Travelfish #502: The Stuff Of Life Edition

A wrap on stuff worth reading                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Forwarded this email? [Subscribe here]() for more [Travelfish #502: The Stuff Of Life Edition]( A wrap on stuff worth reading [Stuart McDonald]( Jan 15   [READ IN APP](   Hi! This week I’m leading with a terrific piece on tourism by Henry Wismayer—go grab a coffee and give it a read. A quick update on the whole Substack drama [I mentioned last week](. I’ve almost finished moving this newsletter, and as long as the plumbing in my house doesn’t detonate again (see below), this should be the final issue coming from Substack. With that in mind, I’m looking for a few volunteers who’d be happy to have their email address added to a test list I’m running—I just need a few sets of eyes to check the new version looks okay in various email clients, that they actually receive it and so on. It would probably be a half-dozen emails or so over the coming week, so if you can help out, please drop me a line at stuartmcdonald@travelfish.org—thank you. And also, thank you for the notes of encouragement and support, they were much appreciated. On to our water issues. Over the weekend just gone, the plumbing in the house gave up the ghost, meaning we had a bunch of guys digging random holes and generally smashing things up. In the middle of the whole shebang, our well ran dry (no surprise given Bali’s water woes), which, to be honest, sort of made the fact that the drains were all blocked to buggery less pressing. All this was a bit of a distraction—and the main reason why both this newsletter is still coming from Substack and why my uni assignment is still not finished—but it also gave me a new found respect for water. So, it seemed fitting that this week’s theme would be The Stuff Of Life, and while I won’t bore you with photos of guys jackhammering up concrete, I will give you a couple of nice water pics. I’m in Bangkok from the end of this week for a spell, so if you’re in town and would like to catch up for a coffee, let me know! Cheers Stuart [This week’s newsletter is supported by]( 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](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Out and about On the Mekong somewhere near Stung Treng in Cambodia. Photo: Stuart McDonald. --------------------------------------------------------------- ⭐️ Story of the week  - [Nice View. Shame About All The Tourists.]( from Noema Mag --------------------------------------------------------------- 📚 What I’m reading - [Station Eleven]( by Emily St. John Mandel 🇲🇲 Burma - [Army Or Prison: Forced Recruitment In Myanmar’s Towns And Cities]( from Frontier Myanmar ($) - [‘Almost Dead’: Leprosy Patients Languish In Myanmar]( from Frontier Myanmar ($) --------------------------------------------------------------- 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](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 🇰🇭 Cambodia - [Two Provinces Suspend Rice Growing Due To Water Shortage]( from Khmer Times - [Cambodia Issues Measures To Reduce Air Pollution In Dry Season]( from Cambodianess - [Why Is Vietnam Worried About Cambodia’s Mekong Canal Project?]( from The Diplomat Did someone order a beach view? [Ad: Salad Hut on Ko Pha Ngan’s beautiful west coast, from US$118 per night. Click here for the details.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🌴 Environment - [Do Carbon Credits Really Help Communities That Keep Forests Standing?]( from Mongabay - [Can Animals Evolve Fast Enough To Keep Up With Climate Change?]( from Hakai Magazine - [Are These ‘Eco-Cities’ The Future Of Sustainable Design?]( from Atmos 🇮🇩 Indonesia - [Bali Introduces IDR150,000 Tourism Levy From February 14, 2024]( from Welcome Back To Bali - [‘Silicon Bali’: Asia’s Paradise For Sustainability Startups?]( from Eco Business - [From Military Leader To ‘Harmless Grandpa’: The Rebranding Of Indonesia’s Prabowo]( from The Guardian - [Engaging Children’s Voices For Tourism And Marine Futures Through Drawing In Gili Trawangan, Indonesia]( from Frontiers 🇱🇦 Laos - [Laos Tourist Jewel At Risk Of Losing UNESCO Status]( from Nikkei Asia ($) - [Luang Prabang Tourist Entry Fee Hike Sparks Online Divide Among Users]( from The Laotian Times - [Laos To Balance Tourist Appeal, Hydropower Ambitions]( from The Laotian Times - [Laos Is Getting A Handle On Its Debt]( from Nikkei Asia ($) --------------------------------------------------------------- Yes, it’s the language monkey again. --------------------------------------------------------------- 🇲🇾 Malaysia - [When In Borneo, Don’t Be Afraid To Head Underground]( from Thrillist - [Sabah Targets Three Million Tourist Arrival This Year, Says State Minister]( from