Travelfish newsletter Issue 285 : Penang + Unexpected
Hi everyone,
This week we’re all about the unexpected and sticking to the unexpected, no book review this week—sorry! The soapbox is here though and it’s unexpected. No really, that’s the title. More below the fold.
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The week that was
This week we have finally got Penang all of online—time for a laksa to celebrate—if only there was decent laksa in Bali—now that would be unexpected! Less unexpected is we are a day late ... again.
We’ve also just about finished with an entirely rewritten and reorganised part of the site (well, just need to add the pics in, you’ll be able to find it if you dig a little, there is a hint a few pars down) which we hope will be especially of use to those just getting started in their planning, and worried about the ... unexpected. More on that next week.
The Travelfish server totally and utterly spat the dummy on Friday—be believe the dummy landed somewhere near Ha Long Bay (our server is in Texas), leading to about 36 hours of downtime while we coaxed it back into action. This was also rather unexpected! We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
As with last week, we’ve got a special deal for all newsletter readers: a 7% additional discount off hotels booked with Agoda. To get your discount, go to the page listed below, search for a hotel you want to book and, as long as it is marked "Promotion Eligible", the discount is good. Enter the coupon code Tfishpromo (note it is case sensitive) and you'll score an extra 7% off. Small print: Pay at hotel room types do not qualify, and you must book through the following URL: https://www.agoda.com/travelfish
On the road, Mark is back in Cambodia having submitted the last of his research for Mae Hong Son, Mae Sariang and Soppong, Cindy is still trying really hard to be dispatched to Castaway Island and David is back in Bangkok as he ramps back up to speed.
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!, so around US$27, C$35, EU23, GDP20 or VND 620,000!).
Membership gives you access to our forum plus more than 200 downloadable guides (235 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 theme is unexpected as often the best experiences on a trip are exactly that.
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Good travels,
Stuart, Sam and the Travelfish team
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Soapbox
Unexpected
The other day I was in Ubud freeloading onto a session at the Ubud Writer and Reader Festival. I wasn’t attending the festival but had a lunch date with the moderator of the panel I was eavesdropping on.
The session was travel writing related, and while I found some of what was discussed slightly annoying (Let me just get this off my chest: I don’t have a rich husband and have still been able to run Travelfish for 14 years without taking a single freebie or press trip!), one point that jumped out at me was regarding trips gone bad.
One of the writers (the one who doesn’t apparently have a rich husband) had been dispatched to Western Europe to do a food story, but, upon arrival, got struck down with a week-long stomach bug and had to can the story. I thought: what a missed opportunity.
So much of the joy (and occasionally the tears) of travel is colliding with the unexpected, dealing with it, adapting and getting on with perhaps a new, and even better, experience.
So what is the classic food story you write when you can’t keep your caldo verde down? I don’t know, I’m not really a food writer—how about here is a story about all the food I couldn’t eat! My point is more travel will often pass you the unexpected, but don’t make the mistake of assuming it is always for the worse.
This is why we say (all the time!), a looser plan is often better then something too tightly ordered. Leave some wiggle room in there and allow for the ... unexpected.
Good travels
Stuart
Featured
The unexpected, writing for Travelfish
And it’s here, in the unexpected, that the real beauty of this job—and indeed of travel in general—is realised. When I reached Ha Pla I found not another predictable luxury resort but a chilled out, artsy, stylish and welcoming spot on an isolated stretch of beach. They had just one more cottage available for the night and although still on the pricey side, at 1,300 baht the room is comfortable, spacious and has a fresh, pleasant smell. One glance at the big, soft bed and my frustration began to fade away.
What we're watching
Find the unexpected
30 DAYS IN VIETNAM // FIND THE UNEXPECTED goes beyond the basic tourist attractions of Vietnam and gives you an insight into the landscape, culture and daily life of the vietnamese people. Film by Tobi Schnorpfeil.
What we're reading
Unexpected treats
While we were tempted to stick to theme and make up a review for “The Hobbit an unexpected journey”, we held back and will have a review for you next week. In the meantime, you may well find some unexpected treats in our existing collection of reviews of Southeast Asian hammock reading material.
Notes from the road
BURMA: An unexpected treat
Thaton’s extensive display of colonial architecture came as an unexpected treat, and it shows the town’s importance during imperial times as being way above that of, for instance, nearby Hpa-an.
CAMBODIA: An unexpected haven
Across the longest bamboo bridge in the world, on the prettiest of islands, you’ll find a quiet little hideaway that you may not want to leave. An unexpected haven on an island on the Mekong—your friends back home will hate you.
INDONESIA: An unexpected giant chicken
A giant cement chicken roosting on a forested hill overlooking Borobudur is perhaps a little unexpected, but this is not a cock-and-bull story. (Note this still remains one of our favourite pieces on all of Travelfish).
ISLANDS: Unexpected for the notably low rates
The best fan bungalows come with fridges and hot water, both unexpected for the notably low rates. Cheaper huts have ceiling fans and tinier bathrooms, but all of the attached porches bag you a sea view.
LAOS: Unexpected angles
Walk and walk to find unexpected angles on unexpected temples.
MALAYSIA: An unexpected highlight
Penang boasts Malaysia’s smallest national park, and although that may not sound like anything to brag about, a trek through this beautiful rainforest reserve is, for many travellers, an unexpected highlight of Penang.
SINGAPORE: An unexpected bonus
We had a bed in an eight-bed mixed dorm. It was mid-sized by Singapore standards, but felt super-sized as we had the entire dorm to ourselves, an unexpected bonus!
