Travelfish #465: The Last Tourist
Fodder for your Day of Silence.
Hi!
This week the lead piece is my review of The Last Tourist—a tourism related film that is finally seeing a wider circulation.
Last week on paid Couchfish, I had a couple more Jakarta pieces—one on some flooding and a sightseeing one. On the free side of things, I looked (yet again) at Thailand and its tourism goals and also ran a review of The Last Tourist, which I’m plugging as the read of the week (link below), not so much for my review but to highlight the film, which is probably worth watching.
Nyepi kicks off in Bali tonight, so a couple of pics of rare moments of silence this week—if you’re reading this in Bali, enjoy the lack of racket!
Cheers
Stuart
Pura Lempuyang—not a horde in sight.
One of Bali’s busiest tourist sights, empty. Photo: Stuart McDonald.
⭐️ Story of the week
The Best Of Intentions from Couchfish
📚 What I’m reading
Columbus: His Enterprise Exploring The Myth by Hans Koning (still!)
🇲🇲 Burma
Should Myanmar Be Declared A Failed State? from The Diplomat
Exploitation And Abuse Await Rural Migrants Pouring Into Cities from Frontier Myanmar ($)
Looking to book your transport online when you’re on the road in Southeast Asia? For Vietnam, look no further than Baolau. For the rest of the region, 12Go should be your first port of call.
🇰🇭 Cambodia
The 10 Best Places To Visit In Beautiful Cambodia from Lonely Planet
Tiktok’s Viral Monks Are Clashing With Buddhist Authorities from Rest Of World
Damn Fine Coffee! Where To Find It In Phnom Penh from Move To Cambodia
“Floating Toilets” Help Cambodia’s Lake-Dwelling Poor from AFP
Cambodia Relocates Angkor Wat Communities In Controversial Tourism Touch-Up from Skift
Ad: Phnom Penh’s Penh House, from US$70 per night. Click here for the details.
🌴 Environment
Bearded Pigs A ‘Cultural Keystone Species’ For Borneo’s Indigenous Groups: Study from Mongabay
Plastic Bags Are Leaving Their Mark On The Deep-Sea Floor from Hakai
🇮🇩 Indonesia
Two Acquittals And One 18-Month Sentence In Indonesia Soccer Disaster from The New York Times ($)
Bali Immigration Office Urges Netizens To Cool It With Making Problematic Foreigners Go Viral from Coconuts Bali
🇱🇦 Laos
Discover Why Laos Is The World’s Next Great Foodie Destination from National Geographic (2019)
Burning, Logging Rife In Phou Khao Khouay National Park from The Laotian Times
Looking for deals on organised tours? Here are a few for Southeast Asia via Travelfish partner GetYourGuide.
Cambodia
Up to 15% off a full-day trip Angkor Wat’s Kulen Waterfall.Indonesia
Up to 15% off a tour to Merapi, Borobudur and Prambanan.Malaysia
Up to 10% off a bicycle tour of Kuala Lumpur’s old city.Thailand
Up to 30% off a 4-hour tour of Bangkok’s Chinatown.Vietnam
Up to 50% off a one-day Hạ Long Bay tour.
🇲🇾 Malaysia
Mabel Ho: “I Still Flirt With The Idea Of Leaving. But That Dream Plays To A Different Tune Now.” from Movable Worlds
🇸🇬 Singapore
Policy Proposals To Fix A ‘Hollow City’ Like Singapore from Rice Media
🇹🇭 Thailand
Thai Tour Guides Fret Over Return Of Chinese Interlopers, Asking: Who Gains From Mass Tourism? from SCMP ($)
Jusk Nok! Bangkok Cycle Tours from Low Season Traveller (Podcast)
Digital Art Meets Animal Conservation In Thailand from Outlook Travel Mag
T.I.D.: Mu Ko Adang & Ko Khai from Thai Island Quest ($)
Ad: Bangkok’s Sala Arun from US$73 per night. Click here for the details.
🇻🇳 Vietnam
Phường 19 (Binh Thanh Edition) from A Story From Connla
The Slum In The Heart Of Saigon from VNExpress
In Unprecedented Slump, No Beachfront Properties Sold For 2 Months from VNExpress
Vietnam’s Coffee Culture Survives 10 Years Of Starbucks from Nikkei Asia ($)
Random other stuff
Can ChatGPT Plan Your Vacation? Here’s What To Know About A.I. And Travel. from The New York Times ($)
How Tourism Can Better Invest In Women from Uncornered Market
The Metaphoric Rise Of Overtourism And Why We Should Stop Using The Phrase from Geography Directions
Can Regenerative Travel Revolutionize Southeast Asia’s Tourism? from Asia Sustainable Travel
In Maluku I Feared, Then Faced Swimming And The Sea from This Is Southeast Asia
If rays of sun were noisy.
A morning walk in Sidemen—no traffic, no people, nothing. Photo: Stuart McDonald.
See you next week!
So that’s the wrap. I hope you are all in good health, and thanks for reading.
Cheers!
Stuart