Travelfish #273: Where to eat in Saigon + ATM skimming + Lucky

Everywhere is on the way to somewhere Hi everyone, This week we’re all about lucky. We’ve also got a complete rewrite of our food guide for Ho Chi Minh City, a review of The Ideal Man: The Tragedy of Jim Thompson and the American Way of War by Joshua Kurlantzick, and a soapbox on skimming at ATMS. More below the fold. Travelfish premium members are growing like mushrooms in the wet season. [Learn how you can become one now! »]( The week that was This week new on the site we have a comprehensive (and we mean comprehensive) rewrite of our [Ho Chi Minh City food coverage]( along with yet more [Bangkok updates](. We've tidied up some of our coverage of [Angkor Wat]( with more coming soon, including some itineraries, in this area of the region. The new [Chiang Mai coverage]( is also complete. On the road, Sally is wrapping up in Malaysia's Penang, Mark is just back from Thailand's Pai, David is covering some of the artistic angles in Bangkok and Stuart is in Bali. Premium Travelfish members now have access to more than 200 downloadable guides (226 to be exact). New ones this week include Chiang Mai, with food-only guides for Hanoi and Saigon also now available. Not a premium member? It costs a very reasonable A$35 per year (please note: Australian not US dollars!) for access. [Find out more here](. This week's soapbox is on “Slap the ATM”. The newsletter theme is “lucky”; because a little luck goes a long way. Please forward this newsletter on to any friends, family, strangers in bars, bus drivers, som tam ladies and massage men you think might be interested to receive it. Good travels, Stuart, Sam and the Travelfish team Soapbox Slap the ATM A friend recently went to an ATM in Penang and made a couple of withdrawals totalling a bit over $500. A week later, when they tried to use the ATM card again, the card didn't work. After checking with their bank, they found that after their withdrawal the week before, four additional withdrawals happened, sucking out over a thousand dollars more. Similarly a few months ago, another friend was in Japan after a trip to Canggu in Bali. Over 5,500 euros was sucked out of his account—from an ATM in Canggu months after he had left Bali. These are both cases of card skimming, which is where digital thieves affix a card reader atop the slot you insert your card into to steal your card credentials. A separate device, often a tiny camera, records your pin code and, well, that is all they need. Once you've left, the thieves use the information to make further withdrawals. [You can read more about the tech behind this here](. Here is a [video illustrating some of the tech](. The links above give solid advice about how to spot a skimming device, but in summary, give the slot you insert your card into a hefty shake or slap to make sure it is securely connected and cover your hand as much as possible to make it difficult for a camera to record your keystrokes—it might feel like you're being melodramatic, but you're not. Also, as thieves need access to the ATMs in the first place to fit their dodgy add-ons, it is best to only use ATMs that are secure—ie within a bank branch where there is security (though even this isn't foolproof—in the first case above, the dodgy ATM was inside a bank branch). ATMs at remote areas—isolated kiosks, in petrol stations or outside convenience stores, for example, should be considered high risk. Lastly, if your bank provides it, sign up to SMS alerts for all withdrawals, so that you are immediately aware of any dodgy transactions. Good travels, Stuart 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! Places to stay: [Agoda]( [Booking]( Tours and activities: [TourRadar]( [GetYourGuide]( Ground transport: [12Go Asia]( Travel insurance: [World Nomads]( Featured Lucky pho [Is there any other kind?]( What we're watching Travel in Asia "A few months ago we went on our first trip to South East Asia. This video is a collection of vivid moments we've captured on our way just to never forget [all the places we have fallen in love with]( Film by OOPS!sidedown. What we're reading The Ideal Man: The Tragedy of Jim Thompson and the American Way of War by Joshua Kurlantzick A detailed biography of [the American spy-turned-silk-king Jim Thompson]( The Ideal Man explores decades of intriguing US-Thai relations as a necessary backdrop to his life. Off the forum Can you help with advice on any of these questions? [Siem Reap, Hoi An, or ... with young kids.]( [No Indonesian Borneo coverage on Travelfish?]( [Beg-packers?]( [Luang Prabang to Chiang Mai bus]( Notes from the road BURMA: Lucky sunset [BURMA: Lucky sunset]( There’s no really spectacular sites as such — apart from the sunset itself [if you’re lucky]( — but it does give a different vantage point over downtown Yangon and the waterfront area. CAMBODIA: Lucky to learn [CAMBODIA: Lucky to learn]( If you’re lucky enough to have a few days to spare in Phnom Penh, there’s plenty of opportunity to [learn a new skill]( or try out something different. INDONESIA: Ceremonial luck [INDONESIA: Ceremonial luck]( If you happen to be lucky and [invited to join a ceremony in Sumba]( as we were here, don’t be shy — it’s beyond fascinating. And if you can, print out and send them some photos when you get home. ISLANDS: Lucky snorkelling [ISLANDS: Lucky snorkelling]( You might spot a sea