Travelfish newsletter Issue 336 : New year, new clothes
Hi all,
Welcome to the new Travelfish newsletter.
Regular readers may be a little surprised by the format, so here is a brief explainer.
Firstly, we’ve replaced the featured destination with a weekly interview. Every week we’ll interview a sentient being on travelling in Southeast Asia. Some weeks we’ll be chatting to Travelfish members, other weeks people in the industry, other weeks still just someone we met who has some interesting things to say. Like to be interviewed? Drop me a line. Anyone interviewed gets a one year Travelfish membership. Yes swag!
Beautiful handiwork at the Silver Pagoda in Phnom Penh. Photo: Stuart McDonald
Secondly, we’ve done away with the news wrap, travel writing and interesting site sections and replaced it with 10 things worth reading. What kind of things you ask? Think some weeks new stuff on Travelfish, some weeks news, some weeks features, some weeks perhaps an interesting Instagram or Twitter account, some weeks all of the above.
We hope you enjoy it. If you do, please forward it on to all and sundry. Feedback is always appreciated.
Good travels,
Stuart, Sam and the Travelfish crew
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Soapbox
On guides
I’m just back from two weeks in Phnom Penh, which, believe it or not, was not long enough. While there I visited all manner of sights and attractions (which I’m a little over midway through updating on the site) and I often employed either expensive or official (or both) guides.
Phnom Penh’s lovely National Museum. Photo: Stuart McDonald
Now I’m no oracle on Cambodian history and culture but I know my way around the basics, yet I was left scratching my head on multiple occasions when I was told information which was simply wrong.
From an official guide at the Royal Palace: All Cambodian women are locked in their bedroom for three years from when they are 15 to 18.
One of many gems from a food guide: The prime motivating force behind the Khmer Rouge was their dislike of contemporary Khmer music.
From a city walking tour guide: Phsar Thmei was almost flattened by American bombing and rebuilt by the Russians. That is why it is ugly.
And so on.
There has been a level of discord from guides about the growth in audio tours (both Tuol Sleng and the Killing Fields have excellent ones) which are effectively depriving them of their livelihood, but I have to say, guides really need to lift their game or we’ll all be walking around with headsets on soon.
Good travels,
Stuart
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Talking Travel
Meet Cord
Every week we publish a Q&A, this week with Travelfish member Cord.
You often here travellers say “the best part of the trip was getting there”—can you tell our readers an experience you’ve had that fits that bill?
True. The last time in SEA I tried to experience as many different ways to get somewhere as possible. I went by foot, bike, van, Uber/Grab, taxi, private driver, plane, long-tail boat, speed-boat, ferry, long-distance bus, public bus, scooter, subway. You will always learn and experience great stuff.
Travel breaks down barriers between different cultures. Agree or disagree? Why?
It really does. It’s best described by how I met Ho. He’s from Yangon but I meet him in a hostel in Bangkok, where he was on a business trip. Despite the 20 years difference in age we got along very well and had dinner together. A couple of weeks later when I was in Yangon I contacted him and he showed me around in “his“ Yangon. I also met his wife and stopped at his shop in Chinatown. It made my days in Yangon even more special.
In Bangkok? Check out the Bangkokian Museum. Photo: David Luekens
Tell me about the best bit of travel gear you own that cost less than $50? Why is it awesome?
Definitely packing cubes. Nice little helpers to organise your stuff in your backpack. Travelfish.org fits also in this category ;-) Editor’s note: Avid packers may find this story of interest.
Do you think everyone should travel? Why or why not?
If one is happy on their balcony, that’s great! However, I learned and experienced so, so much from travelling around. It’s the perfect way to get out of your neat little comfort zone.
Do you try and learn some local language when you travel? If so, can you tell us a little about what you found worked (and didn’t) for you? How do you feel it changed your travel experience? Amuse us with an amusing anecdote. Please :)
Learning languages is not a real talent of mine. However, having a small tool box with yes/no, hello, thanks, please etc in local language is a real help. Try those also back at home in your favourite local Thai restaurant and you’ll see a notch better service as before :-)
Describe your perfect day of travel—can be a day in the past, or a wished for day in the future!
I learned to love those days without a real schedule. Walking around in a city or an area without a real goal, sitting in a café with a nice view, having a cold beer, etc. These are the perfect way to reflect and make plans what to do over the coming days (and what to trim off of your too long bucket list...).
