Travelfish newsletter Issue 254 : Laos & Thailand updates + popular reads of 2016
Hi everyone,
More Laos backwater updates, the first of our new Canggu content and a revisited Thai island slide online this week, plus a book review and travel film, both from Vietnam.
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The week that was
When you're running a regional travel website, you need to cover not just the top-10 but also the, umm, lesser-visited spots. That includes two of this week's destinations, Salavan and Attapeu in far southern Laos. Enjoy. On the more top-10 side of things, we've got the first of our new Canggu selections in southern Bali up on the site along with a complete update of Ko Kradan in southern Thailand.
For premium members, we have a fresh PDF guide online for Salavan, Attapeu and Ko Kradan. We've also made a change to the Tad Lo one, so if you're headed there, be sure to grab an updated copy. Not a premium member? It costs a very reasonable A$35 per year for access to more than 190 guides (among other things). Find out more here. The more premium members we have, the more coverage we can keep fresh for you on the site.
A word on those Canggu updates: Sally looked at 120 places to stay in Canggu, which she boiled down to a shortlist of 46 places, which we then almost halved for the final cut. Three thoughts: Great work Sally; Bali has way too many places to stay; and, not many travel publishers do it this way any more. More listings coming this week.
On the road, we have Sam still in Hanoi, mostly ummm, eating. Mark is back from southern Burma and we'll be sorting out some updates from him shortly. Sally is about to head to southern Peninsular Malaysia for some badly needed updates on both coasts. David has just arrived on Ko Lipe and the first of his research for the Trang islands is on out desk—just in time for your Songkran break planning. Keep an eye on the Travelfish Instagram feed if you're missing your pho fix.
Our soapbox is about how and when people use Travelfish, which also gave us our theme: "What's hot", a selection of some of the most-read pages on the site in the last 12 months.
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
Planning on the road
Looking at the annual year-on-year reports for Travelfish the past week I noticed something interesting: Traffic from the countries we cover is mostly up 10 to 25%, while traffic from "home countries", like the UK and US, was either flat or down a little. In a bit of a head scratcher, Australia was way down (-12%) but we were well pleased that Burma was way up (+102%)—though we did add a lot of new Burma material in 2016.
My initial thought was perhaps this was a reflection of people using the site more on the road these days, rather than planning back at home. When I mentioned this on Twitter, someone suggested perhaps it was due to local sim cards and internet data becoming easier to get, more affordable and faster to use. This also made sense.
Even just a few years ago, you could struggle for a signal on popular islands in Thailand; today you'd struggle to not have a decent 3G signal. Remember GPRS?! Likewise getting a sim-card is getting easier and easier, often with kiosks at international airports ready to help you get online with a minimum of fuss.
The Travelfish website itself works better on a phone now (we think!) so that probably helps with on-the-road usage—more than half of the overall traffic to the site is now on a mobile phone.
So between cheaper and easier local sim cards, faster local internet, a more mobile friendly website and the general pervasiveness of phones, it seems that more people are doing more of their planning while on the road.
How do you use the site? Before you leave or on the road? Both?
And do tell more Australians to read us please!
Good travels,
Stuart
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Places to stay: Agoda, Booking
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Ground transport: 12Go Asia (Thailand), Camboticket (Cambodia), Baolau (Vietnam)
Travel insurance: World Nomads
Featured
How to do Khao Yai National Park
Khao Yai National Park rewards travellers who come prepared. On the flip side, it can be extremely frustrating for those who show up expecting easy public transport and a go-to strip of guesthouses and tour offices like you’ll find down in Khao Sok. Read on to get a logistical leg up on “Big Mountain” before you arrive.
Film of the week
Burma and Sri Lanka in 60 seconds
Don't get dizzy. Film by S S.
What we're reading
The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen
From the Pulitzer-prize winning author of The Sympathizer, Viet Thanh Nguyen, comes this collection of gently sad and poignant stories about Vietnamese refugees and their lives in the United States. Each story is in some way a revealing snippet of the new lives they have made for themselves and the struggles they have faced along the way, whether as devastating as the deaths of family members in the American War, or as personal as discovering one’s sexuality.
