Travelfish newsletter Issue 269 : Kuta & Legian + secret places + get active
Hi everyone,
This week we’ve climbed a volcano and whined about how sore we are, written a review on a Singapore-focused short story collection and put together a soapbox on secret places. More below the fold.
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The week that was
All good holidays come to an end and we’re largely back on deck with complete updates to our picks for accommodation in Kuta and Legian on Bali (with Seminyak coming in the next 24 hours). That may not sound like much, but bear in mind Sally dragged herself through almost 200 hostels, hovels, boutiques and bordellos to come up with our final cut. Yes, you’re welcome!
Offline in the real world, Sally is prepping for another island trip, this time, close to Bali: If you’ve a fave spot on Lembongan or Ceningan we should check out, do let us know. Further east, Stuart gossiped in Kupang then climbed a volcano on Lembata. He’s off to the whaling village of Lamalera tomorrow. A friend who has been there a couple of times offered this advice: “Pack some muesli if you don’t like eating dolphin." Should be interesting.
Up on the mainland, David is in Bangkok covering attractions that will see more tourists in an hour than Lembata in a year—we cover all the bases here at Travelfish. In Cambodia, when not correcting Stuart’s attempts at historical writing, Mark is heading to Sihanoukville.
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This week's soapbox is on secret places. The newsletter theme is "get active", inspired by all the pain Stuart is in from his climb yesterday.
Please forward this newsletter on to any friends, family, strangers in bars, bus drivers, som tam ladies and massage men you think might be interested to receive it.
Good travels,
Stuart, Sam and the Travelfish team
Soapbox
Secret places
At the moment, I'm in Lewoleba, the primary city on Lembata, a mid-sized island in eastern Indonesia. Yesterday, I climbed the tallest volcano on the island, Gunung Ile Api. One of the guides I chatted to later in Jontona village, the launching point for the climb, told me he'd seen 40 or 50 foreigners so far this year—so less than 10 a month. Given part of his custom are French and Italian groups, the number of independent travellers climbing is even lower.
As sore as I'm feeling today, the climb isn't toooo challenging—I managed it! This was my sixth volcano and as with most of the others, getting to the top (or in this case, the rim, as the summit is too dangerous to reach thanks to gasses and... volcanic stuff) is only a part of the experience.
On the way up, we stopped at Kampung Lama (Old Village), a traditional village that was emptied of permanent residents during the Suharto era. The story goes that being up on the slopes with no medical nor educational facilities, the villagers were shifted down towards the water. Traditions were kept though, with an annual bean festival (Octoberish, beans are a big protein source here), when the huts are spruced up and re-roofed in their traditional styles.
So why were we visiting a near-abandoned village? A series of shelters contain a collection of heirloom goods including enormous elephant tusks, bronze Moko drums (tracing their lineage back to the Iron Age Dong Son period in Northern Vietnam), inlaid wooden chests (it killed me to not ask to open one for a peek!), Ming Dynasty plates, and, the pièce de résistance, a Portuguese-period cannon strapped to a bench leg as a support!
The Moko drums and the cannon in particular would carry a hefty price at Christie’s or Sotherby’s, but here they are literally just lying around on the banks of a volcano in Indonesia. I'm no antique collector, but it was fascinating to see this dusty collection of goods harking back to a time when sailing traders carted elephant tusks and bronze drums that were often bartered as dowries.
Three (very sweaty) hours later I was standing in the moonscape crater of Ile Api, watching smoke streaming out fissures to the centre of the earth, and looking across Lembata to Timor in the distance.
As far as traditional contemporary guidebooks to Indonesia are concerned, Lembata does not exist. We'll have all the information you need online in a week or so.
Good travels,
Stuart
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Featured
Climbing Gunung Batur/h4> Want to see an active volcano up close? Gunung Batur is one of Bali’s two active volcanoes (the other is Gunung Agung). At 1,717 metres the mountain offers a shortish and not too challenging climb for the reasonably fit and is a rewarding trek with sweeping views, on a clear day, as far as Gunung Rinjani on Lombok.
What we're reading
It Never Rains on National Day by Jeremy Tiang
Jeremy Tiang’s short story collection It Never Rains on National Day is a refreshing take on Singapore. Rather than being set in the city state, most of the stories are instead about Singaporeans abroad. This angle cleverly allows Tiang to tease out answers to the questions: What does it mean to be Singaporean? How do Singaporeans define themselves in relation to the world?
Off the forum
Can you help with advice on any of these questions?
Places to visit outside Vientiane, Laos in one week
Hunting and foraging in SE Asia
Help! What to cut out of itinerary???
Best island, weather wise early october?
Notes from the road
BURMA: Two weeks in Burma
If you've some budget and don't mind taking some domestic flights, it's possible to take in Burma's top-shelf destinations—Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay and Inle Lake—in as little as seven days, but we'd say you're much better advised to double that and take in the highlights across two weeks.
CAMBODIA: Chi Phat
An idyllic Cambodian village between a mountain and a river offers a relaxed, welcoming base from which to explore a special part of the world. Tucked into the southeastern front of the Cardamom Mountain range, Chi Phat is a pretty, prosperous two-street village. Dusty red roads are flanked by palms and sandalwood trees, handsome wooden houses perch on stilts and there’s a thriving community-based ecotourism operation, established by conservation NGO Wildlife Alliance.
INDONESIA: Climing Rinjani
At 3,726 metres above sea level, striking Gunung Rinjani is Indonesia’s second highest volcano, after Kerinci in Sumatra, and the 15th highest peak in the country. From all aspects it dominates Lombok’s landscape, and from the summit you can see east to Gunung Agung on Bali and Gunung Tambora on Sumbawa. The ascent, a popular activity for both foreign and domestic travellers, is nothing less than gruelling.