Malay Mail - [Ex-Malaysian PM’s Lawyer Pressures Netflix To Take Down Documentary]( from The Guardian - [Lenggong’s Past Beckons Discovery]( from Borneo Bulletin 🇸🇬 Singapore - [Ponderings On Police Power And Personal Privacy]( from Rice Media - [Jail, Jail And More Jail]( from We, The Citizens 🇹🇭 Thailand - [Thailand Moves To Ban Recreational Use Of Cannabis In Setback For Nascent Industry]( from The Straits Times ($) - [Eight New Thai Airlines To Debut This Year]( from Bangkok Post - [How Cheap But Excellent US$5 Thai Massages At A No-frills Temple In Chiang Mai Attract Locals And Tourists Alike]( from SCMP ($) - [PM2.5 To Spike In Capital]( from Bangkok Post Looking for somewhere special in Penang? [Ad: Campbell House in Georgetown, Penang from US$72 per night. Click here for the details.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🇻🇳 Vietnam - [Coming Soon To A Meal Near You: Vietnamese Farmed Crickets See Leap In Demand]( from The Straits Times ($) - [Revisiting Vietnam’s Bootleg DVD Stores, The Dethroned King Of Local Entertainment]( from Saigoneer - [Growing Energy Concerns]( from Vietnam Weekly - [A Mekong Island Too Tiny For Industrial Farming Now Points To Vietnam’s Future]( from Mongabay Random other stuff - [Resident Travel Writer Vs Visiting Travel Writer]( from Jack Montgomery - [Can Southeast Asia Tackle Its Epidemic Of Male Suicides?]( from RFA - [How Can A Content Creator Encourage “Better” Travel?]( from Travel Massive - [Can Pinterest Predict The Future Of Travel?]( from Adventure - [The 2024 Travel & Tourism Wishlist For South East Asia]( from The Southeast Asia Travel Show (Podcast) - [The Fat Of The Land]( from Around The World In 80 Scrapes - [The Dangerous Art Of The Freedive]( from The Financial Times ($) Time to get out the paddle A DIY snorkelling trip island hopping off the coast of Pantar in Indonesia’s east. Photo: Stuart McDonald. --------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday Deals recap [Wednesday Deals]( [Wednesday deals: Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand]( December 6, 2023 [Wednesday deals: Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand]( [Hi all, Sorry, it has been a bit between emails! This week I have three picks on Thailand’s Ko Pha Ngan—a great choice for your Christmas holidays. For each pick, I’ve looked up some prices on our partner Agoda, and listed them along with—as always—the direct contact details for each place. That way you can compare and figure out what works for you.]( Read full story [Wednesday Deals]( [Wednesday deals: Singapore]( October 18, 2023 [Wednesday deals: Singapore]( [Hi all, You know when you’re going somewhere you haven’t been before and you open the interwebs search for “hotels in …” and you get eleventy billion results? No? Please tell me your secrets! So where are we off to for the fifth edition? Crazy expensive]( Read full story [Wednesday Deals]( [Wednesday deals: Penang]( [Stuart McDonald]( · October 11, 2023 [Wednesday deals: Penang]( [Hi all, You know when you’re going somewhere you haven’t been before and you open the interwebs search for “hotels in …” and you get eleventy billion results? No? Please tell me your secrets! So where are we off to for the fourth edition? How about my favourite place in Malaysia to stuff face—]( Read full story [Wednesday Deals]( [Wednesday deals: Huế]( October 4, 2023 [Wednesday deals: Huế]( [Hi all, You know when you’re going somewhere you haven’t been before and you open the interwebs search for “hotels in …” and you get eleventy billion results? No? Please tell me your secrets! So where are we off to for the third edition? How about my favourite city in Vietnam,]( Read full story [Wednesday Deals]( [Wednesday deals: Phnom Penh]( [Stuart McDonald]( · September 27, 2023 [Wednesday deals: Phnom Penh]( [Hi all, You know when you’re going somewhere you haven’t been before and you open the interwebs search for “hotels in …” and you get eleventy billion results? No? Please tell me your secrets! With this in mind, last week I started a new edition of the Travelfish newsletter]( Read full story [Wednesday Deals]( [Wednesday deals: Bangkok]( [Stuart McDonald]( · September 20, 2023 [Wednesday deals: Bangkok]( [Hi all, You know when you’re going somewhere you haven’t been before and you open the interwebs search for “hotels in …” and you get eleventy billion results? No? Please tell me your secrets! With this in mind, I’ve started a new edition of the Travelfish newsletter which will be sent every Wednesday. In it, I’ll select three places, across a range of bud…]( Read full story Good travels! 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](   © 2024 Stuart McDonald Bali, Indonesia [Unsubscribe]() [Get the app]( writing]()