Travelfish #488: The Koh Ker edition

A wrap on stuff worth reading                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Forwarded this email? [Subscribe here]() for more [Travelfish #488: The Koh Ker edition]( A wrap on stuff worth reading [Stuart McDonald]( Sep 18   [READ IN APP](   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]( 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](. --------------------------------------------------------------- ⭐️ Story of the week  - [Dr. Doom On The Hottest Summer (So Far)]( from Nautilus --------------------------------------------------------------- 📚 What I’m reading - [Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty]( by Patrick Radden Keefe 🇲🇲 Burma - [From ‘A Revolutionary Hospital In The Forest’: The Diary Of A Frontline Medic]( from Frontier Myanmar ($) --------------------------------------------------------------- Looking to book your transport online when you’re on the road in Southeast Asia? For Vietnam, look [no further than Baolau](. For the rest of the region, [12Go should be your first port of call](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 🇰🇭 Cambodia - [Archaeology World Mourns Damian Evans, Who Discovered Medieval Cities Near Angkor Wat]( from The Guardian - [Joy As Koh Ker Temple Registered By UNESCO]( from Phnom Penh Post - [Lindemann Family Returns 33 Looted Artifacts To Cambodia]( from The New York Times ($) - [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 --------------------------------------------------------------- Planning a holiday in Southeast Asia and need a sim card? Why not pick one up upon arrival? Indonesia[Telkomsel 4G Sim Card with 35 Gig of data for 250,000 rupiah]( Malaysia[Digi 4G Sim Card with 30 Gig of data for 35 ringgit]( Singapore [Starhub 4G Sim Card with 100 Gig of data for S$9.70]( Thailand[DTAC Happy Tourist 4G/5G Sim Card with 15 Gig of data for 150 baht]( Vietnam [Vinaphone 30 days unlimited data for 265,000 dong]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🇲🇾 Malaysia - [Diverse Mix Of Seedlings Helps Tropical Forests Regrow Better, Study Finds]( from The Guardian - [Cement Company Wins Appeal To Evict Century-old Perak Monastery]( from Free Malaysia Today 🇸🇬 Singapore - [Living With “Enough” In Singapore]( from We, The Citizens - [Singaporean Quirks That Confuse Foreigners]( from Rice Media - [Nightjarred At The Waterworks]( from This Is South East Asia 🇹🇭 Thailand - [Phuket Airport Expansion Raises Environmental Concerns]( from TTG Asia - [The Man Who Upended Thailand’s Politics]( from TIME - [12 People Now Detained For Royal Defamation]( from Prachatai - [T.I.C.D.: Ao Phang Nga (Part Ii: Ko Tapu, Ko Phanak, Ko Chong Lat & Other Upper Islands)]( from Thai Island Quest ($) - [No Money, Mo' Problems]( from Around the World in 80 Scrapes Looking for somewhere special in Penang? [Ad: Campbell House in Georgetown, Penang from US$72 per night. Click here for the details.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🇻🇳 Vietnam - [Just 12km From Huế, A Hidden Lake Welcomes You To A Night Of Stargazing]( from Saigoneer - [Rice Terraces Of Northern Vietnam]( from Vietnam Coracle - [Domestic Work In Vietnam: The 5-Star Butler Who Naps On The Steps]( from Rest Of World - [Aboard The Vietage, A Luxury Train Carriage Connecting Danang And Quy Nhon]( from Silver Kris - [Hội An Reports 91 Food Poisoning Cases Linked To Famous Bánh Mì Phượng]( from Saigoneer Random other stuff - [How A Burnt Out, Abandoned Ship Reveals The Secrets Of A Shadow Tanker Network]( from The Guardian - [Beyond Growth: Indicators That Reveal The True Cost And Benefits Of Tourism]( from City Nation Place - [Why We Must Learn To Embrace The Complexity Of Sustainability’s Alphabet Soup]( from Dan Gray - [Checked Out: How LA Failed To Stop Landlords From Turning Low-Cost Housing Into Tourist Hotels]( from ProPublica - [What If We Reviewed Everything Like We're Now Supposed To Review Airbnbs?]( from Brent And Michael Are Going Places - [Beyond Handmade]( from Without Maps Now that is a view Having Koh Ker to yourself is one thing. Having the weather too? Bonus. Photo: [Nicky Sullivan](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 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. But if you enjoyed this post, you can tell Travelfish weekly newsletter that their writing is valuable by pledging a future subscription. You won't be charged unless they enable payments. [Pledge your support](   [Like]( [Comment]( [Restack](   © 2023 Stuart McDonald Bali, Indonesia [Unsubscribe]() [Get the app]( writing]()