Travelfish #498: The Cao Lầu Edition

A wrap on stuff worth reading

Hi!

Saigoneer is a great site for getting both my stomach rumbling and feet itching and this week’s read is a great piece they have on that Hội An fave, Cao Lầu. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

This week’s newsletter is supported by Ling—think of it as a new way to learn a language without picking up phrases like how to tell your neighbour there are a million cats in your house. Their coverage includes a bunch of Southeast Asian languages which I’ve outlined further down, or just click on the monkey above and find out for yourself—they’ve got both iOS and Android apps available—and a free trial.

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Over on Couchfish I recounted a tale from a few years ago about an unusual dinner I had here in Bali and dove-tailed it with some thoughts on beach erosion. I’ve missed the Wednesday Deals emails over the last few weeks—will be back this week.

In other news, you may have seen headlines flying about today about a subway (or something) for Bali. My mate James has a good wrap on this on his Bali Railway Concept Map—don’t hold your breath on this one!

The pics this week are of, you guessed, it, Cao Lầu.

Cheers

Stuart

Street side Cao Lầu

Chatting motorbike routes with M over a fast bowl. Photo: Stuart McDonald.

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⭐️ Story of the week 

• Meet The Hội An Family Making Cao Lầu Noodles From Scratch from Saigoneer

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📚 What I’m reading

• Six Days: How The 1967 War Shaped The Middle East by Jeremy Bowen

🇲🇲 Burma

• Conservation Breakdown Imperils Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Dolphins from Frontier Myanmar ($)

• Rebel Offensive In Myanmar Drives Junta Into Retreat from Asia Sentinal

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One of the best way to get a little more out of your trip is to learn a bit of the language, and Ling helps you learn vocabulary and phrases to form meaningful relationships with people you meet along the way.

Think of it as a bit like Duolingo, but without phrases like “There are one million cats in my house,” and best of all, Ling offer a bunch of Southeast Asian languages including:

Indonesian, Khmer, Lao, Malaysian, Thai, and Vietnamese

With apps for both iOS and Android, it couldn’t be easier to grab a 7-day free trial and start learning today.

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🇰🇭 Cambodia

• Airbnb Party Pads Near Phnom Penh from Move To Cambodia

• Cambodian Rock Via LA from Bangkok Post

• Children Made These Bricks, Says Licadho from Dari Mulut Ke Mulut ($)

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

• The Cruise Paradox: Cruising Isn’t As Easy As Labeling It ‘Good’ Or ‘Bad’ from Adventure

• Can UK’s ‘Jet Zero’ Hopes Take Off With A Plane Fuelled By Used Cooking Oil? from The Guardian

• Sustainability Advocate On A Mission To Tell Simple, Engaging Stories Of Complex Climate Issues from The Straits Times ($)

• How To Rethink Tourism And Aviation For A Greener Future from Sustainability In The Air

• Twelve Billionaires’ Climate Emissions Outpollute 2.1m Homes, Analysis Finds from The Guardian

🇮🇩 Indonesia

• The Land Moves West from New Mandala

• Indonesia Welcomes Birth Of Critically Endangered Sumatran Rhino from SCMP ($)

• Killings Of Bornean Orangutans Could Lead To Their Extinction from MongaBay

🇱🇦 Laos

• Laos Unleashed from The Financial Times ($)

• A Luang Prabang Special from Journeys And Jottings

• Launch Of Visit Laos Year 2024 Promises Cultural, Natural, Historical Adventures from The Laotian Times

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Yes, it’s the language monkey again.

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🇲🇾 Malaysia

• Tiger Stripes: Malaysia’s Censors Have ‘Removed The Essence’ Of My Film, Says Director from The Guardian

• Where To Eat In Kuala Lumpur, The Asian Capital Famed For Its Contrasting Culinary Legacies from National Geographic

🇸🇬 Singapore

• An Insider Guide To Singapore’s Regional Fine Dining Scene from The Financial Times ($)

• Kaya Toast Set from Singapore Noodles

• Changi Airport Trialling AI To Improve Security Screening For Carry-On Luggage from The Straits Times ($)

🇹🇭 Thailand

• Koh Khan 2023 from I Am Koh Chang

• Tak Bai – An Unhealed Deep Scar In Patani from Prachatai

• An Impressive, Sparsely Developed Cape In Thailand’s Deep South from Thai Island Quest ($)

• Tours To Tham Luang Cave Rescue Chamber To Begin from Bangkok Post

• The 10 Best Ways To Explore Thailand In 2024 from The Telegraph ($)

• Thai Business Loves Carbon Credits, But Are They Harming The Climate And Grassroots People? from Thai PBS

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

• Turning The Tide: Vietnam’s War Against Plastic Waste from Fulcrum

• Three Days Away: Đà Lạt Pt.4 from Around The World In 80 Scrapes ($)

• The $12.5 Billion Heist from Vietnam Weekly ($)

• Hanoi Train Street Guide: Where To Visit The Open Sections from Nomadic Notes

• Ha Long Bay’s Lament: Trading Natural Splendor For Short-Sighted Gains from The Vietnamese

Random other stuff

• AI’s Spicy-Mayo Problem from The Atlantic ($)

Not just a street dish

Cindy picked up a good bowl in a fancier setting as well. Photo: Cindy Fan.

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Wednesday Deals recap

More Wednesday Deals still:

Penang

Huế

Phnom Penh

Bangkok

See you next week!

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

Cheers!

Stuart