Travelfish newsletter Issue 282 : More Georgetown + An ode to the phone + Getting local!
Hi everyone,
This week we’re all about "getting local". We’ve got a review of Maryvelma O’Neil’s Bangkok: A Cultural and Literary History, and a soapbox on "An ode to the phone". More below the fold.
Travelfish premium members are growing like mushrooms in the wet season.
Learn how you can become one now! »
The week that was
We hope you enjoy this week’s newsletter as Stuart had to write the entire thing twice. This morning. A few hours before our flight. Including the soapbox. Please back-up whatever you are working on before reading further.
Another week gone and Bali’s Agung volcano rumbles on, but, so far (thankfully) the peak is all bark and no bite. We hope she goes back to sleep. In the meantime, please do as our parents did this week, and come to Bali anyway.
Sticking with the parental theme for a sec, we’re off to Komodo and Flores in a few hours for four days floating around Komodo National Park. If you don’t already, you may want to tune into the travelfish_road Instagram account to see us Hard At Work.
Elsewhere, Mark has switched from northern Thailand to northern Vietnam (he’s still recovering from the shock of seeing the development of Sapa) and Sally has been busying herself in turtle and surfer territory in southwest Java.
Meanwhile, on the site, we’ve updated our existing coverage on Georgetown hotels, with another dozen new properties coming this week.
You’re able to access all of Travelfish.org's information via our website. But if you'd like another way to support independent, informed coverage of how to travel around and what to see in Southeast Asia, we'd be grateful for you chipping in. It costs a very reasonable A$35 per year to become a premium member (please note: Australian not US dollars!). Membership gives you access to our forum plus more than 200 downloadable guides (231 to be exact) and a special deal with both roundtheworldflights.com and All Points East. We've been covering Southeast Asia since 2004 and we plan on doing so for many years to come.
This week’s soapbox is on “Getting local”, where we try to highlight a few spots in the region popular with domestic travellers. We’ve also got a review of Maryvelma O’Neil’s Bangkok: A Cultural and Literary History, which is a terrific read for anyone planning a trip to the Thai capital.
Please forward this newsletter on to anyone you think might be interested to receive it.
Good travels,
Stuart, Sam and the Travelfish team
Premium members only:
Book a round the world with roundtheworldflights.com (must travel from the UK via Asia, Australia, New Zealand AND the Americas) and get £30pp off your trip. Offer valid for departures to December 2018.
Log in to the Member Centre on Travelfish now for your coupon code and
start designing your own round the world trip »
Soapbox
An ode to the phone
Barely a week passes without another commentator lamenting the effect smart phones have had on travel, but the news isn’t all bad. This week we want to highlight the smart phone apps that, at least for us, help make some dumb bits of travel a little smarter.
When it comes to understanding what locals are trying to tell me, Google Translate can be really useful (you’ll need to, umm, Google it). A recent case was when I was in Japan last month and received a text alert on my phone. I thought it was to tell me I’d run out of phone credit but Google Translate helped inform me it was actually to warn me that a North Korean missile was flying overheard. Useful.
So what do you do when there is a missile flying overhead? Message your Mum of course and for that use WhatsApp, which is free (I think), as long as there is at least WiFi to hook into. Now if you need to run for cover, but you have no 3G coverage, the offline mapping app Maps.me is excellent for, well, maps that work offline. If you are online, Google Maps is great (and, at least in Southeast Asia, better than Apple Maps)—they probably even mark bomb shelters. Other popular messaging apps include FB Messenger and Telegram.
If you’re curious where the government missile siren noise came from, Shazam is a great app for sampling foreign tunes and finding out who the artist is. It’s how I discovered the Cambodian artist Ros Sereysothea and her classic Chnam oun Dop-Pram Muy "I’m 16". Really!
Sticking with all things authoritarian, TunnelBear is a great VPN app for giving you a more secure way to browse the web and do important things like accessing your internet banking. A VPN is especially valuable in Indonesia where cretinous ISPs continue to hijack the web to insert their own ads.
If you travel anything like us, you’ll probably be spending a good deal of time lazing in hammocks and sandy beaches gazing at the stars. But what do they all mean? Which really are home to life? Skyview (iPhone Android) answers these questions (and much more) and it helped us spot the International Space Station while lazing in Alor in Eastern Indonesia—it circles the Earth every 92 minutes apparently. This is also a great learning app for kids (and parents!) who want to get a handle on constellations.
Then there are all the transport apps—Go-Jek, Uber, Grab and so on, plus the airline ones—unlike their website the AirAsia app does work fairly reliably. Also the hotel apps, Agoda and Booking for example, though we do ask, please click through from Travelfish to help keep us in business!
