Travelfish newsletter Issue 252 : Farewell to Suk 11 + Laos shooting + Circles
Hi everyone,
Last of 4,000 Islands, Laos is up plus a smattering of Ubud sights, and finally our Sanur food update, too. Also concerning news of another shooting in Laos.
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The week that was
We received a report this week from a Travelfish user of a shooting in Laos on a bus they were travelling on between Luang Prabang and Vientiane. One passenger, a Lao, was shot in the stomach. Historically travel between Kasi and Luang Prabang has been somewhat dangerous (especially around Phoun Khoun), but it had settled down over the last decade. However, over the last 12 months, there have been a number of shootings on this road. Tourists have not previously been specifically targeted, but as was the case in the event we were advised of, travellers may get caught up in the happenings.
Laos is a bit of a black hole news-wise, and few of these reports see column inches in international press, though many foreign governments do have warnings out about travel in this area. Lao watchers suggest there have been a fair few incidents allegedly linked to Hmong rebels in recent months which may (or may not) be related to anti-China sentiment in the area. For more information, see our forum post on this. Please note also that travel between Vientiane and Vang Vieng is considered safe—the problematic area is well north on Kasi on the way to Luang Prabang.
So we got the final updated piece of the Si Phan Don jigsaw puzzle, Don Dhet, online, finishing off Cindy's update of that beautiful region in Laos. This coming week we'll have more southern Laos and south-central Vietnam material (including coverage of a new island... or at least, new coverage of an old one!) coming online. Also we have a few more of Ubud's outlying sights updated, including the lovely Campuhan Ridge walk and an alternative Monkey Forest, and, last but not least, our suggested Sanur eats is on deck.
For premium members, we have a fresh PDF guide online for Don Dhet. Not a premium member? It costs a very reasonable A$35 per year for access to more than 180 guides (among other things). Find out more here. The more premium members we have, the more coverage we can keep up to date on the site.
This week Stuart and Sally are starting to bang their way through southern Bali, which to be honest, neither of them are over the moon about—we usually suggest you head elsewhere to get the best of Bali, but we'll still take a look for those who prefer to hang out with the masses. Sam is in Singapore, Mark is still in Burma (we think!) and David has just kicked off a manic trip through Thailand's southern Andaman islands. Someone has to do it!
Our soapbox was inspired by the closing of a long-running "old school" guesthouse in central Bangkok. What's this slow shift taking place in Thailand all about? More local touches, less polished concrete please.
This week’s theme is “Circles”. Some of the best trips are loops and, well, we feel like we've been running in circles all week.
As always, please feel free to forward this newsletter on to your friends, family, strangers in bars, bus drivers and somtam ladies.
Good travels,
Stuart, Sam and the Travelfish team
Soapbox
Bye bye Suk 11
I got a message from Anil, a member of the family responsible for long-running Suk 11 guesthouse in Bangkok, on Sunday, letting me know they are closing come this March. News of the property being sold did the rounds a year ago, and while (according to Anil) the deal is not yet done, it seems the writing is on the soon to be demolished wall.
No word on what will be replacing it, but going on the size of the parcel of land (yes, it includes Cheap Charlie’s), we'd imagine a condo or medium-sized mall.
Just what Bangkok needs: Another mall!
Suk 11 had its diehard fans and diehard critics. That we were profiled as a sex-tourist by their famously erratic reception staff and denied a room left us with, well, mixed opinions of the place, but there's no denying the leafy, lantern-strewn courtyard and social vibe made for a welcoming escape from what was a decidedly sleazy stretch of Sukhumvit. For many backpackers, this was the first place they ever stayed in Bangkok.
Quibbles aside, Suk 11 was an old-style guesthouse—no polished concrete minimalism here. It had rather tatty Lanna wall hangings and worn walls, but well-sized and reasonably kept rooms at, for the area, a not outlandish price. If you wanted to meet other travellers, this was a solid option.
More to the point, Suk 11 was a decidedly Thai venue, more so once you included its faults and curiosities. When you were sitting in the cafe or lounging around the common area, you knew exactly where you were.
