Travelfish newsletter Issue 258 : Difficult
Hi everyone,
New on the site we have an update of glistening Ko Lipe in far southern Thailand, along with a book review of modern classic, The Glass Palace. More below the fold.
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The week that was
This week we've got some more southern Thai island coverage online in the form of Ko Lipe, with more islands and Malaysia coverage on the way (Johor Bahru) has landed and Melaka is coming shortly). The last of Cindy's southern Laos material, for Paksan, is also in and ready for edit—you'll see that also this week. Hanoi continues to fill out.
If you missed last week's newsletter, we've got a fancy new book review section. The individual titles were previously buried in the forum, so we've given them the dedicated part of the site they deserve. Got a favourite Southeast Asian-related title you think we should read and review? Do let us know.
For premium members, we have a new PDF guide online for Ko Lipe. Not a premium member? It costs a very reasonable A$35 per year for access to almost 200 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. We’ll hopefully be announcing some new deals for Premium Members in the coming weeks as we get some partners on board to offer some premium discounts—making that $35 better and better value.
On the road, Stuart is just about finished with Alor and will shortly be moving on to Pantar—we'd never heard of it either—to climb a volcano and charter a fishing boat to take him to an island he found on Google Earth. Why? Why not. As soon as Sally gets in Melaka she'll most likely be heading off for a bit of Java and an archipelago update. Keep an eye on the Travelfish Instagram feed for some live armchair travel to see just where our writers are at (and what Stuart is whining about).
Working off a rather difficult day Stuart had the other day, this week's theme is "difficult"—it comes in many flavours in Southeast Asia.
As always, please feel free to forward this newsletter on to your friends, family, strangers in bars, bus drivers and massage man.
Good travels,
Stuart, Sam and the Travelfish team
Soapbox
What am I doing here?
I'm in Alor in Eastern Indonesia at the moment, and while it is famous for its diving, I decided to spend the first couple of days poking around to see what I could find that didn't involve diving.
I visited some excellent beaches and a fascinating ikat village along with a traditional village, but on the last day of terrestrial exploring, we set out to visit one of the big waterfalls on the island that is referred to either as Legiman waterfall or Biantal waterfall, depending on who you're asking. When I asked my guide about it, he suggested it would take about two hours to reach by motorbike and an hour back.
An hour in, the bike overheated to the point it was billowing smoke. The guide turned to me asking, "Do you understand machines?" No, I said, I'm the least mechanical Australian you'll ever meet. We decided to leave it to cool down and I walked ahead. For the rest of the trip anything steeply uphill I had to walk.
Alor's interior has many hills.
At the three-hour point, with no end in sight, and with the road seriously degrading to the point I was having to walk long stretches of both up and down hill, all this under bright blue 11am skies, I was on the verge of serious sense of humour failure.
I asked, "How much further?" "Not too far," he said.
I pointed to a distant village. "Before that village?"
"Near there, I think"
I looked at my watch. The village was maybe another hour away and I could see the scar in the earth where stretches of the road had washed away. I had planned to be on another island that afternoon, and unless the waterfall was close, I'd be getting a boat at night which I wasn't keen on. Should we turn back? I asked myself.
I hate turning back. Often to the point of blind stupidity I'll keep going, but today, sunburnt, grumpy, with a real sore butt from bouncing around on the bike, I really wanted to turn back.
"Ok, we go to that village."
We got to the village, and there it was, the trailhead to the waterfall. It was a 30-minute walk down concrete stairs and then a dirt trail. Half way down, a farmer appeared and offered us fresh coconuts. He climbed up a tree and picked them, then fashioned us spoons out of the offcuts to eat the coconut's fresh meat after we drank all the water.
My mood improved.
The farmer led us deeper into the jungle. He got his machete out and started cutting a path through the jungle for us. We were sliding in the mud, tripping on rocks. I was exhausted and while I could hear the waterfall, I still couldn't see it.
I then slipped badly and bashed my knee on a boulder. Drenched in sweat I stood there, watching Mr Machete hack through the jungle towards a waterfall in the middle of nowhere, that for all intents and purposes, almost nobody aside from the most waterfall-keen would ever bother to visit. And I thought, "What the hell am I doing here?"
Five minutes later, we broke through onto the lower falls, crossed the river twice and then there it was, bursting out of the jungle, roaring at me, blasting wind throwing us a mist of icy water as the water thundered down perhaps a 50-metre cobalt black stone face.
That is what I am doing here.
Good travels
Stuart
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Featured
Difficult to manage: Ko Lipe
"Travellers venture to Ko Lipe from around the globe for vast reefs and powdery sand in water like polished emerald and sapphire. The tiny island has developed rapidly since the 1990s, as dirt paths turned into crowded roads lined by concrete stacks. Ever-evolving Lipe still has a lot to offer, even if the drastic changes will shock those who haven’t visited for a while."
What we're reading
The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh
Amitav Ghosh’s The Glass Palace is a classic epic novel, spanning generations and countries as it casts a brilliant light on Burmese, Indian and Malayan history, with Burma its focal point.
Notes from the road
BURMA: Difficult to carve out of sandstone by hand
The vast cave temple complex at Po Win Daung is home to shallow niches scratched out of the sandstone by hand that sprawl on and on, seemingly endlessly.
CAMBODIA: Difficult to say no
It seems so natural and harmless, and resistance feels so callous and cruel, to give to the kids that fill the streets of Siem Reap selling books, postcards, flowers and jewellery, or sometimes just begging for money. They are poor, they’re clearly in need, and they’re so full of fun and banter that it’s impossible to say no.
