Travelfish newsletter Issue 327 : Palu update + Three cool Thai islands + Why scooters not cars
Hi all,
Aid efforts are ongoing in Palu and surrounds in Central Sulawesi following on from the devastating quake and tsunami that recently ravaged the area. Even this Tuesday morning as I put together the newsletter the area continues to be shaken by aftershocks. Terrifying stuff.
As you may recall from last week’s newsletter, we put a call out for donations, offering complimentary Travelfish accounts in return and the response has just taken our breath away, with over A$4,000 donated to the various organisations listed on Erin Cook’s page. Thank you everyone.
If you missed last week’s newsletter and have no idea what I am talking about, here is the skinny:
“We have plenty of news stories on what is happening in Sulawesi down below, but first, a quick note on how you can help. Journalist Erin Cook is offering a free subscription to her weekly newsletter “Dari Mulut ke Mulut” (a must-read if you have an interest in the region) to anyone who donates at least A$20 to an organisation working to assist in Sulawesi. We chatted with Erin and are now matching her offer. Send us a copy of a receipt for any donation of over $20 you made to one of the organisations Erin has listed and we’ll comp you an annual Travelfish membership. If you’re already a member, we’ll give you another year. ”
The list of organisations is here.
A final word on Sulawesi, we just want to emphasise that travel to the rest of Sulawesi is largely unaffected by the tragedy in Palu. The Togean Islands, Tana Toraja, Bunaken, Makassar and other highlights of Sulawesi remain largely unaffected (though obviously if you were planning on transiting through Palu airport, you will need to reschedule...). Please remember, Indonesia is big. Very big.
This week coming we have new coverage for destinations in Vietnam, Thailand and Laos on the way...
To finish on a sad note, when found out via Twitter of the passing of Hurley Scroggins. Travellers to Phnom Penh may have come across him at his riverside bar/restaurant Cantina—oft referred to as the unofficial foreign correspondents club of Cambodia. RIP Hurley.
Good travels,
Stuart, Sam and the Travelfish crew
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Soapbox
Why scooters not cars?
I’m on a brief trip to Sydney at the moment, and if there is one big difference between most of Southeast Asia and Sydney, it is scooters. Southeast Asia have, Sydney does not.
In three days here I have seen six. At home in Bali I’d see, well, more than six...per second.
I get why scooters are popular domestically, they’re relatively affordable and inexpensive to run, you can ride them almost anywhere—even if they aren’t the safest way to get around.
These points appeal to travellers as well, and there are no shortage of travellers you see scootering around the joint (please do wear a helmet and check your travel insurance provisions!).
What you don’t see much are travellers in cars. In 20+ years of travel in the region I could count the number of travellers I’ve met on four wheels on probably one hand—two if I include the overlanders.
It seems a bit of an anomaly. Small cars are relatively inexpensive to hire and (importantly) foreign travellers are more likely to have a car license than a motorbike one, which should help them when it comes to having a prang and needing to make a travel insurance claim. Also, if you’re a travelling threesome, hiring a small car will almost certainly be cheaper than hiring three scooters.
So I’m curious, why is it so? Please help me to understand.
Stuart
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Featured
Three cool islands
We’re nearing the end of the monsoon season in Thailand and so this week I thought I would highlight three islands on Thailand’s southwest coast that you may not have heard of. These are all a bit lower key, a little off the beaten track and (hopefully) with not too many people enjoying them!
There is also a beach or two on Chang Noi. Photo: David Luekens
Yes, if you’re a bit of a Thailand regular—or just a regular reader of Travelfish—you perhaps will have heard of these. All have been reviewed by David Luekens who has walked down more Thai beaches than I care to think about.
Ko Jum
The little-known Andaman island of Ko Jum (aka Ko Pu) strikes an ideal balance of great beaches, thin crowds and ultra-relaxing atmosphere. With mass tourism having been left to neighbouring Ko Phi Phi and Ko Lanta, Jum’s Muslim residents have happily preserved their traditional lifestyle. So enchanting is Ko Jum that we’ll go out on a limb to call it one of our favourite Thai islands.
Meet Ko Jum. Photo: David Luekens
Ko Jum is the biggest of the three islands I’m highlighting and arguably the most easily reached as it is close to both Krabi and the considerably more popular Ko Lanta. If you’re looking to try a new island, it is well suited to a lazy two or three nights and fits in ideally if you are already planning on travelling to Ko Lanta and/or Krabi.
Ko Chang Noi
There are laid-back islands, and then there’s Ko Chang Noi. The northernmost island in Thailand’s section of the Andaman Sea faces straight towards Burma, its dark-sand beaches backed by simple bungalows, cashew orchards and jungle amid a formidable interior. For those who don’t mind roughing it in exchange for serious relaxation, this is a special place.
Serenity on Ko Chang Noi. Photo: David Luekens
Though the island’s real name is Ko Chang, we call it Ko Chang Noi (small Ko Chang) to differentiate it from the far larger and better known Ko Chang in eastern Thailand. No two islands could be more different, and Chang Noi will appeal to those looking for an extremely relaxed stay with a minimum of mod–cons. If you’d like something a bit more upbeat and happening, consider nearby Ko Phayam. The provincial capital is Ranong, which has a domestic airport and bus connections to Bangkok and most southern regional centres.
Ko Bulon Lae
Palms sway as school kids laugh and play on a beachside field. Travellers swing in hammocks and stroll on flower-draped paths to the next languid bay. Away from the problems that blight more popular Thai islands, the serene environment on Ko Bulon Lae is likely here to stay.
