Travelfish #390: Is better local food a tiny silver lining to tourism shutdowns?
I can’t stop thinking about eating—even in these times.
Hi everyone,
Missing travel? I am. This week I’ve got the wrap on what is happening on Couchfish and Thai Island Times along with a few thoughts of a possible tiny silver living to the tourism shutdowns—better local food and less Gordon Glue. Cordon bleu has to be the most misspelled menu item ever.
You’ll find big views in Hua Phan province, Laos. Photo: Cindy Fan.
Last week on Couchfish was all still northern Laos—to Vietnam soon! I cover Phonsavan, the Plain of Jars, a cave massacre, and more jars—and an unhinged American. The pics in today’s newsletter are all from that area of Laos.
On the free to read section, I missed the diversion last week (sorry!), but made up with it on the Friday post—the Fabulist—which it seems many readers have got a chuckle from—I hope you enjoy it.
Over on David’s Thai Island Times, he looks at how curfew has been lifted, but there are still “no foreigner” rules at some attractions. Do check it out.
Cheers and thanks for your support
Stuart
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Switching to domestic
I took the kids to Candi Dasa over the weekend for a couple of days by the sea. Like many destinations on Bali, most tourist–facing businesses were closed. Also like a lot of places in Bali, many tourist businesses in Candi Dasa cater to the international trade.
Out and about on the Plain of Jars. Photo: Adam Poskitt.
Indonesia’s international inbound tourist numbers fell 87.5% in April 2020 (year on year). While there are a few foreign residents and stranded foreign tourists around, they’re a drop in the ocean.
Even the most optimistic of tourism watchers thinks it will be months before Indonesia “re–opens”. So businesses focused on this market struggle more than most. The government’s response (and this is not just the case in Indonesia), has been to push domestic tourism.
I got talking to the manager at the hotel we were staying at. It’s a mid range spot by the water, they brand as a “dive resort”, though with the diving ban, there isn’t much of that going on. For the first night, the kids and I were the only guest. They’d been closed for a stretch and had re–opened a week earlier.
In dry season the plain is, well, drier. Photo: Cindy Fan.
I asked her if Indonesians made up much of her clientele. No, only on rare occasions, she said. Most of their clientele are Europeans. So when I asked about the switch to domestic travellers, did she see hope there?
No. In her opinion, Indonesians who visit Candi Dasa tend to visit as a larger group and they’ll rent a villa. It is more affordable, plus they can cook their own food—an advantage as the restaurant scene there is not great. Or, they all drive to Mertasari (referring to a famous sate place near Goa Lawah about 10km down the coast), she laughed.
It isn’t that there are not plenty of places to eat—in normal times there are dozens of places, but they’re all “tourist food”. As she said, “If they offer everything from pizza to nasi goreng, chances are none of it will be enak (delicious).”
Turning war weapons into cutlery. Photo: Cindy Fan.
This had been our experience the previous evening. When I talked to the owner there, he said we were his only guests for the day. I feel selfish complaining about the food in these times, but it was terrible.
It was these places that she felt would struggle the most. “No Indonesian would eat at these places,” she said. “They’re only for bule (foreigners). So they’ll have the longest to wait for business to return.”
As she sees it, they have no choice but to change their ways. In her opinion, it will be a year until foreign tourists come back, and no restaurant can hold on that long.
Hello Sam Neua. Photo: Cindy Fan.
“They’re Indonesian people and they should make real Indonesian food,” she said. “Then some local tourists would leave their villas and come outside. Later, when the Europeans return, they’ll learn that our food is more than nasi goreng and gado gado.” Laughing she added “They can always add pizza back later, but I don’t think many people come to Candi Dasa for the pizza.”
It can be hard to see silver linings to Covid19—more locals travelling in their own country is one for sure. More local fare—and less “Chicken Gordon Blow” would be another. Particularly if it helped small, local–owned businesses survive.
Good travels
Stuart
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Ten things worth reading
Pirate Islands Travel Guide
In Vietnam? Indulge your inner pirate.
The Cost Of Thailand's Coronavirus Success: Despair ... And Suicide
With all the talk about Covid19 and travel, the hardest battles can be far closer to home.
A vital mangrove forest hidden in Vietnam’s largest city could be at risk
Paving over paradise chapter I forget.
Thailand Aims to Turn Away From Mass Tourism and Target the Wealthy
A very annoying piece on how Thailand’s tourism mob would like to see things develop post Covid19.
The world's next coronavirus hotspot is emerging next door
Don’t expect Indonesia to re-open anytime soon.
A travel writer contemplates a less mobile future
“Do we really need to cross the world to sate our curiosity? How can we justify regular trips abroad if those trips are contributing to the ruination of the planet we profess to covet?” A good read.
KSR gets a makeover
Thailand Travel Quiz – Test Your Knowledge
I scored 33—see how you go.
Virus-stricken UK pilot in Vietnam may be discharged from hospital soon
How much of me can you take?
A three part interview I did the other week with the smart cookies at Phanganist. Note to self, doing an interview in the hammock was not wise. Part 1, part 2 and part 3.
Something to read
A Field Guide to Getting Lost
Rebecca Solnit’s beautiful collection of nine essays, A Field Guide to Getting Lost, are a wonderful meditation on the transformations that take place when one gets lost. Whether it’s through travel, escape or internal disruption, getting lost is about new perspectives and interpretations, and often transformation.
Photo of the week
That thing where there is a bomb in your front garden. Photo: Cindy Fan.
Thank you!
Thanks from reading the Travelfish newsletter. Please feel free to forward it to all and sundry and your feedback, as always, is much appreciated.
Travel light!
Stuart & the Travelfish team