THAILAND: An unexpected swimming pool
While certain types of travellers will appreciate the vintage appeal, anyone will be psyched with the terrific location and completely unexpected swimming pool.
VIETNAM: Unexpected natural wonders
However, before you give Pleiku a skip, it has some spectacularly beautiful countryside and unexpected natural wonders — wonders that have been left natural, too, which is a rarity in Vietnam—like Phu Cuong Waterfall, truly breathtaking and completely off the radar.
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News from the region
BURMA I: Myanmar’s tourism dreams pierced by Rohingya crisis
"Ever since the bloodshed broke out in late August, tourism operators have witnessed a cascade of cancellations, rippling fear through a nascent industry that was gearing up for its high season in October. "
BURMA II: Thousands march in support of Myanmar military
"Nyunt Yi, a 70-year-old retired military soldier who served in the army for more than 40 years, said Sunday that “only the army can protect the national security and stop the illegal intruders,” referring to the Rohingya."
INDONESIA: One Convicted, One Cleared: Signs of Trouble in Indonesia Courts
“I think the two cases make a strong message that Indonesia still needs reform in the justice system,” said Bivitri Susanti, head of the Jakarta chapter of Indonesia’s Association of Constitutional Law Lecturers. “The reforms must include a legal education system that can produce good, quality law enforcers.”
INDONESIA II: Mount Agung: Bali volcano’s alert status lowered after decreased activity
"On Sunday afternoon, authorities reduced the threat level from dangerous, a level 4, to level 3 or high alert."
INDONESIA III: Indonesia’s Aceh has now caned more than 500 people
"Acehnese law now criminalises extramarital relations known as zina, as well as consensual same-sex acts. Those charged under the legislation can be given 100 lashes and up to 100 months in prison for homosexuality."
SOUTHEAST ASIA: Old dominance, new dominos in Southeast Asia
"Not coincidentally, in all four of these cases, old dominance is rooted in old authoritarian ruling parties. In this sense, Southeast Asia is far from unique."
THAILAND I: Tak Bai 12 Years Later: Unhealed Wounds, Justice Denied
"Yaena says that when people got the compensation and agreed not to sue the state, most were more or less satisfied and too worn out to press the case further."
THAILAND II: How a Thai King Made Wealth Seem Sacred
"Today, six decades later, there is little discussion over the expense of King Bhumibol’s cremation."
THAILAND III: As Thailand cremates King Bhumibol, can it keep lid on tensions?
“The reason the junta could keep power for so long, compared to previous coups, is the passing of the king,” said Kan Yuengyong, executive director at the think tank Siam Intelligence Unit. “[After the coronation] it will be time to get back to normal politics.”
Travel writing
CAMBODIA I: Kampot literary festival hopes to revive Cambodia’s lost art of storytelling
"Cambodia has long wooed visitors with its ancient temples and Phnom Penh’s chaotic charms, but next week the southern coastal town of Kampot will be in the spotlight as it hosts the Kampot Readers and Writers Festival (running from 1-5 November)."
CAMBODIA II: The past isn’t past
"By temperament, Americans are forward-looking and optimistic — perhaps overly so. Gore Vidal once wrote that the past, for his compatriots, was “a separate universe with its own quaint laws and irrelevant perceptions”. Whether or not this is the case in general, it is certainly so in the case of Cambodia, a faraway nation that the US government has never understood — or even really tried to understand — on its own terms."
INDONESIA: Indonesia at a crossroads
"Which way will Indonesia go? In traveling across the country, its diversity and complexity, its paradoxes and tensions are all apparent." Great pics!
SINGAPORE: Prawns make daring escape as MRT cabin bursts into laughter
"Overnight prawn stars". Hat tip to Erin Cook for this GROANWORTHY one. If you don't already get it, sign up for her excellent newsletter here—we read it every week.
THAILAND: A vegan festival in Thailand
"There are a few other ways to make merit, too. Festival-goers are meant to refrain from sex and alcohol, while buckets of fish, snails and turtles often sit sadly beside temples, waiting to be set free into a nearby river."
TOURISM: Tourists in denial
"But I’d argue that feeling like an outsider is one of the only “authentic” experiences travel and tourism have to offer, and it’s a feeling that can keep travellers from figuratively bulldozing over the places and cultures they seek to visit."
TRAVEL TECH: Do These 9 Things Before Taking Your Phone Abroad
"Before you hop on an international flight, there are several things you should do related to your smartphone to ensure you have a safe, happy, smooth, and successful journey."
VIETNAM I: There’s a $100 Banh Mi in Saigon, and People Are Actually Buying It
VIETNAM II: Hanoi after dark: 7 unconventional nightlife experiences
"In the Old Quarter -- particularly along Ta Hien Street, Bao Khanh and Luong Ngoc Quyen Streets -- there’s no shortage of watering holes that cater to those looking for good-value beer and mixed drinks."
VIETNAM III: From Saigon to Paris: A Vietnamese backpacker's motorbike adventure
"Tran Dang Dang Khoa, a 30-year-old backpacker from Vietnam's southern province of Tien Giang, arrived at the Eiffel Tower last Saturday. This symbol of Paris marks the end of the first part of his journey around the world by motorbike, which he started on June 1. According to Khoa, he has been dreaming about embarking on this journey for 20 years and spent 2 years preparing for it."
Interesting site
Mekong Review
"Mekong Review is a quarterly literary journal publishing fiction, essays, reviews and poetry from Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia."
Travel shot
There is no wrong time to visit Georgetown. 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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