Travelfish #295: Ghosts of Probolinggo + Munduk

Everywhere is on the way to somewhere Hi all, This week we’re all about Java, with the garden city of [Bogor]( updated, along with two little visited south coast surf town—[Cimaja]( and [Ujung Gentang]( also fully revised. Staying on Java, Stuart and Sally are currently in the east, climbing volcanoes and seeking out black market beer dealers—for research purposes only! North of the equator, Cindy is enroute to Laos, though currently in a one and a half hour immigration queue at, you guessed it, Suvarnabhumbi airport in Bangkok. David is handing in Ko Chang this week then heading back to more island time in the east—how does he do it? If you'd like to chip in (if you haven’t already) for using the site, we'd love you to sign up for a year-long subscription for just A$35. [See more here](. Exclusive for Travelfish readers: Save an additional 7% at Agoda [Use promo code Tfishpromo »]( Soapbox The ghosts of Probolinggo Sally and I are travelling in East Java at the moment, and yesterday we pulled into Probolinggo, the launching point for most travellers heading up to Gunung Bromo, one of Indonesia’s most spectacular volcanoes. The town itself tends to get scant interest from foreign travellers, who view it primarily as a transit town. Thanks to its reputation as a town of scams and scammers few choose to linger. We have lingered however—we like the town a lot. Those already well travelled through Java will be familiar with the Dutch-style cottages that you can find across the land. Squat, wide based and often white-washed, with a triangular tiled roof, tall ceilings within and heavy set walls, they’re a charming window into a time gone by. In some cities, a few have been restored into all their mansion-like grandeur while others, still lived in, are biding, semi-gracefully, the slow pace of time. Probolinggo is littered with these—often in such a bad state of repair, that “litter” is the best descriptor. As Sally and I wandered the quarter immediately to the south of the train station, we came across one, pink-walled, with a garden wall stylishly painted up reading “Laos”. A street vendor outside explained it was once a traveller’s cafe, but the proprietors had moved on and the property has since gone to fodder. As we gawked and imagined the traveller cafe, the same vendor suggested we look next door ... “it is haunted”. Next door was an even grander, even more dilapidated affair. Apparently once the residence of a Dutchman, he died within but his ghost has lingered—flicking off the squatter’s sound system and blowing the fuse when nearby wedding ceremonies get that little bit too raucous. “Every night you can hear him”, locals tell us. Many of the abandoned Dutch houses we saw looked haunted. What a fantastic boutique guesthouse it could be, or a cafe, library, or drop in centre for skill sharing to Probolinggo’s less lucky. Yes, it would need, well, a hell of a lot of work, but the bones looked good. This heritage of a city, slowly falling into ruin was saddening, and if Probolinggo were to take a more upbeat, long term view of tourism development (aka moving on from gouging tourists enroute to Bromo) people would stick around longer—and, well, as a port town, Probolinggo should know that a rising tide raises all boats. Failing that, we’d love to see a walking tour of Probolinggo’s haunted houses. Good travels. Stuart Premium members only: Book a round the world with [roundtheworldflights.com]( (must travel from the UK via Asia, Australia, New Zealand AND the Americas) and get £30pp off your trip. Offer valid for departures to December 2018. Log in to the Member Centre on Travelfish now for your coupon code and [start designing your own round the world trip »]( What we’re reading The Narrow Road to the Deep North The 2014 Man Booker winner is [a deep, dark and important read](. While the story is about far more than the Thai-Burma Death Railway — think love, hope, humanity, memory — the setting of a Japanese POW camp along the railway looms large and dominates in this beautiful novel. Thank you Just a few quick words of thanks to businesses who have decided to advertise direct with us on Travelfish recently. If you know a business, small or large, who may be interested in advertising on the site, please send them our [One Page Media Kit!]( [Asia Highlights]( offer tailor made travel through Vietnam, [Take Me Tour]( offer experiences with locals out of Chiang Mai and, last but not least, [Akha Kitchen]( offer Thai cooking classes in Chiang Rai. Featured destination MUNDUK South Bali has a (well deserved) reputation for all the overs-. Over developed, over touristed, over trafficked and most definitely over loved, but take another over, and ride over a volcano, you’ll find yourself in [Munduk]( and be presented with something more akin to the Balinese fantasies much travel media tends to push around. [Absolutely deafening. Photo: Stuart McDonald] The village sits along a ridge running down from the mammoth Tamblingan crater lake. You reach it via a hair-raising loop-de-loop of switch backs, sudden drops and rises as you wind down from the crater rim then, after a last tight turn, the road straightens for a narrow, ne'er wavering run down. This section affords (on a clear day) spectacular views to the Bali Sea to the north and vast forrest and rice paddies out to the south. Amateur scooter pilots do take **extreme** care on this road—wet and slippery, you’ll be on your ass in the blink of an eye if you don’t pay attention. While there is [a scattering of places to stay]( in the upper reaches, most are set along