You were in Thailand.
Sitting in many of the lobbies of the more modern hostels, you could as easily be in Singapore or Bali as Bangkok. We think that's sad.
Anil was non-commital about Suk 11 reopening elsewhere, but it isn't off the cards completely. We hope they keep some of those Lanna wall hangings in storage ... just in case.
Good travels,
Stuart
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Featured
Don Dhet
Fringed by palms, cheap bungalows and bathed in golden sunshine, the Mekong island of Don Dhet is the most “beach”-like destination of landlocked Laos.
Film of the week
Phnom Penh's shit canal
Drone footage of the last open canal in Phnom Penh. Striking for the city's skyline as much as the canal. Film by CityLab.
What we're reading
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
Crazy Rich Asians is a rollicking read set in the lives of Singapore’s ultra-rich. One of the key families in the story, in fact, is so rich and so privacy obsessed that their mega-estate next to the Botanical Gardens and owned for generations isn’t shown on Google Maps or GPS; some of their members pay off the press in order never to be featured, so their existence is a complete mystery to many.
Notes from the road
BURMA: A train circle
Clickety-clacking through 29 miles of bumpy track in true old-fashioned train style, the Yangon circle train is the Yangoonie’s favourite way to travel cheap.
CAMBODIA: A grand circle
The central temples of Angkor are ostensibly split up into two routes consisting of the Small Circuit and the Grand Circuit. The Grand Circuit is in fact just an extension of the shorter Small Circuit loop, taking in a few more sites.
INDONESIA: A backpacker circle
Lake Toba is the largest volcanic lake in the world, formed by a cataclysmic eruption around 70,000 years ago. That eruption shrouded the earth in a blanket of ash for years and led to the cooling of the planet. Today, the lake is a calm, picturesque body of water surrounded by towering mountains and a favourite resting place on the backpacker circuit.
ISLANDS: A circle-ish road trip
Bali is big, beautiful, round(ish) and dotted with interesting places to visit—it’s ideal for a road trip. You can circumnavigate Bali in as little as a couple of days or as long as a couple of months, by car or by motorbike.
LAOS: A 450km circle
The Tha Khaek Loop, also known as the Konglor Loop or simply “the Loop”, is a 450-kilometre motorcycle journey through some of the most spectacular scenery in all of Laos.
MALAYSIA: A two-week circle
From towering mountains to tangled jungles and deep seas, Sabah is chock-a-block with natural wonders. To get a good overview of the popular highlights, allow at least two weeks to complete the classic tourist trail.
SINGAPORE: A standing circle
We love a fairground ride, and a fairground ride with a view, what could be better? Well, a fairground ride with a view and Champagne of course! Ok, we’re getting carried away — we didn’t do the Champagne ride, but it’s an option.
THAILAND: A tattooed circle
Soldiers, policemen and others who perform dangerous work often receive Paed Tit, a circle of eight pyramids believed to provide protection in the eight directions.
VIETNAM: A secret circle
Mr Rot’s Secret Tour is a refreshing alternative to conventional Da Lat Easy Rider tours. And though we left the market in stitches, it’s not all fun and games. The Secret Tour is a window into Vietnamese and K’Ho minority culture.
News from the region
BURMA I: Bagan’s long, bumpy road to World Heritage listing
"The Bagan master plan is mainly intended for the long-term sustainability of local community development, heritage conservation as well as tourism development."
BURMA II: Stakeholders fight for conflicting visions of Ngapali shoreline
"But the famed Ngapali beach is now perceived to be under threat by proposed three- to five-story low-rise construction requests from local businessmen trying to cope with an influx of local and international tourists. People are worried that the building projects could damage the beauty of the shoreline, and spoil Ngapali’s famed views."
CAMBODIA/LAOS: Forces Build Up on Laos Border Over Construction Dispute
"More than 400 Laotian soldiers have crossed into Cambodian territory to block military engineers from constructing a road, sparking an armed buildup in the border area over the past two weeks, Cambodian officials said on Sunday."