Notes from the road
BURMA: The Kalaw to Inle Lake trek
"About one hour," says our guide, navigator and companion over the last three days, Aung Myu Htoo. This time, he blurts it out with a half-cocked smile, knowing that his rubbery time estimates have become a bit of a running joke for our group of seven as we walk from Kalaw to to the base of Inle Lake in Shan State, Northern Burma (Myanmar).
CAMBODIA: Bokor National Park
Bokor National Park is an unmissable trip out from Kampot. Explore the romantic, highly atmospheric old casino — a legacy from Cambodia’s colonial days — as well as impressive waterfalls (during rainy season), plus a stunning, winding journey that takes you more than a kilometre above sea level. This is a full, thrilling day and we thoroughly recommend doing this under your own steam rather than with a group, so that you can take the time to explore at your leisure.
INDONESIA: How to prepare for climbing Gunung Agung
Until I climbed Rinjani, climbing Bali’s Gunung Agung was easily the most physically taxing activity I had ever done. And while this was my second attempt (the first was unsuccessful as someone in our group couldn’t go on), I still wasn’t as prepared as I could have been. Other climbers I saw on the day were not prepared at all. While this isn’t a technical climb, it is a difficult one and you’ll make it a little easier for yourself by keeping the following points in mind.
ISLANDS: What's the best beach on Ko Tao
Ko Tao shines when it comes to beaches and given the relatively small size of the island (when compared to Ko Pha Ngan or Ko Samui) it is far more practical to spend your days hiking or riding to different beaches here each day. Many are also commonly visited on around the island snorkelling boat trips.
LAOS: 4,000 Islands, but which one is best?
Deep in the most southern reaches of Laos, in a narrow section of the country where it can feel like there is more river than land, are the somewhat mythical 4,000 Islands. Held up as a rite of passage for those travelling along the banana pancake trail, Si Phan Don as it’s known in the local lingo is a section of the Mekong River that fans out into a 10 kilometre-wide labyrinth of shallow waterways and islands.
MALAYSIA: Perhentian Kecil or Perhentian Besar?
The twin islands of Perhentian Kecil and Perhentian Besar off the northeast coast of Kuala Terrenganu State in peninsular Malaysia have been attracting travellers for decades now, and while “back in the day” there was no electricity, no WiFi, no air-con and no worries, today you can have all those — including the worries sadly. While we’d encourage travellers to try and visit both islands, if time is limited or you just want to plonk yourself on one beach and not move for a week (or month) where should you head?
SINGAPORE: Henna tattoos in Singapore's Little India
You’ve got the sari and the gold jewellery, now all you need to complete the look is a henna tattoo. Read on to learn what to expect of this traditional form of temporary tattooing and where to find a henna artist in Singapore’s Little India neighbourhood.
THAILAND: How to do Khao Sok national park independently
As part of Thailand’s largest contiguous wildlife preserve, the ancient jungles and emerald waters of Khao Sok National Park should be far more than an after-thought while on a Thai island holiday. Khao Sok is a must for nature-loving travellers to south Thailand, but given the sparse info available online, the park is a tricky one for the independent traveller. Yet, we explored Khao Sok totally tour-free, and we want to let you in on how it’s done.
VIETNAM: Ha Long Bay: Which tour is right for you?
If you ask a travel agent or your hotel tour desk what the differences are between the various cruises to Ha Long Bay, they will all tell you the same: the more expensive it is, the better the boat and the better the food. But how different are they and what's going to suit you and your budget?
News from the region
BURMA I: The activist bridging a democratic divide
"When she returned to her home state in 2015, for the first time in more than two decades, she found a different reality. “Whoever I talk to,” she says, “they are living in fear; they are scared and hopeless.”"
BURMA II: Thriving populations of endangered mammals offer conservationists hope in Myanmar
"One thing going for the Karen forests is the attitude of the local population, with cultural taboos forbidding the hunting of key species, like the great hornbill and tigers."
CAMBODIA: How Cambodian tile makers have put a local touch on a colonial craft
"The craft dates back to mid-19th century France, where the semi-automated technique was first developed as a cheaper alternative to marble mosaics or wood parquet for decorative flooring. The tiles are known for their longevity, their mosaic patterns, and for becoming smoother and more beautiful with time. Yet it’s a manufacturing tradition that died out more than 40 years ago in the European nation that birthed it, but lives on – for now – in a few of its former colonies, such as Morocco, Vietnam and Cambodia."
