Travelfish newsletter Issue 314 : Chanthaburi + Tragedy at Lake Toba + The Great Railway Bazaar
Hi all,
This week we’ve got complete updates to Chanthaburi in eastern Thailand, and Medewi and Balian in Bali, Indonesia. All are second-tier spots you may not have on your radar, but, well, we think they’re great and should be!
Our soap box is wrapped around Indonesia’s tragedy on Lake Toba last week—let's hope the talk from the government about improving standards actually happens.
Thanks for the responses to last week’s issue—it is always great to hear Travelfish readers reaching for their pockets to support worthy causes. Some messaged to say they found it difficult to actually make a donation to the Lao Teen Girls programme, so to clarify, there are a few options.
First (and best!) is for you to go to Laos, then head to Luang Prabang and visit Luang Prabang Library across from Wat Mai—you can make a donation in person there. If you were looking for a reason to go to Laos, we’ve given you one!
If you’re not quite ready to go, instead go to http://eaulaos.org/ scroll down and you’ll see four donation options (it is all in French, but auto-translate works okay). The first option is a “Welcome kit”—that is the one—click on that and you’ll be taken through to Paypal to make a donation. I’ve just noticed on the page above the lowest donation is 16 euros, but on their Facebook page it does say US$5 for one kit, so perhaps donations are being used for more than one kit.
Good travels
Stuart, Sam and the Travelfish crew
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Soapbox
Tragedy on Lake Toba
On June 20, the KM Sinar Bangun, reportedly carrying more than 200 people and 60 scooters, overturned and sank on Lake Toba in Indonesia's northern Sumatra. Reports Aisyah Llewellyn for CNN at least 192 adults and children, many of whom were trapped inside the boat, are thought to have drowned. The exact number will probably never be known as the ferry had no manifest and the vessel is now believed to be lying in almost 500 metres of water, well beyond the reach of rescuers.
You can see a photo of the boat here (in happier days). As one who has spent my share of time on crowded ferries, I’m struggling to see how it was even possible to fit 200 people and 60 motorbikes onto this boat. The vessel was apparently licensed to carry 43 or 49 people.
Sadly, this is not Indonesia’s worst ferry tragedy of the last 20 years—that title belongs to the MV Senopati Nusantara, which sank in bad weather off Java in 2006 with the loss of between 400 and 500 lives.
While these tragedies get the headlines, ferries of all types sink with disturbing regularity in Indonesia. While passenger manifests and lifejackets are to be expected on larger vessels, the smaller the vessel gets, the laxer the regulation gets and the higher the risk becomes.
Larger vessels aren’t always a sure bet. In 2016 a car ferry between Java and Bali sank in clear weather and broad daylight (spectacularly captured on Youtube) and media reports suggest it wasn’t clear if all were accounted for. Fast boats between Bali and the Gili Islands catch fire and sink. When we asked about a brochure listing speedboat services between Lembata and Flores, we were told more than half of them had sunk or caught on fire in the preceding five years. Tourist boats between Lombok and Flores have sunk in at least 2011 and 2014 (though without fatalities).
What makes the Lake Toba tragedy different, is that Lake Toba is set to be transformed into one of Indonesia’s “10 new Balis” under a long-term plan to replicate the “success” of tourism in Bali in other places across the archipelago. We’re all for better distributing Indonesia’s tourists, but think using Bali as a model is pretty dumb (though that's fodder for another newsletter).
The plan is forecast to require US$20 billion over the next five years, with half of that to come from the government. The goal is to double tourist numbers to 20 million by 2019.
What we suggest is that Indonesian authorities first take a long hard look at some of its creaking infrastructure, and perhaps allocate some of those billions to increasing the safety on its multitude of vessels first, before loading them up with thousands of both domestic and foreign tourists.
If the laws are already on the books, enforce them. If they’re not, add them. Assign officers to enforce manifests and maximum safe loads. Everyone benefits—not just tourists. Some encouraging talk has already been made, so let's hope it moves from talk to action. Quickly.
In the meantime, if you're a traveller in Indonesia, responsibility rests with you. If the boat is overloaded, don’t get on it. Until the Indonesian government steps up and proactively address basic safety issues, staying safe on Indonesian waters largely remains your own personal responsibility.
Good travels,
Stuart
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What we’re reading
The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux
“Anything is possible on a train: a great meal, a binge, a visit from card players, an intrigue, a good night’s sleep, and strangers’ monologues framed like Russian short stories,” writes Paul Theroux in his 1975-published classic, The Great Railway Bazaar.
Thank you
Just a few quick words of thanks to businesses who have decided to advertise direct with us on Travelfish recently. If you know a business, small or large, who may be interested in advertising on the site, please send them our One Page Media Kit!
Other advertisers include Asia Highlights offer tailor made travel through Vietnam, Take Me Tour offer experiences with locals out of Chiang Mai, Akha Kitchen offer Thai cooking classes in Chiang Rai, WWOOF Thailand connect hosts and organic farm volunteers and VD Travel offer trending itineraries across the region.
Featured
Chanthaburi
For many people hell bent on an island vacation in eastern Thailand, they think nothing more than booking themselves on an overnight bus from Bangkok to the eastern provincial capital of Trat from where they can get onwards transport to the island of their choice. Little do they know, just shy of Trat their bus will pull in for a brief stop to another provincial capital bus station—Chanthaburi—and you know what? They should get off the damn bus!