Last but not least, when you’re on a bus, train or ferry (all of which are probably a good deal slower than the International Space Station) Casts is an excellent podcast app.
I asked on Twitter for some more suggestions and two common streams of tips were focused around money management and trip planning—I really should install some of these as the only thing I am worse at than money management is personal trip planning... so I’ve not used any of these, but here goes.
For money management we had Tricount, Curve and Revolut, while travel planning included Pocket Earth, Seat Guru, Trip Case, Kayak, Trip It and Pocket.
And that’s a wrap—hope we didn’t fill your phone up.
Good travels
Stuart
Featured
Ko Samet
Aquamarine sea meets secluded coves and busy beaches on Ko Samet, one of Thailand’s most popular islands. Crowds of foreign tourists, expats and Thais have reinvented this one-time backpacker bastion as a relatively pricey destination, especially at peak times of year. Though not our favourite island by any stretch, Samet does make a handy getaway from Bangkok.
What we're watching
Living on the island!!!
"Koh Rong is the second largest island of Cambodia. It’s a very popular destination among backpackers as it is yet an undeveloped place. If you hurry you might still taste the authentic style of the beautiful Koh Rong. Koh Rong is located on the coast of Sihanoukville, just an hour away by boat." Film by Catalin PINGU Soare.
What we're reading
Bangkok: A Cultural and Literary History by Maryvelma O’Neil
Maryvelma O’Neil’s 2008-published Bangkok: A Cultural and Literary History is an eclectic, erudite and elegant glide through the history of Thailand, with a focus on its modern capital, Bangkok.
Notes from the road
BURMA: Chaung Tha Beach
Chaung Tha Beach, a quiet Bay of Bengal coastal beach town, is a long stretch of sand that’s home to some of Burma’s most affordable beachfront accommodation. It’s popular with weekend beach goers from Yangon with a slow but steady flow of Western travellers.
CAMBODIA: Ochheuteal beach
Then everything quietens out for another few hundred metres of clear, tree-studded sand before breaking out into the final section which is lined with a small selection of hotels, a market and comfortable beach furniture. This part is also largely used by local families, and accordingly has a much gentler atmosphere than you’ll find at the top.
INDONESIA: Parangtritis Beach
Wild seas, jagged cliffs, sand-boardable black dunes, huge skies with stunning sunsets, Parangtritis Beach, 30 kilometres south of Yogyakarta, is certainly atmospheric. And if the tempestuous landscape isn’t enough, the local myths and legends will send chills running down your spine.
ISLANDS: Gili Kenewa
A hit with Indonesian travellers, Gili Kenewa is confusingly quite similarly named to Kanawa Island in Flores and is remarkably similar (though much smaller). Savannah all over, the island has a small hill to its western end that you can climb (watch your step, the trail is very steep and slippery in spots) to take a crowd-pleasing pic of the island.
LAOS: Mekong riverfront at sunset
While expats lament this development and reminisce about the olden days, locals maintain a far more enthusiastic attitude toward the redevelopment of the riverfront; at the end of the workday you’ll find cyclists, joggers, aerobics classes and Laotians just hanging out along the boulevard.
MALAYSIA: Cherating
A sleepy seaside community located between Kuantan and Kuala Terengganu on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, Cherating is known more for its turtle population, surf and more recently kiteboarding than its lacklustre selection of accommodation, and will appeal to those content with a no-frills, affordable beach break. If you’re keen to catch some local waves, this is one of the only decent spots on the peninsula to do so.
SINGAPORE: A walk along Singapore’s Emerald Hill
Emerald Hill is one of the most colourful streets in Singapore and makes an easy detour from the shopping belt of Orchard Road. Come for the beautiful Peranakan architecture, a bit of antiquing, or maybe a drink at one of the trendy bars?
THAILAND: Cha-am
A bit of a seaside dump saved by its proximity to Bangkok, the long beach at Cha-am is popular with working-class Thai weekenders and a scattering of foreigners. Though you’ll find much better beaches further south, Cha-am boasts terrific seafood and is more affordable than nearby Hua Hin.
VIETNAM: Vung Tau
Located on the coast 100 kilometres south east of Ho Chi Minh City, Vung Tau is a popular weekend getaway for Saigoners to escape the heat and stresses of the big city. Two to three hours by road, or one hour and 30 minutes by hydrofoil (the boat conveniently departing very close to District 1), traffic, noise and pollution are replaced by sea breeze, fresh seafood, surf and sand.
Travelfish partners
We work with a number of partners on a commission basis and this helps keep us in business. Please consider using the following links to make any reservations as a commission may end up being paid to us, with no impact on what you pay. Thank you!