each side of the road for about a one to two kilometre stretch. In the centre you’ll find the small traditional market (try the goat satay!) and there’s also some beautiful Dutch houses, which now form a part of a guesthouse. We’ve stayed on both sides of the ridge and are partial to the southern view, but both are terrific. [Munduk is all about the views. Photo: Sally Arnold] Most accommodation has worked hard to make the most of the views—think big terraces and plenty of chairs (though few hammocks)—and putting our feet up to just watch life in the valley below, is, well, pretty damn good. For the more active, there are [at least three waterfalls]( on the northern ridge which you can wander to. One is an easy walk, another slightly more involved and another still, is not so easy but they are all terrific—spectacular settings, lush and green and there is no shortage of water—even in dry season. Though, as with scootering down the slopes, do watch your step, those stone steps get slippery! If waterfalls are not your thing, on the southern side, take a hike down into the valley, fruit orchards dotted across an emerald green, slowly descending plain of terrace fields. There is a main “road” you can follow but you can just as easily go off piste and make your own way around—just wear a hat, bring water and take care not to damage any of the rice paddie walls when you fly head over tail! [Go fancy pants at Sanak Retreat. Photo: Sally Arnold] For us, Munduk (and also [Sidemen]( over Candi Dasa way) are two very cool respites from the heat of Bali’s more heavily touristed scene. You’ll not have the town to yourself (though in low season it can be very quiet), and the eating isn’t gourmet cuisine, but you won’t starve, the crowds will be far lighter and the climate oh so cool. So if Ubud or the southern beaches have you tearing your hair out, grab a scooter ([do check your insurance first]( or get a car/cab/camel and head up to the hills. Breath that cool mountain air, take a wander and discover what Bali really can be like. [Read more about Munduk here](. Travelfish partners We work with a number of partners on a commission basis and this helps keep us in business. Please consider using the following links to make any reservations as a commission may end up being paid to us, with no impact on what you pay. Thank you! Flights: [roundtheworldflights.com]( Places to stay: [Agoda]( [Booking]( Tours and activities: [TourRadar]( [GetYourGuide]( Ground transport: [12Go Asia]( Travel insurance: [World Nomads]( News from the region BURMA: Myanmar’s ruby trade [Genocide gems](. CAMBODIA I: Cambodia’s showcase island For visitors like 30-year-old Nam Tang, the island [is a break from reality](. Tang moved to the capital from his rural home in November to study Korean. It has been a rude awakening; the city feels big and dangerous, he’s in bed by 10pm to avoid thieves, and pays USD16 a month for a room he shares with nine strangers. CAMBODIA II: This country's democracy has fallen apart — and it played out to millions on Facebook “Facebook has also dramatically reduced the reach of independent media in Cambodia after it decided last year to silo off their content as part of a [controversial experiment](. ” INDONESIA: Terrorist arbitrage in Southeast Asia “Still no regional structure exists for authorities to map [how militants mobilise across national borders]( THAILAND: Limitation of visitors to marine national parks proposed “According to the information from the Mu Ko Similan marine national park, 4,000-5,000 tourists visited the park–[90% of them are Chinese tourists]( VIETNAM I: Rising tourism in Vietnam ““Tourism is good for Cat Ba, [but the way people do it is not good in general]( says Thang. “We still have a lot of rubbish in the bay, no waste processing area and high-quality workers don’t want to work on the island.” VIETNAM II: Air pollution at alarming rate in HCM City “In Vietnam, air pollution makes about 1.5 million people suffer from chronic obstructive lung disease every year. Notably, in big and populous cities like HCM City, air pollution is currently [an alarming problem for health]( Travel writing CAMBODIA: Sihanoukville – the new Macau of Southeast Asia [Ugly](. THAILAND: Chiang Mai’s Nimman: the unapologetic bubble “I didn’t make any Thai friends because I made zero effort to. I may as well have been on the moon, and not in Thailand, save for the [ridiculously delicious cuisine]( to remind me of where I was.” VIETNAM: A brief history of Bia Hoi [More research required we say!]( Interesting site East Java No shortage of [interesting leads]( worth a look see here. Travel shot [Learn a little about Wayang Golek. Photo: Sally Arnold ] How about some bamboo rafting at Pang Oung? Photo: Mark Ord Till next time [Sam and Stuart.] That’s it from us for now. As usual, enjoy the site’s new additions and drop us a line if there’s something in particular you’d like us to cover in Southeast Asia. Travel light! Stuart, Sam & the Travelfish team [( You're receiving the Travelfish newsletter because you signed up at Travelfish.org. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe Instantly](. Make sure you're getting our emails! If you're a Gmail user and would prefer your Travelfish newsletter in your Primary in-box rather than Promotions, just drag this email from the Promotions tab to the Primary tab, and click "yes" when it asks if you want to do that for all of our emails. Better still, [read this newsletter online.]( [Disclosure]( | [Privacy]( | [Unsubscribe]( 9 robinson close, hornsby heights, nsw 2077, AUSTRALIA [Unsubscribe]( | [Change Subscriber Options](