ISLANDS: Learning to dive on Ko Tao
So you've made the decision – you want to learn to dive on Ko Tao. Congratulations! Here is an outline of what learning to dive on Ko Tao actually entails along with some guidance regarding the common questions you're most likely to encounter.
LAOS: The Gibbon Experience
With stunning vistas and lush tropical rainforests, the natural beauty of Laos is one of the primary reasons many people visit this mountainous landlocked country. And the best way to get out into nature and really experience its immense beauty is to trek.
MALAYSIA: Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park
A short boat ride from KK, the five islands of Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park offer squeaky white sands, azure waters and hiking trails though areas of old growth forest and mangroves, with an abundance of wildlife both below and above the waters. It’s a highly recommend day trip, but you won’t be alone. Unfortunately, much of the more accessible coral has been damaged by the ever-increasing hordes.
SINGAPORE: The Pinnacle @ Duxton Skybridge
While exploring Singapore’s Chinatown neighbourhood it’s impossible not to notice the massive Pinnacle @ Duxton looming in the distance. This is the world’s tallest public housing building and its 50th storey observation skybridge is open to the public. With an entry cost of just S$5, you can think of it as a poor man’s Marina Bay Sands.
THAILAND: Khao Sok National Park
Far more than just a side trip from the beaches of southern Thailand, the magnificent wilds and majestic mountain lake of Khao Sok National Park are one of Asia's premier natural wonders.
VIETNAM: Cham Island
Eight nautical miles off the coast of Hoi An, a cluster of eight islands known as Cham Island, or Cu Lao Cham, offers travellers a little getaway. The main island Hon Lao, the largest and the only one inhabited, is less than two hours' away by public boat – or a harrowing zip across by speed boat. It boasts beaches, diving, snorkelling, seafood and one very scenic drive. If you’re impressed with Hoi An’s An Bang Beach, wait until you see Cham’s white sand and sparkling turquoise waters.
News from the region
BURMA I: ‘Climate of fear’ grips journalists in Myanmar after arrests
"The prosecutions have sent a deep chill through the press corps in Myanmar and disappointed many supporters of Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, a former political prisoner who is idolized in Myanmar as a transcendent figure whose life story epitomizes dogged resistance to authoritarianism."
BURMA II: Dynamite fishing, drugs, threaten Myanmar's 'sea gypsies'
The destruction has been wrought by fishing boats, many believed to be from neighbouring Thailand, who use dynamite and trawlers to sweep the seabed. In a cruel chain reaction, some Moken youths have ended up working for the fishing fleets that are destroying the ecosystem that supported them through the generations.
CAMBODIA: Condemned 'White Building' helped to preserve Cambodian culture
Phnom Penh's White Building is slated for demolition shortly. What a shortsighted historical loss for the Cambodian capital.
INDONESIA: Has Harry Potter mania cursed Indonesia's owls?
"Wildlife researchers surveyed 20 bird markets on the islands of Bali and Java and say that the number of owls being sold has risen dramatically: from perhaps a few hundred a year before 2001 to 13,000 by 2016."
PHILIPPINES: Philippine police use hospitals to hide drug war killings
"In late 2016, he said, police began sending victims to hospitals to avoid crime scene investigations and media attention that might show they were executing drug suspects."
THAILAND I: Another crackdown
“Whether you are from Vietnam or Russia, if you do something wrong, you will get the tougher punishment.”
THAILAND II: Deadly diet: Thai doctors battle cancer-causing fish dish
"Others simply shrug off the dangers and say their fate has already been fixed—a common belief in the Buddhist nation where karma can dictate decisions."
THAILAND III: Thailand's new labour rules send migrant workers fleeing
"Such mass movement leaves undocumented workers vulnerable, said Andy Hall, a migrant workers' rights expert who has monitored such migration in Thailand for over a decade."
THAILAND IV: My daughter didn't kill herself, mum says
Tourists keep dying in decidedly dodgy circumstances on Thailand’s Ko Tao.
VIETNAM I: Restaurant manager arrested for charging Australian $30,000 for dinner
"Investigators found the dinner cost only VND20 million or less than $1,000. They said Minh instructed a staff member to swipe the cards multiple times. He then allegedly withdrew all the extra money from the bank later."
VIETNAM II: Ho Chi Minh City plans $3.6b rail connection with Mekong Delta
Ho Chi Minh City is planning to build a rail link to Can Tho City in the Mekong Delta at an estimated cost of $3.6b.
VIETNAM III: Dengue fever, encephalitis multiply throughout Vietnam
"Vietnam is about to hit the height of the dengue fever season, while encephalitis is also reaching epidemic proportions in many regions of the Southeast Asian country."
Travel writing
How much tourism is too much?
"How many tourists are too many?" Good question.
INDONESIA: One month off in Indonesia
"My last day on Kei Island, and a storm rolled in from the sea right after the sunset. Clouds gathered over the western shore, creating a breathtaking contrast, with the skies much darker than the sea."
VIETNAM: The abandoned Franciscan Mission in Dalat Vietnam
"We love a good ruin. This crumbling complex of church buildings, an abandoned Franciscan Mission outside of Dalat, maybe the most stunning we’ve found in Vietnam."
Interesting site
All Points East
We first met the smart cookies behind All Points East about 100 years ago on a boat trip in southern Thailand. If you're looking for an organised tour to the region, they know their stuff and have a shiny new website. Do check it out.
Travel shot
The best views are always free. Photo: Sally Arnold
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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