Travelfish #433: The hunk edition
Hunks of ice and hunks on the street
Hi all,
Yes, the world has gone mad, and here are a bunch of interesting things I’ve read this week that have nothing to do with the latest bout of insanity to hit the planet.
Up top is the latest IPCC Report on the state of the planet, need I point out the news is not good. I’ve not read the whole thing—it comes in at a mere 3,675 pages, so please feel free to email me a summary if you do. Also of interest are a couple of reports from the street in Burma and how each tourist to Antarctica gets to melt their own 83-tonne hunk of ice.
Talking about hunks, we have a cadre of shirtless fried rice vendors in Phnom Penh, a terrific podcast about Bali’s Nyepi, a search for swings in Singapore, more monkey business in Lopburi and an interesting piece on B-52s in Hanoi. And plenty more of course.
The photos this week are from Si Phan Don in southern Laos—for no other reason than because I miss Laos.
Cheers
Stuart
Slow afternoon
Somewhere between Don Dhet and Don Khon, Laos. Photo: Stuart McDonald
Vaccinations snapshot
The following chart is per capita—not total numbers. The dark green bar is the one that matters—it represents the percentage of the eligible population that are fully vaccinated. 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 27, 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!). This is my go-to report for where things are at in the region. If you have any queries or suggestions about how the chart could be improved, please drop her a line via the Pear Anderson website here.
Source: The Impact of Covid-19 on the Southeast Asian Tourism Industry (PDF)
⭐️ Site of the week
What Is at Stake? In Short, Everything from The Guardian ( full IPCC report here )
🇲🇲 Burma
Why the West’s State-building Practices in Myanmar Are Part of the Problem from Frontier Myanmar
Chronicle of a Coup: May 13, 14, 15 & 16 from Tea Circle
Myanmar’s Drone Wars from The Diplomat
Myanmar: ‘Our Opportunity Has Now Come’ from Reporting ASEAN
🇰🇭 Cambodia
Vandalism of Ancient Temples Prompts Ministry’s Legal Action from The Phnom Penh Post
Shirtless Fried Rice Sellers Stir Fry Controversy in Phnom Penh from SEA Globe
Siem Reap Foodie Forays Give Tourists Taste of Cambodia from The Phnom Penh Post
🌴 Environment
Each Antarctic Tourist Effectively Melts 83 Tonnes of Snow from The Conversation
How a Dramatic Win in Plastic Waste Case May Curb Ocean Pollution from National Geographic
Of Parachutes and Helicopters: Reconstructing the Decolonisation Agenda in Environmental Research from Fulcrum
Almost 15,000 ‘Ghost Flights’ Have Left UK Since Pandemic Began from The Guardian
🇮🇩 Indonesia
New Indonesian Capital Excludes Indigenous, Poor from Thomson Reuters
Is Time for Jakarta to Address Its Own Dark Past of Racial Violence, Genocide? from SCMP ($)
Whose History, Whose Future? Creating a New Legacy of Shared Maritime Heritage from New Mandala
Illegal Mining Fuels Social Conflict in Indonesian Tin Hub of Bangka-Belitung from MongaBay
Pandemic Keeps Jakarta Walking Tour Operators on Their Toes from Nikkei Asia ($)
Bali Berani Berhenti from A Soundtrack of Resistance (podcast)
🇱🇦 Laos
Vang Vieng Experiences Unseasonal Flooding from The Laotian Times
🇲🇾 Malaysia
For Malaysian Tourism, Decision on Borders an Anxious Wait from Al Jazeera
1MDB Cases in US, Votes in Johor from Dari Mulut Ke Mulut ($)
🇸🇬 Singapore
Where Have All the Playground Swings Gone? from Rice Media
Singapore’s Migration Laws Trap Women With Abusers from New Naratif
Singapore: Lion from SEA Globe
🇹🇭 Thailand
Selling Drugs Put Him Behind Bars, Making Art Set Him Free from Coconuts Bangkok
An Uncomfortable Truce in Lop Buri Thailand from Rice Media
Activist Arrested While Conducting Poll on Royal Defamation Law from Prachathai
Thailand at 'Crossroads' as Covid-19 Surges Amid Tourism, Economy Rebound from VOA
🇻🇳 Vietnam
An Unexpected Charm at the B-52 Victory Museum from Urbanist Hanoi
19 Coffee Shops in Đà Lạt With a View from Vietnam Coracle
Vĩnh Long's Rich Architectural Heritage Tells Stories of Taste, Time, and Turbulence from Saigoneer
13 Dead After Tour Boat Capsizes in Vietnam from Reuters
Random other stuff
Disappearing Language: a Reading List on Losing Your Native Tongue from Longreads
Six Days Afloat in the Everglades from The New York Times ($)
The Futurist from Tales of the Orient
Couchfish (Free-to-read, from the week before last)
Couchfish (Paid subscribers only)
Slow evening
Don Dhet sunset, Laos. 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