Microlets in Dili and the Baucau to Dili bus ride - Jan 06


Inside the short microlet ceiling. You'll be surprised how many passengers can squeeze inside.

I've finally taken the microlet in Timor. A friend of mine took me for my first ride and I've since taken a few more. I haven't had the time to take the whole ride for each number(there are 10 of them) but I've been noting down where they go.
The fare is 10 cents and you pay when you get down. There's no bell so if you want to get down, just use your coin and knock on the metal handle. According to my friend(here's her blog), the fare is now 20 cents (she saw a signboard about the increase) But the locals I spoke to tell me it's 10 cents and they still pay 10 cents. As for me, I pay 10 cents if the distance is near and 20 cents if it's a little further.

The locals find it strange that foreigners will take the microlet as they always think that foreigners will take the taxi. I heard a story about a foreigner taking a microlet and he was labelled as being cheapskate. The funny thing was that he could understand Tetun and knew exactly what the timorese was saying about him in the microlet. My friend used to pay 10 cents and once, she got a strange look from the bus conductor. A local explained to her about our 'foreigner's status' and perhaps the microlet expect us to pay the 'full fare' of 20 cents.


Mercado Lama Microlet Stop at the Stadium round-about

The bus to Baucau starts at Becora Bus Terminal and there are 3 departure timeslots - 7am, 11amam, 5pm. The times are not really fixed but these are the approximate ones. To get to Becora Bus Terminal, take microlets no.1 or no.2 from anywhere in Dili town. In Becora Bus Terminal(it's white in colour), you will see many buses with the sticker "Baucau-Dili" in front of it). The journey to Baucau takes about 3hrs and 30mins and the roads are good(even though some parts are narrow and there are the occasional short bumpy sections) When you reach Baucau, you can take microlets A1 and A2. They go to almost anywhere in Baucau town. As for myself, I've only taken a ride from Baucau back to Dili. I took a 8am bus and it did not start till 9am as it wanted to take in as many passengers as possible before moving off. Departure times for a Baucau to Dili trip are around 4am, 7am, 2pm. The cost is $2 for a one-way trip.