Back in Dili we unfortunately receive some bad news from the shipping agent. Apparently there is no more space in any of their containers on the next ship, which is planned for early December. The next boat to Australia sails around mid-December so we would have to wait until New Year to pick up Mickey in Australia. They are also bothered with the situation and advise us another shipping agent. It's getting late now, so we first go check in at a hotel that we’ve already visited during our first stay in Dili. It is a lesser value for money than the hotel we were in, but they have a garden where we have enough space and shade to clean and prepare Mickey for the shipment to Australia. In Australia, many diseases (eg rabies and mad cow disease), insects and bacteria are not present. This they wish to keep so at all costs. Motorcycles and cars are considered to be very dangerous and are therefore subjected to sever quarantine procedures before entering the country. Our bike and the entire luggage will be thoroughly inspected. If any bug or bit of earth is found, everything will go in quarantine, following huge expenses.
The next morning we go to ANL (TOLL), another shipping agent in Dili. Here they ask if we can bring the bike on Friday, in two days’ time. This means we would only have two days to clean the bike and the luggage and prepare the paperwork. As much as we wish to leave East-Timor, two days is really too short. We want to clean thoroughly to avoid the quarantine mentioned above. Fortunately, there is also a ship scheduled for the end of November and we agree with the shipping agent to send Mickey with that ship. After that we go to the shop and buy some cleaning materials. Back at the hotel we don’t find the courage yet to start. We prefer to work on our blog in the coolness of our aircon. Later in the afternoon, we go to a carwash for the first clean-up.

This is the Easy Part

We empty the side- and top panniers so they can also be cleaned there. At the first carwash the prizes are there, and they charge for our motorbike as much as for cleaning a minivan. We are determined to pay the normal price for a motorcycle and although they agree, they clearly do it against their will and do a lousy job. We then look for another carwash but everywhere they ask the price for a minivan. Ok, our bike is a bit bigger than an Asian scooter, but to charge the price of a minivan is a bit over the top. Eventually we find a carwash with friendly guys who charge us the fair price, and we promise them a bit more if they do their best. The work is well done and satisfied we return to the hotel to start the cleaning job. We make a detour to the beach for a dip in the Timor Sea, now we still have the bike. Here we see the famous Cristo Rei statue, an Indonesian gift to East-Timor. This beach is the first one that we have seen in East-Timor, which is a little accustomed for tourism with a few nice huts on the beach and some restaurants with sea views.

Cristo Rei Statue

At Dili Beach

Back at the hotel, we start with our luggage. We clean all suitcases and bags, and even use ear picks to reach all the crevices. It is a serious job and it takes all night to complete.

Cleaning the Panniers

Before - After

The next day it's time for the rest of the luggage, mainly our camping equipment. We set up the tent in the garden of the hotel and hang our sleeping bags on the clothesline. The tent is washed both the exterior and interior, and the mattress is cleaned as well. Special attention is paid to the tent pegs (some people have failed the quarantine inspections because there was still a little earth on them).

Cleaning the Tent

All in all, the work is not so much here, and after a few hours we are through with this. The luggage is now all packed and ready for shipment. We drive to the garage for a new rear tire, because before driving into Australia, Mickey will also be subjected to a technical inspection which we will certainly fail with the current rear tire. The garage worker clearly is not used to European tires and he asks two others for assistance to get the tire off the rim.

Changing the Tire

After this we go to the carwash once more and then the real work begins with the cleaning of Mickey. It's already afternoon so we decide to focus only on the front part of the bike. Everything which can be taken from the bike is taken off, but even then it’s difficult to reach all the spots. We do what we can and at 22h00 everything is back in place and we can go to sleep.

Front of the Bike Removed

In the morning we are ready to start.... but we don’t find the courage. Actually we want to wait for some more shade in the garden but our game of Risk is so intense, that we lose sight of time. Around 16h00 we check the clock and decide that it's too late to start now. We eat and then return to the room to play some more.
The next morning we start early. The back of the motorbike is dismantled completely, even the rear wheel and the luggage compartment under the seat are removed. We scrub everything and use toothbrushes to get to the hard to reach areas.

Today It's Time For the Backside of the Bike

We work until late in the evening and then we can have our first meal of the day. We use the last day to focus on the bottom side and the body of the bike.

Even the Bottom of the Bike Gets Cleaned Thoroughly

We get up early in the morning to pack up and load the bike. Before Mickey goes in the container, we check in at the last hotel we have stayed in Dili. This hotel is located close to the shipping agent so we can return on foot when Mickey is in the container. The hotel is also not far from the airport, where we need to be tomorrow to catch our flight to Bali. In Bali, we want to wait until Mickey has arrived in Darwin, because East-Timor is not our thing. Placing Mickey in the container does not go as smoothly as expected (see shipping Mickey) and we arrive late in the afternoon at the hotel. We go to Burger King as it is located so close to the hotel.

Burger King at Timor Plaza

The next day we fly to Bali. Dili has the smallest international airport that we have seen and it really looks run down. On arrival it is even closed, it is only open when there is a flight, which only happens a few times a day. A bit later, the doors open and with an hour delay we're on the plane.

Bye Bye East-Timor

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