Travelfish #351: Chiang Rai + Medan + Cambodia + Reading is good

Everywhere is on the way to somewhere Hi all, New on the site this week we have complete rewrites for [Chiang Rai]( in northern Thailand and [Medan]( in Indonesia—we hope you find them useful! Also, just a quick house keeping note, we’re switching the newsletter to every two weeks for a few weeks due to some travel commitments and school holidays—will advise when we switch back to weekly. [Oh Padang food. At Sederhana. Photo: Stuart McDonald] Oh Padang food. At Sederhana. Photo: Stuart McDonald This week I discussed changes in travel in Southeast Asia on a podcast for [The Diplomat](. You can listen to the full interview here. Please ignore the obvious clanger at the end when I mistakingly say Sangkhlaburi is near the Cambodian border—the town has not been moved, it is still near Burma! Good travels, Stuart, Sam and the Travelfish crew Support Travelfish! 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](. Soapbox A bit of reading never did anyone harm This week I did a (yet to be published) interview with [Asia Art Tours]( and during an almost two hour chat we got talking about colonialism and how travellers today view it today often through the somewhat romanticised eyes of travel writers. We’re as guilty as the next of writing about grandiose French and Dutch colonial period villas and houses—who hasn’t read a piece on Hanoi that hasn’t waxed on about these buildings, yet often with the smallest (if any) mention of what that period meant for much of the local population. Yes, colonialism brought with it some benefits and certainly some local people benefitted—but many didn’t—especially those who really would have preferred that the colonialists had just packed their bags and gone home. Reading historical accounts can add a lot of depth to one’s understanding of these periods, and while you need not do a PhD on Southeast Asia in the 18th century to get up to speed, doing some reading will surely help you get a fuller understanding. Looking for suggestions? Perhaps begin with the [suggested reading list on Travelfish](. Our conversation rambled on though, and we found ourselves talking about Angkor. Yes, the monuments are magnificent, but they were also built with slave labour, often dragged back to the area after bouts of war from neighbouring countries. It would be helpful to have more discussion about this too. Why should Angkor be treated any different to what the French, Dutch (and many others) did in more recent times? Perhaps there should be a different set of rules for the ancient times versus the more modern era—what do you think? Let me know. 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 2019. Log in to the Member Centre on Travelfish now for your coupon code and [start designing your own round the world trip »]( Talking Travel Last time we wrote about some of our favourite places in Thailand that we think are worth an extra day—this week we tackle Cambodia. Kratie A charming, cheerful little town on the Mekong, [Kratie is best known for its dolphins]( in particular the Mekong Irrawaddy dolphins. Roughly 80 of the dwindling population of these dolphins make their home off the village of Kampi, 20 kilometres north of Kratie. The swirling waters here are considered one of the best places in the world to catch sight of this critically endangered creature. [Hit Koh Trong for a night or two. Photo: Nicky Sullivan] Hit Koh Trong for a night or two. Photo: Nicky Sullivan Kompong Thom Long-regarded as not much more than a place to break the journey between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, Kompong Thom is beginning to attract those who are able to [recognise its charms as a real Cambodian market town]( and a staging post for two of the most gorgeous temple sites that Cambodia has to offer. [Are we there yet? Ascending Phnom Santuk. Photo: Stuart McDonald] Are we there yet? Ascending Phnom Santuk. Photo: Stuart McDonald Banteay Chmmar An immense city temple complex to rival that of Angkor Thom and Preah Khan of Kampong Svay, Banteay Chhmar is [a glorious site rich in treasures]( shrouded in trees, and yours to enjoy in relative isolation. [Banteay Samnang Tasok. Photo: Nicky Sullivan] Banteay Samnang Tasok. Photo: Nicky Sullivan Battambang With a rich architectural heritage, an increasingly confident art scene providing a cradle for many of Cambodia’s top talents, and stunning surrounding countryside, Battambang is [a tranquil respite]( from the boom and hustle of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. [A city of small streets and grand prospects. Photo: Nicky Sullivan] A city of small streets and grand prospects. Photo: Nicky Sullivan Sen Monorom Little-visited Sen Monorom is the capital of Mondulkiri, Cambodia’s largest province—a vast expanse famed for thick forests, thunderous waterfalls, hills that wave up and