Explore the mangroves on Nusa Lembongan. Photo: Sally Arnold
While we’re not going to ask you to give up your travelling crown jewels, tell us about somewhere you’ve been (or an experience you’ve had) that left you thinking OMG could the travel experience get any better than this
I enjoyed my days on Nusa Lembongan. It is a neat little island and less crowded compared to Bali and Gilis. No insider tips anymore, but Bagan is also one of most stunning places I’ve been!
Travel often highlights the chasm between the have– and have–nots. Can you tell us about some of the ways you try and give something back to the communities that you are travelling in?
Despite the ”buy local“ approach (street kitchen vs. chains) I am a real fan of KIVA.org. It’s a great way to support locally even once you’re back home.
An iconic scene: Balloons over Bagan at sunrise. Photo: Mark Ord
Bad travel days. Everyone has had one (or many!) of these. Please share one of your “best bad days”.
Probably the (financially) worst one was in Saigon. I read about the scooter gangs grabbing backs and cameras from ones shoulders before. But I didn’t expect that they would grab my phone right out of your hand while I was standing at the traffic light waiting for a green light. And there went my new iPhone, ouch… They were so quick that my friend next to me didn’t even realise it had happened.
If you could go anywhere in Southeast Asia tomorrow, budget be damned, where would you go and why?
Laos is a white spot on my SEA map, so this would be my choice. Or Borneo. The ”budget be damned“ part would be a lavish first class flight to get there :-)
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Ten things worth reading
Hitting up the UN on double pricing
Double pricing has its supporters and detractors but this is the first time we’ve heard of a complaint being taken to the United Nations. Overtourism is a serious concern, but surely limiting numbers rather than double pricing is a more equitable approach?
Dams threaten traditional way of life in Mekong Basin
Dams received no shortage of damning (sorry) coverage through 2018 and this story highlights just how much further fish catches are expected to fall as more dams come on stream. Extremely concerning stuff—and for what? Another garishly lit mall over the border in Thailand.
Why we still need paper maps
While the story is not specifically travel–related, for travellers, maps (be they electronic or on paper) remain one of the most useful tools of discovery. Give this a read to learn about some of the more unusual uses of maps and how a bad map can be worse than no map—something many travellers can identify with!
This newsletter was not written by a bot
A fascinating story suggesting that up to half all of the traffic on the internet may well be fake. One wonders just how many of those hotel reviews on TripAdvisor etal were bot-authored. Here at Travelfish we have a strict no-bots employment policy!
Tearsheets & Snapshots
Victoria Milko is a Burma–based multimedia journalist and we enjoy these wraps on what she has been up to. Think of them as the story behind the stories.
Blood sports
In November 13 year old Anucha Tasako died of a brain haemorrhage after being knocked out in a muay Thai fight. He had fought 174 bouts, commencing when he was just 8 years old. How this isn’t considered to be child abuse is beyond me, yet this New York Times pieces quotes officials lamenting that new rules which are ostensibly to protect kids will kill the sport.
What is a book?
Trying to decide which books to throw in my pack for a trip is a tradition that faded somewhat with electronic devices that could store hundreds of titles, but this long read by Craig Mod challenges just what a book really might be.
Buffeted by the winds of change
Balancing tourism, environmental sustainability, local interests and culture can be a fraught act and this dispatch from Kaza in India’s Spiti valley lays the competing interests out well. So much change in so little time makes these fragile destinations particularly susceptible to poorly considered development.
Cave fossils shed light on the world of 80,000 years ago
A startling find in Northeastern Laos find evidence of the oldest humans in mainland Southeast Asia. One wonders what is submerged never to be found under Laos’ growing number of dams.
Tube Map World
Very cool maps of Angkor Wat, Cambodia, Siem Reap, Laos and Thailand in a cool London tube map style. Available for purchase online—perhaps a great gift for the just returned traveller.
What we’re reading
King Norodom's Head
If you have any affection for the growing city of Phnom Penh — and nostalgia for its disappearing past — you’ll love King Norodom’s Head: Phnom Penh Sights Beyond the Guidebooks.
Travel shot
At the summit of Wat Phnom the best views are up. Photo: Stuart McDonald
Till next time
That’s it from us for now. As usual, enjoy the site’s new additions and drop us a line if there’s something in particular you’d like us to cover in Southeast Asia.
Travel light!
Stuart, Sam & the Travelfish team
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