Travelfish #431: Making up for lost time
A deluge of stuff worth reading
Hi all,
Well, that break turned out to be longer than expected—my apologies for the service interruption.
This week (and year!) brings a new considerably shorter format to the newsletter. For the time being, it will simply take the form of a collection of links to stories I’ve read that I think may be of interest. I’ve removed the extracts and so on, as if I left them in the email would be a mile long and take me an aeon to write. I’ve also added a section for stories that have a primarily environmental focus and may add a couple more categories in the coming weeks as I get back up to speed.
Please let me know if you think the new format has too many links, and if many feel that way, I’ll pare it back a bit. There are a load this week as I’ve accumulated a bunch in my bookmarks since the new year. Going forward, I’ll be aiming for two or three per section. The vaccination and border summary material remain as before.
The photos this week are from a trip to Flores my son and I took a couple of weeks ago—enjoy!
Cheers
Stuart
Late light at the village of Wae Rebo in Flores , Indonesia. Photo: Stuart McDonald
Vaccinations snapshot
The following chart is per capita—not total numbers. You can see a full-size and interactive version of the chart here.
Source: Our World in Data
Travel summary
So where is open and where is closed? This chart by Hannah Pearson at Pear Anderson summarises the state of play in the region as of Sunday, February 13, 2022. If you’re after a detailed weekly report on the region, Hannah’s report is the absolute business. To receive Hannah’s report in your email mailbox every Sunday you can sign up here (it is free!).
Source: The Impact of Covid-19 on the Southeast Asian Tourism Industry (PDF)
⭐️ Site of the week
Sounds of Your Park Sit back and listen to the sounds of nature from national parks around the world—including a couple in Southeast Asia. Great to fall asleep to!
🇲🇲 Burma
Myanmar’s Dry Zone from Fulcrum
Ghostly Monkey Among New Species Found in Mekong Region from Aljazeera
For Myanmar’s Latest Wave of Refugees, There’s No Good Choice. from The New York Times
🇰🇭 Cambodia
‘Blood Slaves’ Latest Chinese Sihanoukville Scandal from CNE
Hydro-power Projects and Cultural Rights for Bunong Communities from New Mandala
Inside the Campaign to Save an Imperiled Cambodian Rainforest from The New York Times
Tech Titan Surrenders Cambodian Relics from ICIJ
🌴 Environment
Cambodia’s Green Revolution? from SEA Globe
Grounding Bullshit Flights from The End of Tourism
New Megadams Threaten World’s Biggest Fish from National Geographic
The Carbon Footprint Sham from Mashable India
To Save a Dying Lake, Mekong Nations Must Act as One from New Naratif
World Grapples With West’s Unwanted Plastic from The Guardian
Why Travellers Are Embracing Dark Sky Tourism from National Geographic
🇮🇩 Indonesia
A Medieval English Description of Java from Medieval Indonesia
Five Indonesian Authors You Should Read from LitHub
How Indonesian-Chinese Dishes Like Bakmi Ayam and Laksa Bogor Survived Covid-19 from The South China Morning Post
Two Years of Travel Disruption, Indonesia & Beyond With Stuart Mcdonald from The South East Asia Travel Show
🇱🇦 Laos
Laos Unlocked from The Diplomat
What a Skirmish at a Laos Potash Factory Tells Us About Chinese Activity on the Frontier from SupChina
🇲🇾 Malaysia
Graphic Novel Tells Story of Penang’s Vanished Jewish Community from SEA Globe
Hulu Langat After the Floods from The Malaysian Insight
Malaysia Is Drowning Under Corruptocracy from Sarawak Report
🇸🇬 Singapore
Should We Be Worried That Chicken Curry Is a National Concern? from Rice
“Reinventing” Singapore Post-pandemic — But What’ll Change, Really? from We, The Citizens
Singapore: Fuelling Demand for Cleaner Energy from Reporting ASEAN
🇹🇭 Thailand
Communities in the Dark Over Yuam River Diversion Impacts from The Third Pole
Cruelty Debate Over Zoo Exhibition Highlights Complexities of Elephant Tourism from CNN Travel
Dam Plans Threaten Forests from The Bangkok Post
In Thailand, Hotels Are Suing Guests for Leaving Poor Reviews from Vice
🇻🇳 Vietnam
A Eulogy for the Last Wild Cọp of Vietnam from Urbanist Hanoi
Camping on Dragon Beach & the Northern Bays of Phu Quoc Island from Vietnam Coracle
Inequity and Corruption Taint Vietnam’s Return to International Travel from SEA Globe
🗞️ Couchfish (Free-to-read)
🗞️ Couchfish (Paid subscribers)
Lunch comes with a smile at Dapurtara, a 30-minute ride out of Labuan Bajo, Flores. Photo: Stuart McDonald
See you next week!
So that’s the wrap. I hope you are all in good health and weathering Covid19 as well as possible.
See you next week,
Stuart