Travelfish #473: The Coco-whatever edition

A wrap on stuff worth reading

Hi!

This week’s lead is a fascinating read into the behind-the-scenes investigation of the tragic 2002 Bali Bombing.

I’m taking a break from Couchfish for a couple of weeks, so nothing new going on there, but … regular readers will know I’m forever ranting about domestic flights on tours … so, this week I’ve dug out some tours to Southeast Asia from our partner TourRadar. Why? None of them involve domestic flights. See? It is possible! Scroll down the newsletter a bit for the list. I’ve picked one from each of a few countries, but TourRadar lists a bazillion—36,332 to be exact—though sadly with no means to filter out ones with domestic flights. Sigh.

Lastly, if you’re in the UK, you may have seen promos for The Last Tourist doing the rounds—if you’re after a review of it, my thoughts are here.

No theme to the pics this week—just what’s kinda laying around.

Cheers

Stuart

Always pack an umbrella

Pic of me wandering in the rice terraces in northern Vietnam. Photo: One of my companions whose name I forget!

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⭐️ Story of the week 

• Australian Intelligence’s Secret Hand In Bringing Down The Bali Bombers from ABC

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📚 What I’m reading

• On The Java Ridge by Jock Serong

🇲🇲 Burma

• Chinese Base Or Wild Rumour? The Coco Islands Mystery from Frontier Myanmar ($)

• Farmers, Facebook And Myanmar’s Coup from New Mandala

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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.

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🇰🇭 Cambodia

• Forest Behind Bars: Logging Network Operating Out Of Cambodian Prison In The Cardamoms from Mongabay

• The Danger Of Microfinance from The Dial

• Cham Revive Silk Weaving Art from The Phnom Penh Post

Did someone order a beach view?

Ad: Salad Hut on Ko Pha Ngan’s beautiful west coast, from US$118 per night. Click here for the details.

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🌴 Environment

• Intrepid Travel’s ‘Planet-Friendly’ Ad Banned from Skift

• Are Regulators Catching Up On Greenwashing? from Travel Tomorrow

• Delta Air Lines Faces Lawsuit Over $1bn Carbon Neutrality Claim from The Guardian

• Rising Sea Levels Will Isolate People Long Before They’re Underwater from Hakai

• How South-East Asia Is Fighting Back To Save Corals – Photo Essay from The Guardian

🇮🇩 Indonesia

• No ‘Fuss About Each Other’s Religion’: Where Lies Indonesia’s Bulwark Against Extremism? from CNA

• “Green” Finance Bankrolls Forest Destruction In Indonesia from Climate Home News

• Analysis: How Do Oil Palm Companies Get Away With Disregarding Indonesian Law? from The Gecko Project

• Indonesians Honour Buddha On Vesak Day – In Pictures from The Guardian

🇱🇦 Laos

• Deal Inked To Turn Mekong Island Into Landmark Vientiane ‘Golf & Resort’ from Vientiane Times

• An Empty Station, A Burning Countryside, Soot Raining From The Sky: This Is What It's Like To Ride Laos' Gleaming New $6 Billion Railway In April from Insider

• Laos’ Heritage Town Needs Preservation from Bangkok Post

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Looking for deals on organised tours **with no domestic flying**? Here are a few for Southeast Asia via Travelfish partner TourRadar. (Prices are in US$)

Cambodia
Cambodia Explorer (11 days, $920)

Indonesia
Komodo Island Hopper (9 days, $1,196)

Laos
North Laos by motorbike (7 days, $2,062)

Malaysia
Sabah Highlights (7 days, $1,243)

Thailand
Bangkok to the North (9 days, $1,130)

Vietnam
North Vietnam by motorbike (7 days, $1,026)

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🇲🇾 Malaysia

• Malaysia Detains China-linked Vessel Amidst Suspicions Of Illegally Salvaging British WWII Wrecks from Coconuts KL

• When The Wrong Bat Met The Wrong Pig, In A World Of Our Own Making from Emily Ding

• Blue Skies (BS) Thinking Comes With Lashings Of Greenwash In Sarawak from The Sarawak Report

• Not Licensed To Guide Tours from The Star

🇸🇬 Singapore

• Boon For Singapore As Indonesia Scraps Ban On Sea Sand Exports from The Business Times

• What It Takes To Design A Loveable Singapore from Rice Media

• Singapore’s Plant-Based Entrepreneurs Are Targeting Meat Eaters from SEAGlobe ($)

• No Place To Work: The Risks And Realities Of Migrant Labour In Singapore from Kontineltalist

🇹🇭 Thailand

• Is Bangkok Really Under Threat From Sea Level Rise? from Thai Enquirer

• T.I.C.D.: Phetchaburi Coast from Thai Island Quest ($)

• Thai Island Makes A Virtue Of Simplicity from Nikkei Asia ($)

Looking for somewhere special in Penang?

Ad: Campbell House in Georgetown, Penang from US$72 per night. Click here for the details.

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🇻🇳 Vietnam

• In The Rice Fields Near Hoi An, 3 Restaurants To Try For Modern Vietnamese Cuisine from CNT

• Latest Environmentalist Arrest Shocks Vietnam’s Battered Civil Society from Mongabay

• Should Vietnam’s ‘Hidden Gems’ Be Kept Hidden From Tourists? from Vietcetera

• Phu Quoc To Burn 200,000 Tons Of Trash Over Two Years from Vietnam Express

• Is Ho Chi Minh City In Decline? from Vietnam Weekly ($)

Random other stuff

• The Big Trip: How To Plan The Ultimate Silk Road Adventure Through Central Asia from National Geographic

• Airbnb Owner Takes On Google, Tripadvisor To Identify Reviewers from The Age ($)

• Which Is Better: Safetywing, World Nomads, Or Genki? from Brent And Michael Are Going Places

• Where Are You From? from Global Natives

Coco-whatever

I have no recollection of taking this photo other than it was in the Vinh Long, Mekong Delta folder. No, I have no idea what was going on. Photo: Stuart McDonald.

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See you next week!

So that’s the wrap. I hope you are all in good health, and thanks for reading.

Cheers!

Stuart