INDONESIA I: Why are World War II naval wrecks vanishing in Indonesia?
"Naval shipwrecks mean huge amounts of scrap metal, with huge potential re-sale value. The sheer quantity of scrap metal on a naval ship means that a single wreck can be worth up to A$1 million. The bronze propellers alone are worth tens of thousands of dollars each."
INDONESIA II: Saudi and Indonesia
"Just as well. The Saudi king’s visit, the first since a brief stop here by his predecessor, King Faisal in 1970, comes as plummeting oil prices and the re-emergence of arch rival, Iran, challenge his kingdom’s sway. King Salman is betting he can shore up his clout amid shifting geopolitical allegiances."
LAOS: Laos sees little problem with the Pak Beng dam
"International Rivers cites estimates that 6,700 people will have to be relocated, with 25 villages in Laos and two in Thailand directly affected by the project. Nearly all of the electricity generated by the dam is slated for export to Thailand."
THAILAND I: Thai Deep South: An elusive leader, an enduring narrative
"But a narrative painting the Thai state as invaders in the historical homeland of the Malays never went away. That narrative also made heroes out of men like Sapae-ing, a high school educator who promoted local Malay identity to resist a state-constructed identity and narrative."
THAILAND II: Appeals court upholds death penalty for Koh Tao murders
"The ruling came as a surprise to defence lawyers, who said they had no knowledge the court made a ruling last week, which it apparently relayed to their clients without notification." Just about everything about this case stinks and is doubly concerning given another foreign tourist has gone missing there (see next story).
THAILAND III: Relatives seek help finding missing Russian tourist on Ko Tao
"A 23-year-old Russian woman holidaying on Koh Tao has been missing for more than two weeks, prompting relatives and a hotel operator to seek police help to find her."
THAILAND IV: Can Bangkok turn back the rising tide and stop sinking?
"A study by Thailand’s National Reform Council in 2015 showed Bangkok risks being submerged in less than 15 years."
THAILAND V: Koh Tao Resort accused of land encroachment
VIETNAM I: Efficient stoves and elephant grass aid primate conservation
"In extremely poor villages such as Lung Hoai and Phia Siem, primate conservation typically meets with success only if it concurrently improves local livelihoods. Farmers interviewed on a recent trip to the area knew about the Cao-vit gibbons, in part thanks to education initiatives carried out by FFI Vietnam – but their primary concern is to make daily life less difficult."
VIETNAM II: Vietnam's architectural gems are disappearing
Despite a petition drive spearheaded by a growing historic preservation movement, the building was demolished in recent months. In its place, developers plan a 43-story complex with a connection to the first subway line in the city.
Travel writing
REGION: A culinary tour of Southeast Asia
"Another tour in the evening showed the best way to wrap up and consume the delicious Vietnamese pancake bánh xèo and what constitutes the true Vietnamese bánh mì sandwich, and explained why so many people are eating their dinners at restaurants that spill out onto the sidewalks."
BURMA I: Looking for Myanmar’s forgotten royals in Ratnagiri
"Locals are not just possessive about the road, but the king’s belongings too. Objects from the palace can be found in some of their homes; you can look at a set of twin silver peacocks in one, and a couple of wooden cabinets and almirahs in another."
BURMA II: Shwedagon Pagoda
"It’s not always easy to quiet the mind, even under the venerable direction of a monk in a Buddhist temple."
INDONESIA: The trans half-gods of Sulawesi
" 'Dead or alive, whatever happens I am still a Bissu, I'd rather die being a Bissu because I don't want to be judged as a coward. It's in my blood, I was born to serve. My life is dedicated to communicating with the ancient spirits,' Bissu Eka said while talking about the past."
THAILAND I: Exploring Phetchaburi
Phetchaburi is a reminder of the old kingdom of Ayutthaya in terms of art, architecture and culture.
THAILAND II: My Bangkok: City of Spirits
"It is a city filled with haunted sites. On Soi Watcharapol stands an entire abandoned village called the Piyaporn Gated Community that, as urban legend has it, was built over a cemetery. But the developers forgot to appease the spirits of the dead. Three children were also said to have drowned in the lake there, and no Thai will go near the place to this day."
Interesting site
Mom I'm Fine
This Instagram account should bring a smile to your face.
Travel shot
Just follow the signs...
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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