, not riding over big stones and boulders, or wheels sliding in the sand.

The church is still under construction, and when finished will no doubt serve as the only church for miles around.  This is the side of the church.  The front door is on the cliff side, and the door opens out to a wonderful view of the mountainside.

People got busy setting up and bringing in all the supplies.  Through generous donations, there were medical supplies, basic necessities and foods, some school supplies and sweets for goodie bags for the children.

     

In the meantime, word had gotten out already that we were there, and people were starting to arrive.  Patiently, they waited on the benches for us to finish setting up.  We worked as fast as we could to set up, and hoping that the convoy from Suai, which were the doctors, would arrive soon.

  

Under the watchful eye of the Sister, signs were put up, stations set up, goodie bags made up.

  

As soon as the doctors arrived and had settled down, the doors were opened for everybody.

A Trip up the Mountains

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‘Oh, since you’re here, maybe you’d want to come with us on the medical mission to Maubessi on the weekend?’

But of course, you didn’t have to ask me twice.  I had to get out and see more of the country, not just Dili.  I would have made up any excuse, if I had to go in to work during the weekend.  Thankfully, I didn’t need to go in to the office, so no excuse needed.

The medical and humanitarian mission was sponsored by the Association of Filipinos in East Timor (AFET).  The association is a group of Filipinos residing in Timor-Leste, and conducts small humanitarian missions for the peoples of Timor-Leste.

We got to the meeting point at  4am – yes, 4 am, which means I had to get up in the middle of the night after a dinner night out … and met up with others to form a convoy to Maubessi, which was three hours away.  As we drove up to the mountains, we could see Dili down in the valley, with lights twinkling on one by one, as the people woke up to start their day.

Just as the sun was coming up, we arrived in Maubessi, the half-way point, to wait for the other convoy arriving from Suai (which was another three hours away from the other direction).

Stopping on the side of the road, we got out to stretch our legs – and promptly stepped into 40-degree weather, maybe even 30-degrees.  It was cold, freezing, and we were all shivering.

 

Wrapped up in scarves, hats, hoodies and hugging ourselves to keep warm, we had breakfast at the side of the road as the sun came up.

The villagers passed by, staring at us as we ate, jumped and walked around to keep warm, and probably wanting to know who was disturbing their morning peace.

     

The convoy from Suai still had another hour before they would get to Maubessi, so one car stayed behind to wait for them while the rest of us continued on. We still had another two hours to go up, up the mountains, to the village of Turiscai where we would be setting up.

 

We drove on narrow, one-lane tracks, sometimes paved, sometimes not.  Yes, this is a two-way road – on the side of the mountain.  If we met any other vehicles on the way and nowhere to squeeze to the side for the other to pass, then one would have to reverse to a spot where two vehicles could pass.  A little scary, especially if your vehicle was on the cliff-side of the mountain … but thankfully, every time we met another vehicle, there was space for both to pass.

The scenery was beautiful, the cool weather a refreshing change from the heat of the city.  After a winding and bumpy ride on roads and tracks that we were not entirely sure were for vehicles, we arrived in Turiscai.

Mountains and mountains …

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We all had a chance to go up to the cockpit, for a panoramic view of the mountains. Flying out from Kathmandu, the mountains were to the left of the aircraft. I was seated on the right side of the aircraft, so rather frustrating not to have first sight of the mountains and the view. Solved that problem by sneaking into the empty seat across, when the person went up to the cockpit. So I got my panoramic picture.

At the end of the plane’s range, the pilot made a u-turn, so this time, the mountains were on the right side of the aircraft – my side!! And closer too, so better yet

Now, if they would only clean the windows ….