down towards misty, faraway horizons and [a real chance to immerse yourself in nature](. For now. Things are changing here rapidly but, for the moment, you can still enjoy a relaxed, gentler pace of life than elsewhere, amid a genuinely friendly population. [The best way to see elephants. Photo: Nicky Sullivan] The best way to see elephants. Photo: Nicky Sullivan Chi Phat An idyllic Cambodian village between a mountain and a river offers [a relaxed, welcoming base]( from which to explore a special part of the world. Tucked into the southeastern front of the Cardamom Mountain range, Chi Phat is a pretty, prosperous two-street village. Dusty red roads are flanked by palms and sandalwood trees, handsome wooden houses perch on stilts and there’s a thriving community-based ecotourism (CBET) operation, established by conservation NGO Wildlife Alliance. [The river. Gorgeous. Photo: Nicky Sullivan] The river. Gorgeous. Photo: Nicky Sullivan Travelfish partners [Browse popular short tours to Thailand]( GetYourGuide lists a vast selection of short tours in and around Thailand including to Ko Samui, Ko Lanta, Khao Lak and Ang Thong National Marine Park. [See their website for more information](. Ten things worth reading Why violence persists in our forests “He is wrong. [Things won't stay the same.]( For millions of forest poor, the situation will be much worse. The present national park law that criminalises all forest dwellers will soon be replaced by a new version that is much more oppressive. Sending Sapwai mothers to jail is just the beginning of a new chapter of state violence against the poor.” “This Is Our World” In addition to the deaths, as Sinabung continues to erupt—seemingly with no end in sight—[it’s left a harsh legacy in its wake](. Some 7,000 people have been affected by the eruptions, and hundreds have been displaced. They’ve lost their homes and have been moved outside the official Red Zone of 7km to new housing provided by the government. Their former residences now form ghost towns that crumble slowly in the shadow of the volcano. A mammoth task Market surveys conducted in 2017 by Fauna & Flora International in ivory outlets across Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville identified Cambodia as a country at risk of [becoming a driver in the global ivory trade]( in just two years, the number of Cambodian outlets selling ivory had more than tripled, with the estimated value of the products increasing 11-fold to $1.5 million. Cambodia’s endangered river dolphins at highest population in 20 years [Greater involvement from local communities has also helped]( conservationists say. Revered in both Cambodia and Laos, where many people believe the animals are reincarnations of their ancestors, the Irrawaddy dolphins have become a focus of Cambodia’s burgeoning ecotourism sector, which supports the conservation work. Thai cave rescue changes lives, local tourism one year on Many other kids on the Wild Boar team [remain stateless and very poor]( another coach pointed out. Without Thai citizenship, it's impossible for them to play football at a national level. Drones, big money and cheap drugs: the Laos route spewing meth into Thailand Experts say the Golden Triangle region is now likely to be the biggest meth production hub in the world. Yet without the ultraviolence of the Latin American cartels, [it captures fewer headlines](. People told me I would hate Bangkok. I thought it was magic Now, everything can be sorted in advance on Hostelworld, reviews checked, pictures vetted – all you need to move on is Wi-Fi and your scrolling finger. [Has that taken some essential uncertainty out of things?]( Recyclers Cringe as Southeast Asia Says It’s Sick of the West’s Trash By [imposing blanket bans on imported waste]( “you’re potentially risking damaging the good recyclers’ business,” said Kakuko Nagatani-Yoshida, the United Nations Environment Program’s coordinator on chemicals and waste in the Asia-Pacific region. Thailand’s child kick-boxers face an often deadly fight to escape poverty Across Thailand, kids who receive kick-boxing training don’t just aspire to money, fame and career opportunities – [they are trying to escape poverty and hardship](. Sharks killed in secretive Indonesian trade despite government efforts to protect some species However, the following day the ABC turned up unannounced and [found evidence of a thriving shark industry]( with workers cutting off hundreds of shark fins right there on the dock. Something to read The Narrow Road to the Deep North “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.” Travel shot [Not your typical temple. Photo: Mark Ord] Not your typical temple. 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]( We want travellers to love Southeast Asia as much as we do. 9 robinson close, hornsby heights, nsw 2077, AUSTRALIA [Unsubscribe]( | [Change Subscriber Options](