INDONESIA: A difficult to climb volcano
Because it was very, very difficult to climb in the scree, some trekkers returning from the summit would run down it. Half out of control, this was extremely unnerving for other climbers.
ISLANDS: Difficult to leave
A slender slip of an island off the coast of Trang province, Ko Kradan boasts a magnificent coral-sand beach stretching between fluffy green hills and the aquamarine Andaman Sea.
LAOS: Difficult to miss
Across the Mekong river from Champasak and only accessible by boat, Don Daeng island will delight visitors with its bucolic scenery, languid pace and car-free pathways.
MALAYSIA: Helping a difficult situation
Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre cares for “people of the forest” who have been orphaned or injured due to deforestation or previously illegally kept as pets.
SINGAPORE: Difficult to pick just one
Singapore is awash in museums, so it can be difficult to determine just which ones are really worth your time if you’re here on a quick trip. Among them all there is one museum a step above the rest: the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) near Boat Quay in the heart of central Singapore.
THAILAND: Not so difficult to do
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.
VIETNAM: Difficult to choose
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
FLYING: Climate change will make airplane turbulence much worse
"Currently, if we don't reduce our emissions, the CO2 will be doubled (compared to what it was in the Industrial Revolution) by the 2050s or 2060s. At that point, light turbulence will have increased by 59 percent, moderate by 94 percent, and severe by 149 percent."
BURMA I: Poverty forces families in Myanmar to ditch their elderly
"In Myanmar, most seniors rely on their family for support. But as the country becomes more urbanised, this arrangement could put them in a very precarious position once traditional family structures start to break down."
BURMA II: Aung San Suu Kyi says no ethnic cleansing of Myanmar Muslim minority
" 'I don't think there is ethnic cleansing going on. I think ethnic cleansing is too strong an expression to use for what is happening,' she told the BBC's special correspondent Fergal Keane."
CAMBODIA: Too many tourists are visiting Cambodian ‘Killing Fields’
"At Choeung Ek, some people innocently tie ribbons and notes to the mass graves. But others collect pieces of bones, smoke cigarettes, or eat on the steps of the bone-filled stupa. Many ignore rules restricting cameras and asking for silence."
INDONESIA: Ancient Indonesians thrived during the Ice Age
"After the discovery of ancient jewellery and artwork from 30,000 years ago, many believe prehistoric cultures in Indonesia were more advanced than once thought."
LAOS: Laos witnesses slight drop in tourism revenue in 2016
"Foreign tourist arrivals to Laos in previous years were also boosted by a large number of Vietnamese workers who entered the country on tourist visas."
THAILAND I: A 'Buddhist boot camp' in Thailand offers pain -- and gain
"Had I been tempted to flee, it would have been hard: our car keys, money, passports and mobile phones were locked away on arrival."
THAILAND II: Friends of the Chao Phraya explain why they hate "Highway on the river"
The group makes clear they do not oppose redeveloping the river in principle. But they are unconvinced by plans to build a concrete boardwalk along its banks. They urged the government to delay construction until a sincere legal and well-rounded review is conducted.
THAILAND III: Thailand's constitution: New era, new uncertainties
"Membership of the senate will be essentially determined by the military, giving the generals enormous sway over future governments, which would need three quarters of the seats in the lower house to have a majority in both houses."
THAILAND IV: Thailand's deadly rich kids
"Here is a look at four high-profile fatal road accidents involving wealthy drivers."
Travel writing
BURMA: All mapped out in the Myeik Archipelago in southern Myanmar
"As I dive overboard and into the warm, milky blue waters, a thought crosses my mind. Is this the third or fourth near-pristine beach our boat has cast anchor off today?"
CAMBODIA: Teenage street artists launch Phnom Penh graffiti tour with a heart
"Set to launch by May, the Phnom Penh Art Tour will feature works by a range of local artists, some of whom Koy and Myers have worked with in the past. The tour will visit numerous street art sites, as well as established galleries including Sa Sa Bassac, Kbach Gallery, Java Arts and Nowhere art studio."
LAOS: Along the Mekong River, a timeless place where time marches on
"Inside the inner temple, a Thai family made offerings to a statue of the Buddha. They had bought incense sticks from a woman outside the temple. They prayed with the lit sticks. Sweet smoke drifted through the temple."
SINGAPORE: Here lies a graveyard where ‘East and West came together’
"In the middle of this island nation of highways and high-rises lies a wrinkle in time: Bukit Brown, one of the world’s largest Chinese cemeteries. Now neglected and overgrown, it offers an incredible array of tombstones, statues and shrines just four miles north of downtown banks, malls and regional headquarters."
THAILAND: Temples where the ashes of the Thai kings are enshrined
"The following map shows the locations of the temples where the ashes of the kings of the Chakri Dynasty are enshrined. At this moment, it is not known what will happen to the ashes of King Rama IX once his body is cremated. Wat Ratchabophit in Bangkok is an important royal cemetery."
VIETNAM: Where banh mi was invented and where to find the best
"When I finally make my way to the front of the queue I am confronted by five ladies working in seemingly fast motion behind a glass counter. They diligently avoid eye contact as they put together orders in a blur of chopsticks and ingredients: pate, mayonnaise, coriander, pork cold cuts, roasted pork, pickled daikon and carrot, chilli, sauces and, of course, stacks of golden bread rolls."
Interesting site
Travel Massive
"We are the world's largest community of travel industry insiders, leaders, and innovators. Join your local chapter, connect with other members, or apply to start a chapter in your city."
Travel shot
One of the old cells on display at Hoa Lo prison in Hanoi.
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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