Languid School Beach. Photo: David Luekens
We may get some blowback for mentioning this one—small and lovely, Ko Bulon Lae doesn’t have to try hard to charm. This is a particularly good choice for those travelling with kids, but who are also comfortable with simple lodgings and don’t need a pool.
The island attracts many repeat guests year in year out yet it blissfully lacks for far more commercial built–up vibe of nearby Ko Lipe. Try both islands on your travels and see which one you’d prefer to return to—we bet it will be Bulon Lae.
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News from the region
BURMA I: UNHCR and UNDP complete first assessments in Myanmar’s northern Rakhine
“Mistrust, fear of neighbouring communities and a sense of insecurity are prevalent in many areas. Communities often live in isolation, lowering the prospects for contacts, mutual understanding and inter-communal cohesion. This is notable for relations between the Muslim community and other communities.”
BURMA II: Myanmar torches $1.3m of illegal wildlife parts
“Trafficking and selling endangered animals is rampant across Myanmar, especially in border areas which serve as a key hub in the $20 billion a year global wildlife trade.”
BURMA III: Extortion and abuse: Myanmar workers arrive debt-laden in Thailand
“In one ongoing case, a family — including two children — was trafficked into the kingdom and forced into slavery on a fishing boat, beaten, unpaid and their documents confiscated.”
CAMBODIA I: ‘I will not give them the baby’: the plight of Cambodia’s detained surrogates
“Now, Malis faces the prospect of raising a child she was paid to deliver – an agreement she entered into because she is impoverished and in debt. Giving up the child could mean up to 20 years in prison, she fears.”
FOREIGN AID: Demons of disaster
“One glaring reason for the longstanding tolerance of sexual assault among aid workers has to do with the de facto moral absolution that such figures enjoy as they come to the assistance of the disaster-stricken.” Not specifically Southeast Asia related, but a must read.
INDONESIA I: ‘Not a straightforward event’: How multiple disasters stunned experts and ravaged a corner of Indonesia
“Cascading secondary effects were devastating areas farther inland, turning solid ground into unstable liquid mud. Houses and electricity poles appeared to be chasing people as they were carried by the slurry of soil, witnesses said. Entire neighborhoods were obliterated.”
INDONESIA II: Indonesian earthquake: search for victims to end in days
“Rescuers will stop searching for the bodies of victims of an earthquake and tsunami on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Thursday, the national disaster mitigation agency said on Sunday.”
INDONESIA III: Broken, stripped, and stolen: Indonesia’s tsunami warning system is a mess
“So what has the government been doing all this time? Delaying the allocation of the money needed to fund a new system developed by US and Indonesian scientists. It’s a bureaucratic mess that’s now costing people’s lives.”
INDONESIA IV: Indonesia’s struggle with (Halal) plastic
“It’s a valid question. Not all producers of halal-certified plastics manufacture biodegradable plastic bags that can be decomposed by bacteria or other living organisms, so halal bags can wind up as pollutants.”
MALAYSIA: Malaysia’s former first lady charged with money laundering related to 1MDB scandal
“Rosmah, 66, is widely reviled for her opulent lifestyle and penchant for expensive jewelry and designer Birkin bags that led to her being compared with former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos and her extravagant collection of shoes.”
THAILAND: As Bangkok sinks, could this anti-flood park be the answer?
“Her design ethos fits with the “monkey cheeks” water retention initiative pushed by Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej before he died in 2016. Just as monkeys stuff their cheeks with banana, saving the fruit mush for later, the monarch encouraged Thailand’s Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to help prevent floods by utilising land areas that could temporarily store water.”
VIETNAM: Is Vietnam sliding deeper into authoritarianism?
“What we’re witnessing will weaken, if not erode, the informal system of checks and balances that has been in place since the adoption of the constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1992.”
Travel writing
BURMA: A highway, a monk and a full moon
“It was midnight when we reached the festival gates, which were decorated with photographs of the Maing Hpone Sayadaw, serene against a bucolic backdrop. Then, a tollgate, so we could pay for the pleasure of having spent 18 hours in traffic and finally, at last, we were free.”
FOOD: Dear airports: We want more local, real food...
“However, if there’s one guarantee in the current airport food experience, it’s the consistency in the ever-growing presence of Burger King’s, McDonalds & similar. What’s worse is, these fast-food junk giants are often in airports that are situated in cities buzzing with authentic, local & successful fast-food joints.”
SINGAPORE: Mandai mangrove and mudflats to be Singapore’s newest nature park
“The new status will allow the National Parks Board (NParks) to better monitor and protect threatened species of mangrove, crustaceans and migratory shorebirds, and will also give NParks teeth to enforce anti-poaching laws under the Parks and Trees Act.”
TRAVEL: Why you might be paying more for your airfare than the person sitting next to you
“Indeed, perfect price discrimination may mean that no two people pay the same price for the same product or service.”
VIETNAM: Borders & back-roads: Sapa to Ha Giang by motorbike
“Sapa and Ha Giang are gateways to the outstanding mountain scenery of Vietnam’s northwest and extreme north respectively. But the journey between these two mountain towns is just as thrilling as the landscape which lies beyond them. ”
VIETNAM II: On the hunt for Vietnam’s best banh mi
“But I am single-minded in my mission: To find the best banh mi in Hoi An -- and maybe even the world.”
Interesting site
InfoBMKG
The official Twitter account of the Indonesian organisation responsible for earthquake and tsunami monitoring (among other things). The Twitter account sends out automatic alerts for any earthquakes in the country.
Travel shot
Ko Chang Noi, Oh so pretty. 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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