TIMOR-LESTE REPTILE & AMPHIBIAN SURVEY
PILGRIMAGE TO PEARL

When I arrived at Hilo I picked up my bag and went outside to await the vehicle coming to pick me up. Imagine my surprise when I was flagged down by the guys who had caught the first flight up in the morning, who I expected to already be esconced at the workshop location. It turned out there had been a mix up with the vehicles and they had been provided with a non 4x4 vehicle and sorting that out and picking up supplies meant it was easier to wait for me to arrive than go on ahead. There were now two vehicles: a pickup with three local guys led by Daniel who had all the supplies and a big 4x4 driven by Oliver Tallowin that also contains Allen Allison, Phil Bowles, Paul Oliver, Fred Parker, Glenn Shea, their kit, and now me with mine. One other person, Neil Cox, would fly in and join us the next day.

So while I had been enjoying walking around Pearl Harbor these guys had been shopping for supplies and sorting out hire cars, I defo had the best deal! Eventually we set out for the workshop venue, up the Daniel K. Inouye Highway, then left through some gates surrounded by volcanic rock piles, towards the Mauna Kea volcano. Yes our venue was high up on the remote sides of a volcano. We headed higher, 4x4 being essential as we drove through muddy passes where the mists reduced visibility to a few yards, through a further four gates where cattle emerged from the fog as they grazed, and stunted trees fringed our route. We passed abandoned, rusted wrecks and eventually came to a dense tree-line, the beginnings of the property. Then through two more gates and we reached the house, a wooden structure in an oasis of horticulture, but all introduced species of trees and flowers, with their garish blooms attracting brightly coloured nectar-feeding birds.

Across a volcanic lava bed	Through mist and mud

The house was unique to say the least, it has an almost 1930-50 appeal, high bookshelves, stuffed pheasants in rows, ships in bottles, candlesticks and all sorts of weird and wonderful artifacts on the walls, a large kitchen (actually two) and loads of bedrooms, but no electic power as the generator was not running when we arrived. It was also cold and misty, a real Agatha Christie mystery retreat. We settled in, talked and drank a beer or two, the workshop starts tomorrow. Paul went back down to Hilo with the pickup to get his computer fixed and meet Neil. And then there were six!

The house	The grounds

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