Travelfish #488: The Koh Ker edition

A wrap on stuff worth reading

Sep 18, 2023

Hi!

Sometimes, in collating this newsletter, there’s so much bad news it just about gives me hives or brings my shingles back, and today has been such a day. Far Out Man. So, it was good to read this week’s featured piece from Nautilus, so give me a bit of a handle on the coming apocalypse. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did—yeah, I ’d have Dr Doom over the dinner too.

Sticking with the bad news angle, some very sad news on the passing of Damian Evans whose work with LIDAR surveys in Cambodia brought to light some amazing archeological finds. A couple of obits are here and here. Good travels Damian.

Lastly, as you’ve no doubt heard, there’s been a devastating quake in Morocco along with horrific floods in Libya, and a reader got in touch to let me know about a charity they’re involved with which works in Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains where they run a series of boarding houses for girls from remote villages. They write:

“The six boarding houses where we look after 250 girls from remote villages so that they can continue their education are in the epicenter of the earthquake, as the school holidays were just ending, all the girls were in their villages. All of the houses have been severely damaged and some will need to be rebuilt. We are getting messages from some of our girls about homes being wiped out and family members being killed, but contact is difficult as roads are blocked and communications are down, so we don't know if any of our girls are casualties.”

There’s a short interview with the organisation’s CEO Sonia Omar here on NPR and if you’d like to make a donation, you can find out more here.

Ok, in slightly more upbeat news…

Over on Couchfish, the most recent stories have been my take on “how not to do Singapore,” then two pieces, first on climbing Bali’s Mount Batur, and then some suggestions on how things could be run differently. All are free to read.

Given Damian’s work centred on views of Angkor, and as Koh Ker has just received its UNESCO gold star, I figured the latter would make a good theme—as I have no aerial pics of Angkor!

Cheers

Stuart

PS: If you’re a travel writer, Talking Travel Writing are running a survey at the moment and would appreciate your input.

From the ground up

Approaching Koh Ker on a crystal day. Hordes of other visitors? Nope! Photo: Nicky Sullivan.

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

Archaeology World Mourns Damian Evans, Who Discovered Medieval Cities Near Angkor Wat from The Guardian
Joy As Koh Ker Temple Registered By UNESCO from Phnom Penh Post
Lindemann Family Returns 33 Looted Artifacts To Cambodia from The New York Times ($)
How Masters Of Traditional Cambodian Instruments Are Helping Heal A Land Still Recovering From The Horrors Of Genocide from SCMP
As The Sea Warms, Struggling Cambodian Fishermen Seek To Preserve Crab Stocks from Reuters

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.

🌴 Environment

Climate Change Is Set To Make Our Holidays Look Very Different – Here’s How from The Conversation
India’s Million-Dollar Betel Leaf Industry Is Suffering In A Warming World from The Third Pole
Fly Responsibly? Airlines Face A Storm Over Climate Claims from Reuters
Earth ‘Well Outside Safe Operating Space For Humanity’, Scientists Find from The Guardian
Nature As A Critical Climate Solution: Busting The Myths Around Nature-Based Solutions from Nature4Climate
On Track To Net-Zero? Large Tourism Enterprises And Climate Change from Stefan Gössling etal.

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Extensive Damage Feared After Fire At Major Indonesian Museum from The Diplomat
A Tapestry Of Tales: Exploring Indonesia’s Rich Heritage At The National Museum Of Indonesia from Southeast Asia Archeology [ed: this piece written off of a visit right before the fire mentioned in the first story. Sad.]
Can Indonesia Go Green In Time? from Geographical
The History Islands: The Virgin and the Mountain from Tim Hannigan
Why Has Batam’s Rempang Eco-city National Project Become A Controversy? from Fulcrum

🇱🇦 Laos

Development In Laos Risks Extensive Deforestation from Mekong Eye
Noisy Music At Laos Tourist Sites Irks Nature-Loving Visitors from The Laotian Times

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