Travelfish #500: The Holiday Edition

A wrap on stuff worth reading

Hi!

This week I’m leading with an interesting Al Jazeera piece on a slice of Malaysian (then Malaya) history from not that long ago. Well worth a read.

Over on Couchfish, I had two pieces related to my beach shack out west, one about how I found it, and what I’m trying to do with it, then I wrapped up the year for Couchfish—as I am today with the Travelfish Newsletter. Both will be back in your inbox in early January.

Also in the final Couchfish edition, I announced a 50% off forever deal on paid Couchfish subscriptions, so if you’re keen on a present for yourself (or someone else!) you can sign up or upgrade your account here.

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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We’re on holidays through most of December and are in Bangkok at the moment. The photos this week are a couple of first impressions—always great to return to this joint!

Best wishes to all for the remainder of this year, and seeya in 2024!

Cheers

Stuart

When in Bangkok …

Taking a quick spin around Bangkok’s Democracy Monument. Photo: Stuart McDonald.

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⭐️ Story of the week 

• No Justice: 75 Years After A British Massacre In Colonial Malaya from Al Jazeera

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📚 What I’m reading

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

🇲🇲 Burma

• Poisoning The Well: The Death Of The Bilin River from Frontier Myanmar ($)

• Myanmar Junta Under Pressure As Insurgents Gain Ground from France 24 (Video)

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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

• Decline In Fish Stocks May Affect Food Supply from The Khmer Times

• Far-Reaching Threats A Worry For Cambodian-American Journalist from VOA

• The Intractable Problem Of Land Grabbing In Cambodia from Equal Times

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

• Southeast Asia Eyes Seafood Export Bounty As Sustainability Falls By The Wayside from SCMP ($)

• Climate Action: The Time For Incrementalism Is Over from Protecting The Future

• Kusu Island Fully Powered By Solar Energy, With Pulau Hantu To Follow Suit from The Straits Times

• Green Colonialism from Noema

🇮🇩 Indonesia

• Visiting Volcanoes Big Business In Indonesia But Safety In Spotlight After Several Eruptions Including Marapi from CNA

• The Best Light Show In Indonesia from This Is Southeast Asia

• Indonesian Queer Histories As Solace And Resistance from New Mandala

• Exposed: The Links Between Indonesia’s Deforestation And Xinjiang from Al Jazeera

🇱🇦 Laos

• Good Morning Vientiane: How The Laos Capital Is Quietly Brewing A Coffee Revolution from Adventure

• Laos Targets Global Audience For ‘Visit Laos Year 2024’ from The Laotian Times

• Xaysomboun Greenlights Tourism Project For Pha Ka Tai Hill from The Laotian Times

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Yes, it’s the language monkey again.

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🇲🇾 Malaysia

• Taking The Boat To Historical Fort Margherita from Borneo Bulletin

• What You Need To Know About Malaysia’s Digital Arrival Card from CNA

🇸🇬 Singapore

• Peace Centre: A Doomed Mall’s Last Hurrah from Rice Media

• The Hawker Spots Singaporeans Think Deserve More Love from Rice Media

• A Thosai Deep-Dive: Part I from Singapore Noodles

🇹🇭 Thailand

• Visiting Thailand Solo: A Safety Guide For Female Travelers from I Am Koh Chang

• ‘Carmageddon’ In Phuket, Cleaning Up Loi Krathong, Remembering Tak Bai, And More from Thai Island Quest

• Tourism Vs Conservation: The Controversial Cable Car Plan Dividing Thailand from Thai PBS

• Is Thailand’s Favourite Fish On Its Way Out? How Insatiable Appetites Put ‘Pla Tu’ Mini-Mackerel In Peril from SCMP ($)

• Wai Chaek Beach from I Am Koh Chang

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

• Hẻm Gems: Hủ Tíu Mực Ông Già's Squid Game Is To Die For from Saigoneer

• PM Wants New International Airport Built In Red River Delta from VNExpress

• My Favorite Food Is Vietnamese Spring Rolls from Brent And Michael Are Going Places

Random other stuff

• The Case For Slow Travel And Slow Reading In A Fast-Paced Society from Those Who Wander

• Fewer Than 10 Tourists A Day: Welcome To Timor-Leste from Adventure

• What Is Dark Tourism? from The Week

• What Makes A Trip Memorable: Your Destination Or Your Travel Companion? from The Washington Post ($)

• U.K. Ad Watchdog Bans 3 Airline Ads Over ‘Greenwashing’ Claims from Skift

Always skip the ABF.

Khao soi for two in the bowels of Bangkok’s Chinatown. Photo: Stuart McDonald.

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Wednesday Deals recap

See you next year!

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

Cheers!

Stuart