ATAURO

An hour and a half by speed boat (or a 2+ hour ferry ride) north of Dili brings you to Atauro Island. The island can literally be seen from the shores of Dili, yet the island is miles away in terms of activities and development. If the hustle and bustle of Dili is like a rabbit, Atauro Island is like a slug. People on the island take life a day at a time… adults fish and kids play.

A group of 16 of us went to Atauro for the weekend and it was definitely a nice break. Some of us took the speed boat which was chartered from Jim’s Island Charter Tours (USD$65 rtn per person) while the others took the slower ferry and fishing boat (USD$15 rtn). We stayed at the Tua Koin Eco Lodge. The eco lodge is a great idea whether for Atauro Island or for other places that are more developed. It tries to stay in harmony with nature and minimize its impact on the local environment.

First, electricity was only used when it was needed (i.e. when the sun went down), then there was no air-con. This surprisingly was refreshing – not only did nature provide natural A/C, it also felt cooler here than in Dili, probably because of the lack of cars, A/Cs and other machines generating heat and warming up the air. Then there was the natural shower that consisted of a simple yet very effective way to shower – a bucket and some plants around to soak up the waste water. Its shocking how little water we actually need to shower. Finally, there is the eco-toilet. Similar to the shower, the bathroom was simply but nicely decorated and had a sturdy seat which sat above a large and deep hole. Even though the toilet was constantly being used, it didn’t smell. I didn’t get a chance to read why this was so, but from what I heard, it is because of the depth of the hole, and the dried leaves and tree bark that are added to the waste. Because of this system, the waste eventually gets composted and becomes natural fertilizer.

And then there was the bungalows that we stayed in… they were clean, well-kept, and made of local natural materials (i.e. bamboo). We took a bungalow in the corner that was literally steps away from the beach. This weekend on Atauro Island at the Tua Koin Eco Lodge was close to being ‘heaven on Earth’. Kadalak001