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Atapupu
On
a narrow bay extending deep inland, 20 km from Atambua which is
on the border to east Timor. One of Timor's busiest cattle ports.
Mentioned on Riberiro's world map of 1529. Sleep at the stasiun
polisi. from Atapupu: A boat leaves at least once weekly for Kupang
or other destinations such as Roti, Sawu, Sumbawa, Lombok, and
Surabaya, etc. If you're lucky you'll find a boat all the way
to Bali via Kupang. Kupang is about a 2 day busride from Atapupu.
To Atambua it's Rp150 by bus. There's an Indonesian check point
and a couple of good losmens in Atambua. Though there's no entry
now into eastern Timor, Atambua is a more pleasant town to hang
around in than Atapupu. Stay at Losmen Sahabat.
Nusa Lembongan
is situated 12 miles south east of Bali. It is one hour traveling
time by boat from Benoa Harbour. This pear shaped island is around
4km long and 2km wide. It is surrounded by a beautiful fringing
reef, which hosts a myriad of marine life, The waters are renowned
for their abundance of life and great surf breaks. The reef has
been declared a marine park by the Indonesian authorities. Not
only does the reef support its own Eco-system, but it supports
most of the villagers on the island as well. The local people
farm seaweed. This seaweed is cultivated, harvested then exported
all over the world for use in cosmetics, food stabilizers and
medicines. Other sources of income include traditional wooden
boat building, farming peanuts, sweet potato, and fishing.Village
life is very slow and enchanting. Very few cars and motorbikes
are seen on the roads. The people are steeped in tradition, and
one could imagine Bali being like this island, thirty years ago.Although
the island is small there are many things to do. Fishing, diving,
surfing, mangrove exploring, discovering natural fresh water springs,
underground cave house exploring, cycling around the island. A
visit to the bat caves on a nearby island, or a picnic at dream
beach. Try catching mud cabs in the mangrove area at the back
of the island. There is something for every one at Nusa Lembongan.
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