One of three easy walks I developed for the Dili Saturday Walkers group to explore the streets of the capital, visiting prominent sights. This one covered the Taibesi / Becora area including the third largest Balinese temple outside of Bali, one of the largest markets in Timor-Leste, a few churches, and many cemeteries.

We started at Santa Cruz Cemetery, one of the most important places in modern Timorese history. On 12 November 1991 mourners for independence supporter Sebastião Gomes were fired upon by Indonesian soldiers while undertaking a peaceful procession from Motael Church to Santa Cruz Cemetery. At least 271 people, mostly students, were killed. British journalist Max Stahl managed to bravely film the massacre, and hide his footage in the cemetery, to later recover and share with the world. Timor-Leste had been under occupation from Indonesian since 1975 but this was the event that really made the world aware of what was happening, and helped lead to independence. 12 November is now an annual Youth Day, and commemorations are held at the cemetery.

Sunday morning was the ideal time for this walk as the usually bustling streets were relatively quiet, as most people were at church.

I wondered how they got these cars on top of these containers, given the general lack of lifting equipment in Timor-Leste.

Pura Giri Natha Dili is at the top of a small hill. The third largest Balinese temple outside of Bali was built to for the many Balinese soldiers who served during the occupation of Timor-Leste. It was inaugurated in 1987 by Governor Mario Viegas Carrascalão, and after independence it fell into ruin. The government is currently spending $1.2m to restore it as a tourist attraction. I’ve visited a number of times but bringing a group of 20 people with me this time alerted the security guard, who kindly opened up the gates so we could take a look inside.

Back down the hill to the large Becusi Cemetery, where one of the longest serving members of the Dili Saturday Walkers group showed us the tombstone of a former Dili Saturday Walker member. He was a volunteer from New Zealand who tragically died on his way back to Timor-Leste, a country he loved.

We walked to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Becora, which took 8 years and $2.1m to build, and was consecrated on 21 November 2021. The road out was full of flash houses, but the road back in basically the same area felt like being in the districts, with banana trees growing and much more basic houses.

Mural of the current President and Prime Minister of Timor-Leste.

Taibesi Market is one of the largest markets in the country. It can feel like almost anything can be bought here. The pleasure is in getting lost, taking in the atmosphere.

An unplanned stop on the walk was at the small Islamic Cemetery, round the back of the Chinese Hakka Cemetery, as I didn’t know it was there!

The size of the Chinese Hakka Cemetery clearly demonstrates the long term presence of Chinese in the community in Timor-Leste. It was opened in 1889 on land donated by the colonial Portuguese government, and has around 1,500 tombs.

We finished at the Indonesian Military Cemetery (Taman Makam Pahlawan Seroja), which lies across the road from Santa Cruz Cemetery. This is home to the graves of 697 Indonesian soldiers (only 243 of whom have been identified) who died while serving in then East Timor between 1975 and 1999.