Travelfish #369: Koh Rong + need a holiday gift?

Everywhere is on the way to somewhere Hi everyone, New on the site this week is [Koh Rong in southern Cambodia](. My advice, get there sooner than later. [Hello Lonely Beach and hello suddenly prolonged holiday. Photo: Stuart McDonald] Hello Lonely Beach and hello suddenly prolonged holiday. Photo: Stuart McDonald Looking for the perfect holiday gift for Silly Season? How about me?! Perfect for that special someone or just someone who won’t stop asking you for travel advice. Just 17 slots left. Offer closes December 31. [Find out more here](. In other news, we have added a donate to Travelfish page. If you’d like to make a one-off (or regular even!) donation, [please see here](. Thank you! (I put the wrong link in last week’s newsletter—ops!) If you’re heading to Thailand for the first time, you may enjoy another newsletter we have called “Welcome to Thailand”. It starts with a series of daily emails, each covering an introductory aspect of Thailand. Then it switches to a weekly (Tuesday) instalment, each recommending a destination or attraction in Thailand that you may not have heard of. The newsletter is very much aimed at people new to Thailand, so if that is you, you can sign up here. All subscribers also get a complimentary PDF itinerary for Southern Thailand. [Sign up here](. 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](. Destination: Cambodia’s Koh Rong There’s a famous quote “Sometimes you've got to go through hell to get to heaven”, and a couple of weeks ago I covered the hell portion of this statement, Sihanoukville, and this week I’m all about the heaven portion: [Koh Rong](. OK, maybe I’m overstating matters slightly, as Koh Rong is not perfect, but it isn’t half bad. I’d go as far as to say the island is home to some of Cambodia’s most beautiful beaches and once you get over the sticker shock of the cost of accommodation, it is a great place to while away a few days ... or weeks. The island has seen considerable development over the last few years, and there is, I was told, plenty more on the way. For now though, the island is at a bit of a sweet spot. Perhaps a silver lining to the abject horribleness of Sihanoukville is that it may act as a bit of a dampener on the flow of tourists to both Koh Rong and neighbouring Koh Rong Samloem. Wait and see. So what does Koh Rong have to offer? As mentioned, some simply spectacular beaches. Sok San/Long Beach is a simply gobsmacking stretch of white sand with calm turquoise water lapping at its edge. As the name suggests, it just goes on, and on, and on. For now, save some development at the northern end and a few places scattered along its length, the beach is largely undeveloped. On the south coast of the island, Long Set (also known as 4K) Beach is another cracker of a beach. It is perhaps a third of the length of Sok San, but the sand is almost as white and the waters just as clear. It also has a better range of backpacker to flashpacker accommodation, and is walking distance from Koh Toch, the main backpacker village on the island. There are plenty of other beaches, though I didn’t have time to get to them all. I especially liked Lonely Beach (less so the goat track to get there on a scooter) and Pagoda Beach was also very pretty and not too developed, though new places were going in. Off the beach and in the water you can go diving or just do a snorkelling boat trip—evening trips which let you swim with plankton are also popular. The neighbouring, but considerably smaller Koh Rong Samloem is also good, and if you have the time it is worth dividing your time between the two. However, with anything short of say five days, I’d say stick to just Koh Rong—the beaches are just that good. When to go? Now! These islands are monsoonal, but the best (and driest weather) is from November through to April. Late December and early January are peak season, and the prices are nuts, so if you can, aim for late January or February to avoid the worst of the sticker shock. How long for? Well, a dedicated beach bum could spend weeks here, but four to five days is a pretty good taster. [See our complete write-up to Koh Rong here](. Next week, Koh Rong Samloem! 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 »]( Ten things worth reading Jokowi says Labuan Bajo is “super premium” “President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo wants Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara to be a "super premium" tourist destination and has ordered the management [not to mix it with a tourist destination for "middle- to lower-income tourists"]( Oh dear. NTT tourism needs to be more nurturing and less financially predatory “But to do so [by abandoning the backpacker and youth market]( is to betray they very market segment that is prepared to explore areas of “off-the-beaten-track” tourism and accelerate the overall development of NTT as a tourism destination.” Yes! Working things out “But even among those many migrant workers who do find employment, Cambodia’s vast informal sector exposes them to “[systemic risk of exploitation and abuse]( according to the UNDP.” Cambodia's casino gamble [Well worth watching](. Lao villagers, facing eviction for dam, are leery of government promises “Rights groups also complain that the [communities to be hit hardest]( by the dams are being largely left out of the public consultations and may be shortchanged on compensation.” Bali: The tropical Indonesian island that is running out of water “Lengkong estimates that [the average tourist uses between 2,000 and 4,000 litres]( (528 - 1,057 gallons) of water a day, a figure based on daily water use in luxurious resorts and villas, as well as for swimming pools, gardens and golf courses and building ever more tourist infrastructure.” Power play: How Chinese money damned Myanmar’s economic transition “Since then, Dawng Hkawng has been living in a camp for internally displaced people in Chipwi town. He never got the compensation he was promised. With no home, and no electricity, [he is struggling to support himself and his family]( The eroding life for the Batek of Kuala Koh “The Batek are at a crossroads, and there is [lively discussion about their future as a people](. They are only nominally engaged in the cash economy and lack any political representation.” The hidden city of Myanmar “Carvings of leering trolls loom on the lintel, warding off evil spirits. At the far end of the room, squeezed into an arched niche, is a ten-foot-tall seated Buddha with immense earlobes and a richly folded tunic, all encased in gold leaf. Direct sunlight pierces a narrow aperture, [bathing the figure in what seems like a divine aura]( a halo painted vibrant blue, green, red and yellow encircles the Buddha’s head.” Borneo is burning “This summer,[nearly 920,000 people were treated for acute respiratory problems]( caused by the fires, according to the Indonesia’s disaster agency.” Something to read This Earth of Mankind “Like Burmese Days, this is another Southeast Asian classic we feared was going to be dry but turned out to be a compelling, fascinating read — and that’s even before considering the circumstances in which Toer wrote the book, and its eventual reception on publication. [We should really get over our fear of classics]( Travel shot [Clearly Sok San is bloody awful. How could you bear this? Photo: Stuart McDonald] Clearly Sok San is bloody awful. How could you bear this? Photo: Stuart McDonald 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](