Travelfish #403: A 3 am dream reading + ICYMI, a new website!
Hi everyone,
This week, a 3am dream reading—I’m even dreaming of Covid19, make it stop dammit!
In case you missed the news last week, the redesign is done—please take a look and, while you are at it, give our opening feature, by Julia Winterflood, a read.
The back beach by the most perfect place. Photo: Stuart McDonald.
In a fit of procrastination the other day, I added a news feed page—it is still a bit rough and ready, but you should get the idea. If you have any suggestions on websites worth reading on the region which I could include, please let me know.
The crowdfunding has just under a month to run, so if you’ve loose change, please keep it in mind. You can follow our progress here.
Last week on pay to read Couchfish, I was in Cambodia. First to a graveyard outside Banlung, then the now–gone Death Highway, then Sen Monorom, and a couple of lazy days around Kratie.
On free to read Couchfish, I wrote about my single most favourite place to stay in all of Southeast Asia. Far out what I would give to be there right now!
Graveyard visit near Banlung. Photo: Stuart McDonald.
As always, the photos in this newsletter are from last week on Couchfish.
Over on Thai Island Times, David had his regular Thai island wrap—do give it a read—it is amazing just how much island and beach news he can dredge up weekly.
Cheers and again thank you for all your support
Stuart
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A 3 am dream reading
I’ve always had a very good memory for my dreams and long been a chronic over–sharer of them. Many feel this is an unfortunate combination. My sleep patterns have for decades been bad but over the last couple of years they fell right off the cliff. Recently I started taking melatonin to try and get my sleep patterns back on track. A side effect of melatonin is vivid dreams.
So here we are. It is 3 am and I’m telling you all about the dream I woke from ten minutes ago. My apologies in advance.
Go fly a kite or concentrate on the issue at hand? Sen Monorom airstrip. Photo: Stuart McDonald.
As is often the case, the dream was multi-facetted. The core of it took place at some incredible villa carved into a valley. The place was enormous, with layered horizon pools, vast decks and salubrious rooms. I can’t think of anywhere I’ve seen in real life that resembled it at all.
It was opening night and the place was packed with VIPs hobnobbing. This kinda thing is not my scene, but I wasn’t there as a guest, I was on staff. The owner was this Alpha male character—larger than life, but stupid—who kept flitting in and out of the dream.
Always water issues. Bou Sra waterfall, Sen Monorom. Photo: Stuart McDonald.
It was all going well and then it wasn’t. For some reason, water had been channelled from the upper deck pool to the lower pool. This had put everything out of balance and the foundations were cracking. Panic had broken out and the scene was everything a disaster dream could be. Think Titanic—just produced on a backpacker budget.
To fix the pool problem, we wanted to put more water in the upper deck pool (I know that makes no sense, but whatever, bear with me). To do this though, we needed to turn off the water to all the rooms and the hotel. This would inconvenience the guests and the boss would have none of it. He wanted his cake and to eat it too.
There was much drama.
Some days the simplest things get complicated. Sen Monorom. Photo: Stuart McDonald.
Some of the staff and VIPs left on a luxury paddle cruiser—we watched it steam off. Our owner meanwhile, had had enough and was getting high and losing it. I was running around trying to find him, when I was waylaid by an old Swiss girlfriend (Hi Nikki!) who began to distract me in a very inappropriate fashion. I lost interest in finding the boss.
Then, an old school headmaster showed up and scolded us for how we were behaving. He suggested Nicky and I go out to the deck to look at the mess we should be concentrating on. On the way we bought cigarettes (weird dream fact: they were 50,000 rupiah a packet). Outside we could see the whole place was falling apart. People were running around like mad chickens.
Would you like to come with us instead? Kids on a beach, Alor. Photo: Stuart McDonald.
Then these workers showed up who I’d not seen before. They were in something like bright yellow fireman gear, caked up in clay and mud. They said they had fixed the problem and it was all ok. Everyone cheered. Then with a huge crash, the bottom pool dropped into the abyss and everything went pear–shaped.
