Landing Point

Tweet Nearly 500 years ago, on an August day in the year 1515, the Portuguese set foot on Oecusse, what is today an enclave of Timor-Leste. Oecussi is separated from the rest of Timor-Leste -- there are three ways to get here -- take the ferry, fly or drive through West Timor, Indonesia. The photo above shows the monument marking the spot where the Portuguese landed. It's a peaceful place with goats roaming around under the trees -- and along the trench in the photo below.
The Portuguese found Oecussi rich in sandalwood. The Portuguese used trenches like this one to float the wood down to the sea where it was loaded onto ships. The trenches filled with water during high tide.