Travelfish #468: The Cuscus Edition

A wrap on stuff worth reading [Open in app]( or [online]() [Travelfish #468: The Cuscus Edition]( A wrap on stuff worth reading Apr 17 [Share]( Hi! This week’s lead is a very interesting piece on philanthropists and conservation. I came across quite a bit of this during my trip to Raja Ampat, and the story is well worth a read. As I mentioned last week, [Talking Travel Writing]( are in the midst of running a four-part series I wrote for them about sustainable tourism and travel writing—you can see [the first one here]( and [the second (paid subs only) is here]( next one out tomorrow! They’re also running a [travel writing retreat]( which may be of interest—if travel writing is your thing. You can sign up for either their free- or paid-newsletters via the prompt below. [Subscribe to Talking Travel Writing]( My Raja Ampat trip is sadly done and dusted—what a place! If you have a chance to get out to that part of the world, particularly if you dive, jump at it. This week’s cuscus pics are from there—last ones I promise! Cheers Stuart Cuscus o’clock Take my word for it, cuscus like bananas. Photo: Stuart McDonald. --------------------------------------------------------------- ⭐️ Story of the week - [Bankrolling Biodiversity: How Are Private Philanthropists Investing In Nature?]( from Mongabay --------------------------------------------------------------- 📚 What I’m reading - [To The Lake]( by Kapka Kassabova (Still—hey, I’ve been diving!) 🇲🇲 Burma - [No Homecoming For Many This Thingyan]( 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 - [‘Everywhere Is Broken’: How Land Grabs In Cambodia Are Demolishing Lives]( from The Guardian - [Lost Lands: Andy Ball Photographs The Devastating Impact Of Sand Mining In Cambodia]( from Far Out Magazine [Ad: Phnom Penh’s Penh House, from US$70 per night. Click here for the details.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🌴 Environment - [Indonesia’s Just Energy Transition Partnership Must Increase Transparency (Commentary)]( from Mongabay - [Is Traveling To Antarctica Environmentally Defensible?]( from Sierra Club - [What Are Green Buildings And How Can They Help South Asia Address The Climate Crisis?]( from The Third Pole 🇮🇩 Indonesia - [Indonesia Considers Tourist Tax To Curb Bad Behaviour In Bali]( from The Guardian - [An Influx Of Russian Visitors Fleeing Vladimir Putin's War Has Changed The Dynamic In Bali]( from ABC - [Bali Is Overrun By Influencers. Locals Are Fighting Back]( from Financial Review ($) - [Exposed: The Links Between Indonesia’s Deforestation And Xinjiang]( from Aljazeera - [Indonesian Soldier Killed During Operation To Free Pilot In Papua]( from Benar News 🇱🇦 Laos - [Southeast Asia’s “battery” Laos Embraces Wind Power To Sustain Energy Exports]( from Nikkei Asia ($) - [Laos Celebrates New Year In Full Tilt With Pandemic Precautions Aside]( from SEAGlobe ($) - [Laos-China Railway Launches Crossborder Passenger Service]( from The Diplomat --------------------------------------------------------------- Looking for deals on organised tours? Here are a few for Southeast Asia via Travelfish partner GetYourGuide. CambodiaUp to [15% off a full-day trip Angkor Wat’s Kulen Waterfall](. IndonesiaUp to [15% off a tour to Merapi, Borobudur and Prambanan](. MalaysiaUp to [10% off a bicycle tour of Kuala Lumpur’s old city](. ThailandUp to [30% off a 4-hour tour of Bangkok’s Chinatown](. Vietnam Up to [50% off a one-day Hạ Long Bay tour](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 🇲🇾 Malaysia - [In Malaysia, Conservative Forces And Police Crackdowns Are Putting LGBTQ Lives At Risk]( from The Diplomat 🇸🇬 Singapore - [11 Unexpected Places For Hiking And Trails In Singapore]( from Coconuts Singapore - [Art SG Propels Singapore To Creative Big Leagues]( from Nikkei Asia ($) 🇹🇭 Thailand - [T.I.D.: Intro To The Upper Gulf of Thailand]( from Thai Island Quest - [Thailand’s Right-Wing Parties: Keeping Democracy Close But Its Enemies Closer]( from Fulcrum [Ad: Bangkok’s Sala Arun from US$73 per night. Click here for the details.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🇻🇳 Vietnam - [Tourists Complain As Trash Washes Up In Ha Long Bay]( from VNExpress - [Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay Grapples With Floating Styrofoam Buoys]( from Tuoi Tre News Random other stuff - [Do Tourism Pledges Work To Change The Way We Travel?]( from NZ Herald - [How To Tell If A Travel Company Is Really Following Sustainable Practices]( from Travel Pulse - [Travel Writing]( from Place Writing - [The Next Singapore]( from Future Southeast Asia Poised to leap Picture blurry as I was sure was about to leap onto me (it didn’t). 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 Travelfish weekly newsletter is free today. 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