Flights: roundtheworldflights.com
Places to stay: Agoda, Booking
Tours and activities: TourRadar, GetYourGuide
Ground transport: 12Go Asia
Travel insurance: World Nomads
News from the region
BURMA: Behind the silence of Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi
"Ms Suu Kyi has confounded the expectations of Western political leaders and her fellow Nobelists by failing to explicitly condemn what the United Nations calls a clear-cut case of ethnic cleansing. Her reticence is a tactical decision, according to people in her inner circle. Ms. Suu Kyi worries that speaking more forcefully would antagonize the military, which once ran the country and still wields considerable authority, and jeopardize her goal of achieving a full democracy after years of struggle."
INDONESIA I: Fragile paradise: Bali and volcanic threats to our region
“Mount Agung’s rumbling may or may not portend a massive eruption on the scale of a century. Fortunately the probability this time is for great disruption to air traffic, tourism, and the local economy, rather than massive death and homelessness.”
INDONESIA II: Industry calls for a halt on new hotel permits
“While oversupply problems have not been resolved, the industry is facing digital disruption, with online hotel and booking platforms challenging traditional business models.”
LAOS: Laos merely a bystander as China pushes Belt and Road ambitions
“Initial estimates indicated that building the railway would require 100,000 workers. For Laos, which lacks much notable industry aside from exporting hydroelectric power and mining such resources as copper and bauxite, this seemed like a golden opportunity to spur new activity and create jobs.”
THAILAND I: Thailand’s junta backflips on election promise
“Coup leader and Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has "clarified" a joint statement he made with US President Donald Trump that a long-awaited election would be held next year. It won’t.”
THAILAND II: Getting out of Thailand’s political cul-de-sac
“The law also means her conviction no longer carries a statute of limitations. Just like her brother and predecessor, who still faces corruption-related charges, the specter of any jail time will ensure permanent exile. At issue after Yingluck’s political expiry is the Pheu Thai party, which is now rudderless.”
THAILAND III: Historians jog buried memories of Thai massacre
“Chumpol is the subject of a new documentary, “The Two Brothers”, that tells the story of two activists—including his brother—whose lynching set off the unrest that culminated in the massacre.”
THAILAND IV: Thousands queue to pay last respects to Thailand’s late King Bhumibol
"“Time was needed in order to build heaven, based on imagination and belief systems that fused Buddhism with Brahmin Hindu traditions that are important in Thai society”"
VIETNAM I: ?Vietnam train operators say unreasonable service fees a burden on ticket prices
Despite Vietnam Railways, the operator of the country’s north-to-south train system, introducing modern train cars to its fleet and cutting travel times, passengers are still taking to the skies, especially during periods of high travel demand.
IETNAM II: Vietnam to launch tours through Son Doong Cave as controversial ladder installation backed
Better than a cable car we guess.
Travel writing
SHOULD HAVE BEEN HERE YESTERDAY: Turn and face the strain: How has travel changed since the '70s?
Taking a thousand selfies hadn’t sucked the life out of simply being there, because film cost far too much to waste on gormless narcissism.
MAPS: Building a map for everyone
“But for tens of millions of people worldwide, those very things aren’t possible unless a place has a wheelchair accessible entrance, elevator or accessible seating. Today we’re introducing a new way to add accessibility details about places to Google Maps and Search.”
SINGAPORE: The secret underground world of Singapore
In the last few years, Singapore has been focusing on freeing the land above for developments by going underground. That’s right, folks. There’s more than just dirt and ant colonies lying beneath us.
THAILAND: Bangkok Publishing Residence
“The Bangkok Publishing Residence is part hotel, part museum, part artist retreat. Once home to a printing press producing popular Thai magazines, the shophouse property has been lovingly restored into an intimate, classy hotel that gives larger luxury properties in Bangkok a run for their money.”
VIETNAM: You will be in Hanoi soon: Get your head right
“You will be walking in a clearly marked pedestrian crossing when a honking motorbike driving on the wrong side of the road nearly runs you over. I know it seems impossible, but they meant nothing by it. Frankly, they’d be amazed that it could be taken to mean anything at all were you to confront them.”
WORK AND TRAVEL: How to find the perfect “office” when you’re location independent
Solve this by not packing a laptop!
Interesting site
In the company of volcanoes
Two volcanologists blogging about volcano science, research, hazards, and experiments. We invite guest bloggers to showcase different aspects of volcanology.
Travel shot
A wet season visit need not mean torrential rain. Photo: Mark Ord
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
You're receiving the Travelfish newsletter because you signed up at Travelfish.org.