Travelfish #441: The stuff of life
A wrap on a week’s worth of procrastinating
Hi all,
This week, I’m leading with a great read on the stuff of life—salt—except it isn’t always quite that. The photos this week are on topic.
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It was a quiet week on Couchfish, with a free-to-read piece looking at the Borobudur thing, while on the paid itinerary a bit of a muse on the weather.
Cheers
Stuart
This way to salt
Sign to salt makers, Kesumba, Bali. Photo: Sally Arnold.
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 is 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, June 5, 2022. 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)
⭐️ Story of the week
Salt, the Great Chemical Threat from Hakai
🇲🇲 Burma
Myanmar to Execute a Former MP From Ousted Leader Aung San Suu Kyi's Party, Its First Use of Death Penalty in Decades from ABC News
The Wizards of Myanmar from Aljazeera
‘I Don’t Feel Safe’ from Frontier Myanmar (video)
NBSEAS Talks to Jonathan Saha on “colonizing Animals: Interspecies Empire in Myanmar” from New Mandala (podcast)
When Even Dreaming Is Impossible: How Covid-19 Hit Myanmar Women Working in Thailand’s Agricultural Sector from Tea Circle
🇰🇭 Cambodia
Cambodia Creates New Snarls as It Tries to Untangle Its Internet Mess from Nikkei Asia ($)
China Secretly Building PLA Naval Facility in Cambodia, Western Officials Say from The Washington Post ($)
In Cambodia, Local Elections Hold Out a Glimmer of Progress from The Diplomat
As Expected, Cambodia’s Ruling Party Claims ‘Sweeping’ Victory from The Diplomat
🌴 Environment
Why Airline Tickets Prices Are Sky-high Right Now from The Straits Times ($)
Global Plastic Waste Is Projected to Triple by 2060: OECD from Aljazeera
How America’s Recycling Program Failed—and Scarred the Environment from FEE
The World's First Octopus Farm - Should It Go Ahead? from BBC
How Can Corals Withstand Ever-warming Seas? from The Economist ($)
From Bricks to Bags to Eco Art: Six Innovative Uses for Plastic Waste Around the World from The Guardian
Coastal Cities Are Already Sinking from Hakai
🇮🇩 Indonesia
‘KKN Di Desa Penari’ Becomes Indonesia’s Biggest Ever Homegrown Blockbuster from The Diplomat
Songbird Competitions Are a Popular Pastime in Indonesia from The Economist ($)
Borobudur: World's Largest Buddhist Temple to Get More Expensive from CNN
Indonesian Villagers Missing Out on Spoils From Palm Oil Boom from Mongabay
🇱🇦 Laos
Laos Launches First Homegrown Messaging App from Nikkei Asia ($)
Laotians Continue to Visit Thailand for Petrol from The Laotian Times
Future Boten – The Gateway City on the Laos-china Border from Future Asia
How **Not** to Travel Through Laos on a Motorbike — a Cautionary Tale Told Many Years Too Late from A Story From Connla
🇲🇾 Malaysia
Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: the Ourang Medan 'Ghost Ship' in the Malacca Strait from The Straits Times ($)
7 Years and No Justice in 1MDB Case from Whale Hunting ($)
Sarawak Rice Wine Makes a Comeback Through Creative Renditions from SEA Globe ($)
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🇸🇬 Singapore
In Singapore, a Chicken Ban Is a Serious Threat from Bloomberg ($)
Here’s Why the Caged Songbird Sings — A Cultural Tradition at Odds With Ethics from Rice Media
🇹🇭 Thailand
Spooky, Sexy, Political: Thailand’s Golden Age of Comics Fading Fast from Coconuts Bangkok
A Museum Tells the History of One of Bangkok’s Notorious Districts from The Economist
Thailand's Rise of Virtual Influencers Born Out of Covid-19 Curbs That Limit Humans from The Straits Times ($)
Complicated History and a Comeback from Bangkok Post
Common Goals Ensure Forest Restoration Success in Northern Thailand from Mongabay
🇻🇳 Vietnam
Vietnam’s Child Drowning Plague, and the Community Swimming Trainers Doing All They Can To End It from SCMP ($)
Tourist Hotspots Expect Summer Crowds as High-end Resorts Near Fully Booked from VNExpress
Postcard From Hanoi - Vietnam Is Open from Rusty Compass
Phan Rang Is the Kitesurfing Capital of Vietnam That You’ve Never Heard of from T&L
In Chợ Lớn, Leaf-wrapped Rice Dumplings Abound Every Tết Đoan Ngọ from Saigoneer
Random other stuff
ASEAN Re-opening: When the Whole Is Less Than the Sum of Its Parts from Fulcrum
Mexico City and the Pitfalls of Becoming a Remote Work Destination from Vox
It’s Been 50 Years. I Am Not ‘Napalm Girl’ Anymore. from The New York Times ($)
The Luxury of Asia’s Malls Is No Substitute for Genuine Public Spaces from The Economist ($)
Miranda Carter on the World’s Longest-running Interview Show from LRB
Circling Sicily on Its Regional Trains from The New York Times ($)
Seeking Answers and Finding Meaning in Modern Deities and Myths from Rice Media
Consider the Croissant: a History of Food Fraud from Le Monde Diplomatique ($)
Wendell Berry’s Advice for a Cataclysmic Age from The New Yorker
Couchfish (Free-to-read)
Couchfish (Paid subscribers only)
Pyramids of power
Salt farms near Baan Laem, Phetchaburi, Thailand. Photo: David Luekens.
See you next week!
So that’s the wrap. I hope you are all in good health, and thanks for reading.
See you next week,
Stuart
Nice regional round up! Strong work