Ignored the scolding headmaster, Nicky and I ran off.
I woke up.
Of late when I have vivid dreams I send them to @MissC on Twitter. Caroline is a friend who used to work with me at Travelfish but now runs a resort south of Hoi An. She’s got a talent for explaining what my dreams mean, but this one is so obvious, I don’t even need to send it to her.
The journey will be long. Enroute to the Death Highway. Photo: Stuart McDonald.
I think the resort is the planet, or at least the travel aspects of it. The alpha guy is many of our leaders, unfortunately inept yet larger than life. The pools falling apart and damaging the balance of life, is Covid19. The luxury paddle boat heading off into the distance—travel bubbles catering to the few.
The chaos, the boss getting high, and an old girlfriend back onto the scene, the mad chickens. All this points to a need to concentrate unreservedly on the one issue, the virus. The bright yellow firemen have to be the false hope of a vaccine in the short term.
It was weird that nobody in the dream was wearing a mask, but I wouldn’t suggest anyone take life lessons from my dreams.
Please do wear a mask.
Good travels
Stuart
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Twelve things worth reading
Old man and the sea: Malaysian’s mission to rid beaches of glass
“On a recent morning beach patrol, the spry grandfather of 20 said a Muslim prayer as he stooped to pick up an empty, white-capped bottle. The ex-soldier wiped it down before slipping it into his backpack—another one for his collection.”
The cyclos, street food and shophouses of 1950s Phnom Penh
Who doesn’t like some old photos?
A tranquil paradise
“After some time, the family had their relatives join and the island still remains owned mostly by these five families today. The idea to open the island for tourism started around 1985 when a group of European backpackers who were on Koh Chang paddled a boat to explore its vicinities and stopped at Koh Mak.”
This ties in to my post last week suggesting backpackers play an important part in opening new frontiers.
Thais question king’s spending as economy takes hit from Covid-19 $
“According to an inventory of royal aircraft presented to the party by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s office and seen by the FT, the fleet includes four Boeing and three Airbus commercial aircraft, three Russian-made Sukhoi Superjet 100s, four Northrop F5-E light fighter jets and 21 helicopters, including three that are due to enter service next month.” Totally normal.
Land to lose: coronavirus compounds debt crisis in Cambodia
“‘First, it’s $5,000, then $10,000, then $20,000—then you say goodbye,’ he said, adding that about a third of 134 homes in his village were up for sale or had been sold to repay debts.”
As Asia’s “travel bubbles” fail to materialise, travellers face prospect of long winter at home
“‘We hope to start this as soon as October but this also depends on the demand side as well,’ he says.” This week in optimism.
As tourist flow stops, Bali’s craftsmen struggle to market their work online
“Not wanting his store to go bust, Klau—a short, muscular man in his fifties who until recently did not have an email address—started the gallery’s Instagram account in late June.”
The death penalty for drugs in Singapore
An excellent wrap on a disgraceful slice of Singapore.
The thin–skinned Singapore government
The latest salvo from the Singaporean government again independent publisher NewNaratif. The laws are ludicrous and the case should be dropped immediately.
Livelihoods, environment on the line as Thailand pushes for new industrial park
“‘I breathe clean air every day and swim in the clear and clean sea. The sand is white and fine. I want the younger generations to enjoy this opportunity too. ’” Amen.
Train travel in Asia with the Man In Seat 61
A sorry excuse
“Those committed to progressive values must never tolerate those who downplay tyranny. Salvaging the liberal-democratic project means standing with persecuted peoples, whether in Xinjiang, in Syria, in Belarus, or elsewhere. ”
Something to read
Mekong Review
I’ve mentioned Mekong Review a few times over the years, and they remain an excellent publisher covering the region. Please do consider taking out a subscription.
Photo of the week
Have a happy sunset! Lyla posing on Alor, Indonesia. Photo: Stuart McDonald.
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