turtle, moray eel, sea snake or even a black-tip shark [if you’re lucky](. LAOS: Lucky Bears [LAOS: Lucky Bears]( Kobe and the 24 other Asiatic black bears (also known as moon bears) that now call the sanctuary home have been [lucky to escape this fate](. MALAYSIA: Lucky wildlife spotters [MALAYSIA: Lucky wildlife spotters]( If you’re lucky, you may even see the endangered Borneo pygmy elephant, which are small for elephants but still stand up to three metres tall and weigh a few tonnes, or the world’s smallest ([and cutest]( bear, the Malay sun bear. SINGAPORE: Lucky Plaza [SINGAPORE: Lucky Plaza]( Situated right in the heart of the Orchard Road shopping district, [Lucky Plaza]( is the unofficial hub for the Filipino diaspora in Singapore. THAILAND: Lucky amulet [THAILAND: Lucky amulet]( In fact, they’ve stumbled upon the bustling Talaad Phra Chan, a century-old market where thousands of [Thai Buddhist amulets]( share space with Thai sweets, fiery woks and no-frills riverside dining. VIETNAM: Lucky spot [VIETNAM: Lucky spot]( More down-at-heel, and trickier to find again, Hanoi House also offers cathedral views through the trees if you’re lucky enough to snare one of the [superbly positioned balcony seats](. News from the region CAMBODIA I: Asia's toughest jobs: The women helping to build Cambodia “The pay is still low – Theourn earns about US$6 per day, notably about 20 per cent less than for men doing similar work – conditions can be unsafe, sexual harassment is not uncommon and [on-site training is often non-existent]( CAMBODIA II: The point of no return “ 'We’re going from a wild Mekong . . . to a closed river system that’s [boring and dead]( [like the] Colorado River,' Arias said, referring to a river in the American West that was heavily dammed.” INDONESIA I: Indonesian villagers are destroying orangutan sanctuary, conservationists say “Local police have refused to prosecute and recommended talks instead 'which won't solve anything,' he said. The foundation is now [seeking the help of the local government]( in East Kalimantan province to ensure its rights over the land.” INDONESIA II: Bali dog meat trade: Governor issues 'official letter' cracking down “[To protect 'the image of Bali tourism']( the Governor's letter told his agencies to "order against the sale of dog meat because it is not inspected and guaranteed to be healthy and can potentially spread zoonotic diseases, especially rabies and other fatal dangers."” INDONESIA III: A different jihad: How a convicted man is working to redeem terrorists' children “When Ghazali talks to the 20 children of terrorists at Al-Hidayah about deradicalisation, he knows who to use as an example: [himself]( LAOS I: Dozens of Laotian elephants 'illegally sold to Chinese zoos' “Many mahouts told Ammann on camera that their elephants are captive-bred but have been sired by a wild bull elephant. To avoid stud costs, mahouts in Laos tie captive-bred females to trees in the forest so that they can be mated with wild bulls. Under Cites Appendix I, an elephant with a wild parent in an uncontrolled setting is not considered captive-bred and therefore may not be sold commercially.” [Experts believe these elephants are probably actually smuggled from Thailand](. LAOS II: Free the Bears strengthens fight against bile trade with new Laos sanctuary for rescued moon bears “Had they not been rescued, the sisters would likely have wound up in some wealthy family’s backyard [to serve as a source of amusement as living playthings]( MALAYSIA: Tourism tax: Malaysians exempted, foreigners to pay flat rate of RM10 per night [Last week in stupid](. THAILAND: I went to a Bangkok hotel to hear apocalyptic alien prophecies “Khao Kala, it would turn out, was the go-to place for alien encounters in Thailand, as they frequently land there or fly by because Khao Kala is [a convenient place for them to cross over dimensional barriers]( VIETNAM: A tale of two metros “In contrast, the metro project led by Japanese conglomerates in Ho Chi Minh City has been accident-free. This feeds into longstanding assumptions in Vietnam about the [perceived superiority]( of Japanese workmanship and engineering.” Travel writing TRAVEL INSURANCE: Why Brits got the bug for holiday sickness scams [Well dodgy](. INDONESIA: The Bekantans of Balikpapan Bay “Today, with over 50 new businesses who have received ‘official’ permission from the Indonesian government to set up here from 2016, and a new industrial train line due to be built, the Bay and its inhabitants look set to take [yet another catastrophic environmental blow]( VIETNAM: Vanishing spaces in Ho Chi Minh City “If decisions are made that uncaringly obliterate and close down centers of cultural creation, the impact will not be noticed on graphs. The value of these places is not fungible, [it cannot be counted and reduced to numbers]( Interesting site Angkor Sunset Finder This web site explores the World Heritage site of Angkor through one of its most spectacular pastimes—watching the sun go down. Here you'll find key information such as likely crowd turnouts, transport options and ambiance so [you can choose the sunset experience that is best for you](. Travel shot [Just keep the food coming. Still at Secret Garden Restaurant. Photo: Cindy Fan] Just keep the food coming. Still at Secret Garden Restaurant. Photo: Cindy Fan 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](