This sleepy provincial capital sees barely a trickle of foreign tourists, which is, in all honesty, a bit difficult to understand. This is a historic centre, with a beautiful “Old town” worth wandering through and is also home to many houses of worship, deftly illustrating the melting pot of people and their faiths who have come to reside here through the generations.
Outside of town there are two national parks, each popular for their own reasons, yet both of which are worth, in the least, a day trip to visit. Chanthaburi also boasts a decent stretch of coastline, where, with your own wheels, you’ll find secluded bays, beaches and rivers worth exploring—and there are plenty more places to stay down there should you have still more time up your sleeve.
Back in town there are some great places to stay, including a lovingly restored historic house/museum. More frugal travellers will find themselves well catered to as well with a selection of more budget focused digs. Chanthaburi has some excellent eateries from streetside eating to a wonderful crab restaurant reached only by boat.
So if you’re heading east to the islands, by all means do, but consider setting aside a couple of days for a poke around Chanthaburi as well.
Learn more about Chanthaburi here.
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Liveaboards are available for booking in Burma, Indonesia, Philippine, Thailand and more.
News from the region
BURMA I: Once-thriving Myanmar cinema readies for new wave
“But now, Myanmar's young, independent filmmakers are looking to counter a mainstream cinema industry they see as lacking innovation and originality.”
BURMA II: Searching for Burma's forgotten World War Two heroes
“Saw Berny was just one of tens of thousands from all over Burma who volunteered to fight for Britain against the Japanese, in what historian Philip Davies calls "the most successful guerrilla campaign of the Second World War, the greatest defeat the Japanese army had ever suffered in its entire history." Now, more than 70 years on, most of these volunteers have died. Saw Berny himself is almost deaf and largely bed-bound - even though mentally he is razor sharp.”
CAMBODIA I: Cambodia’s mining industry
“What we can say for certain is that the mining industry in Cambodia is rife with corruption, is a major cause of environmental destruction, and that it is seldom, if ever, done in a way that local communities or the state sees any benefits, as most of the extraction is conducted under the façade that only exploration or prospecting is taking place,” he says.
CAMBODIA II: Last glimpses of a Cambodian paradise?
“Despite all of this biodiversity and the beauty of the Park, which draws ecotourists from all over the world, it seems that, alas, all hope may be lost.”
CAMBODIA III: As Cambodia educates more girls, boys fall through the cracks
“Perhaps the answer is to find a way to reach boys like 11-year-old Leng Pov, for example, who’ve already dropped out of school — and who face major hurdles in returning to education.”
INDONESIA I: Anger grows, search extended for 192 missing people
“We now consider this a recovery effort rather than a search and rescue due to the amount of time that has elapsed since the sinking.”
INDONESIA II: Indonesia’s order to foreign workers: Learn the language
We seem to be in the minority in thinking this is unworkable in practice.
INDONESIA III: ‘North Sumatran land mafia offered me $21m to win election — and then hand over control of government’
“For about 300,000 ID cards, they asked me for about 40 billion rupiah [$2.8 million]. It was clear, you don’t need to do anything. They will prepare the signatures and everything.”
INDONESIA IV: Indonesia's debus fighters: tough as nails
“Debus master Aris Afandi puts it to the test as he goes at a fellow fighter's arm with a machete, although his foot pounding and yelling seems to have more impact than the cut.”
MALAYSIA: Penang’s food bank programme is quietly successful
“Today, Mutiara Food Bank reaches some 7,000 recipients in six state constituencies on mainland Penang, and four on the island. It has 13 donors, including Tesco in Sungai Petani, Kedah; and a staff of 11 – a big jump from three.”
SINGAPORE: Five new species of fauna recorded for Singapore in Pulau Ubin
“ "They are testament to the biodiversity Ubin contributes to Singapore, and remind us of our role as stewards, custodians and guardians of our natural heritage," added Mr Lee, who was on the island to mark Ubin Day.”
THAILAND: Has Rama X revived Thailand’s death penalty?
“Behind this surprising turn of events—which has virtually gone unreported by the media—is King Vajiralongkorn’s apparent refusal to grant the condemned man a royal pardon and stay his execution. This is a significant departure from his late father’s longstanding practice of allowing death-row prisoners to live.”
Travel writing
BOOKS: Eight books on Southeast Asia
“From Cambodia to Vietnam, get lost in some of the region's best literature.”
MALAYSIA: Love and food in Malaysia
“Chef Wan is absolutely right, our food and cuisines are products of love, practice and learning – NOT products of our skin color or our racial characteristics.”
VIETNAM: The Cham Towers & Ancient Citadel of Vijaya
“Below, I’ve written a brief introduction to all four sites (including a bit of historical context), followed by a selection of photographs from each of them. If, like me, you have a general interest in history and enjoy wandering through deserted ruins of lost civilizations, with the sense of history hanging heavy in the air, then you’ll enjoy this itinerary. ”
Interesting site
Palani Mohan
Our mate Palani has been taking fabulous photos in the region for decades. Enjoy.
Travel shot
Looking out from Baan Luang Rajamaitri. Photo: David Luekens
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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