HEALTH: Exotic trip planned? Packing antibiotics may mean bringing home superbugs
"Finnish researchers confirmed that those traveling to exotic locations—places with poor hygiene and free-flowing antibiotics—often bring home drug-resistant bacteria in their intestines (with or without symptoms). But the people who took antibiotics while exploring those locales came back with the most extensively drug-resistant cargo." We imagine we're quite a walking petri-dish.
INDONESIA: Animal activists call for a ban on dolphins on planes in Indonesia
"Animal welfare activists are calling for a ban on transporting dolphins by plane after filming footage that showed them being boxed into crates in a harness to take part in a travelling circus in Indonesia." Appalling.
INDONESIA II: China becomes Indonesia’s largest tourist source
"Chinese tourists made 1.43 million trips to the world's largest island country in 2016, up 25 percent year-on-year, but still below the target of 1.7 million Chinese visitors."
LAOS: Bringing the joy of reading in rural Laos
"In 2006, Big Brother Mouse was the first organisation to receive a publishing license in the city. Being pioneers of a new book culture came with some challenges."
THAILAND I: First jungle cats seen in Thailand for 40 years
"A freelance photographer has taken pictures of jungle cats in the wild in a Chiang Mai forest, four decades after they were thought to be extinct in Thailand."
THAILAND II: Bowing to protesters, Thai junta puts Krabi coal plant plan on hold
"Thailand’s military government has put on hold plans for a coal-fired power plant in a region known for its pristine tourist beaches after protests by residents and activists, Thai media said on Monday." This just after the junta said it was going to go ahead.
VIETNAM: Hope for Hanoi? New bus system could cut pollution … if enough people use it
"A new $53m BRT (bus rapid transit) system has the power to reduce Hanoi’s dreadful air pollution. Persuading residents of Vietnam’s rapidly expanding capital to ditch their motorbikes and private cars, however, will be another story."
Travel writing
The art of SE Asia discovery with Travelfish.org
An interview with Stuart by our old Saigon hand, Angela.
Is travel writing dead?
"Why not take us someplace new in the mind – someplace between countries rather than inside them?"
The uncertain future of photojournalism
"You drive down the street and there’s 50 fast food restaurants, but that doesn’t mean any one of them is any good for you. Or quality. In many ways, photography became junk food for editors."
How to visit a museum
"“A common mistake people make is to stay at a museum too long to try to see as much as possible, but this will only result in sensory overload and leave you overwhelmed,” Ms. Schlesinger said. In addition, never visit a museum when you’re hungry: Ms. Schlesinger said that the hunger will eat at you, leaving you unable to concentrate."
MALAYSIA: Interacting with the street art on the streets of George Town
"In 2012, Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic created six works of art, each a combination of painting and sculpture, to depict the lifestyle and culture of the local inhabitants. Since then, works of art have sprung up everywhere, including several dozen wrought iron sculptures giving historical facts about streets and districts throughout the city."
THAILAND I: 'I didn't realise he was dying': the day I lost my fiance
Absolutely heartbreaking story of the death of a loved one while travelling in Thailand.
THAILAND II: Salt of the earth
To find out why rice from this area is of high quality, tourists should visit the Nakhon Chaisi River Basin Farmers' Way of Life Museum.
VIETNAM: The amusement park
"Welcome to the place where fun came to die. Ho Tuy Thien opened in 2004 to the tune of US$3 million, but it never got off the ground as a destination for tourists in Hue. More of a damp squib than a big splash, the project was shelved before construction was even completed."
VIETNAM II: Exorcising demons in Vietnam
"Deep in a trance and impervious to the heat of burning coals underfoot, lithe young men prance across piles of glowing embers at a ritual fire dance to exorcise spiritual demons and pray for a healthy harvest."
Interesting site
Fathom Way To Go
Some kind words for Travelfish here along with a collection of other travel websites.
Travel shot
A quick bite in Sichon, southern Thailand.
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