Detour

DIVINE DESTINATION On top of Mount Ramelau, East Timor's highest mountain, stands a pure white statue, more than three meters high, of the Virgin Mary, her arms outstretched and her face wearing an expression of sublime understanding. To reach her is a feat of endurance. But the rewards can border on the transcendent. The first time I saw her, enveloped in the milky mist that swirled around the summit, I had so many endorphins coursing through my brain that I genuinely believed she understood my pain, could feel the fire in my calves, the thump in my chest, and the sandpaper in my throat. Little wonder then, that during the oppressive years of Indonesia's rule, the Timorese would climb this mountain in search of hope.

Mount Ramelau, or Tatamailau, as the maps label it, was once the highest point in the Portuguese empire. Located in East Timor's central region, about 30 kilometers north of Maubisse, the 2,963-m-high peak can be reached by turning off the main road to Ainaro and negotiating a rough trail to the town of Hatu Buliko, built at its base. It's easy to feel like an intrepid explorer in this backcountry. Foreign faces are seldom seen and the villagers linger to watch you pass by.

Guides can be hired in Hatu Buliko for $10, though the path to the peak is not difficult to find on your own. Climbing it is another matter. The three-hour hike is strictly for masochists or the blindly devout. The views from the summit, however, redeem the effort. Pony trails snake along mountain ridges, terraced rice paddies tumble down steep slopes, wisps of smoke rise from straw huts, and eagles hover on thermals far below. Those who undertake the climb midweek will, more likely than not, have the summit to themselves. Few experiences can match sitting aloft and alone on Mount Ramelau, enjoying a good Portuguese red with crackers, while watching shards of sunlight pierce the clouds, illuminating the valley below. "God lives up there," the policeman in Hatu Buliko had told me before I began the climb. He's probably right.