Travelfish newsletter Issue 375 : UNESCO, Yamaha dealerships or Disneyland? What do you prefer?
Hi everyone,
Good afternoon from a somewhat hazy Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. Last week I was in Udon Thani, pressed on to Nong Khai and then Sangkhom (to a very sadly dilapidated Buoy Guesthouse—talk about an end of an era, more about that next week). This week I’m writing about UNESCO listings for living towns—I have mixed feelings on them. New on the site is Ko Sukorn. Ko Ngai coming tomorrow.
Light a fire, do some yoga. Photo: Stuart McDonald
Coronavirus update: Still no confirmed cases in Indonesia and the ministry says Pray Harder. Ok then. Here in Chiang Mai a few people are wearing masks, a big step up from the northeast where there were almost none—lots of great eating though! Would I advise cancelling travel to Southeast Asia? No, but I would say try to avoid flying when possible (trains are good!), avoid large crowds, and be extra aware re washing hands, snogging strangers and so on.
The verdict on should you wear a mask if you are not infected is very much up for debate. Please read widely and make up your own mind. This Foreign Policy story has advice from people who actually know what they are talking about.
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Lastly, if you’re heading to Thailand for the first time, you may enjoy another newsletter we have called “Welcome to Thailand”. It starts with a series of daily emails, each covering an introductory aspect of Thailand. Then it switches to a weekly (Tuesday) instalment, each recommending a destination or attraction in Thailand that you may not have heard of. All subscribers also get a complimentary PDF itinerary for Southern Thailand. Sign up here.
Till next week!
Stuart
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Destination: UNESCO, Yamaha dealerships and Disneyland
I’m embarrassed to say I only learned this morning of Chiang Mai seeking a UNESCO heritage listing, and when I was asked did I think it would be a good thing for the town, I was stuck for an answer. Two of the highest profile UNESCO projects on “living towns” in Southeast Asia, Hoi An in Vietnam and Luang Prabang in Laos, arouse very mixed feelings for me.
Yes the listings have protected the architectural look and feel of the two towns, but the unflattering “Disneylandesque” descriptor fits. In both many of the locals who once lived there have either been forced out by rising rents, or cashed out and moved elsewhere. In either case to be replaced by yet another Hmong handicraft store, boutique hotel or colonial French themed cafe.
Yes the heritage areas lack concrete egg carton Yamaha dealerships or 18 floor blight on the landscape hotels, and in many ways, that is a good thing, but the local life that permeated them, outside the wet markets and temples at least, is a fraction of what it once was.
Of course heritage listings for historical monuments like Wat Phu in southern Laos for example can bring much needed expertise (and funds) for restoration and preservation efforts, but a living town? It gets much more complicated.
I was walking the back streets of Chiang Mai’s old city last night, and there are still loads of the old wooden houses that give the area so much of its charm. Yes many are now guesthouses and cafes, but many likewise are residences (for locals and/or foreigners). On the way to the restaurant I passed a small motorbike repair shop, crammed into an ageing and not at all pretty concrete shopfront (East German architecture meets lego meets rising damp). Out front the staff were letting off some steam chugging back Leo beers, eating beer snacks and listening to riotous Thai tunes. Would this meet a UNESCO criteria? No, but its indelibly part of the local life of Chiang Mai’s Old City that gives it so much appeal.
While UNESCO listing can potentially bring with it a glad bad of cash and expertise, I’d argue a more straightforward approach would be for local municipalities to take a more forward thinking view of the development of their own towns. Do they really need UNESCO to tell them that burying the cabling would be sensible? Or that knocking down an old and beautiful residence to build a twelve story cookie-cutter hotel, would be detrimental to the overall vibe of the place?
Yes it is complicated. Shouldn’t landowners be permitted to do what they want? Well that’s what zoning laws are for. Thinking about the greater good over the longer term.
I think there’s no denying that without UNESCO listing the peninsula at Luang Prabang and Hoi An old town would look very different—and there are no shortage of towns that lost so much of their heritage through crass commercial development that could have been better considered. But then a Yamaha dealership is a sign of prosperity and is a part and parcel of modern day Southeast Asia. Should these towns be frozen in time to preserve a predominantly western colonial fantasy of how they should look? I don’t know.
There has to be a middle way on this. Email me your thoughts.
Good travels, from an extremely hazy, eye-burning Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Stuart
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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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