Travelfish #288: Larger than life + Sihanoukville updated + Membership drive!

Everywhere is on the way to somewhere Hi everyone, This week’s theme is "Larger than life" and we’re showcasing Travelfish as part of a membership drive. We’ve also got a review of The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye and a highlighted video from Malaysia’s Perhentian Islands. More below the fold. Exclusive for Travelfish readers: Save an additional 7% at Agoda [Use promo code Tfishpromo »]( The week that was This month, we’re running a membership drive to get more people signing up as Travelfish members. Membership costs just A$35 and includes: Two hundred and thirty five pdf guides, access to the forum, discounts for ticketing and travel with [roundtheworldflights.com]( and [All Points East]( and last but not least, a warm and fuzzy feeling inside for helping keep us in business... Not convinced? [More information here.]( Or listen to Travelfish member Rich when he says: “In a world of travel reviews with undisclosed conflicts of interest, Travelfish provides the absolute best credible and up to date information on SEAsia destinations. 10/10 would do again.” Or perhaps [the New York Times]( “On the recommendation of the indispensable Southeast Asia travel guide, Travelfish...” To the many of you who have already signed up as paid members, thank you very much! Online we’ve (finally) got our guide to [Sihanoukville]( online—we apologise in advance for the quality of some of the photos—send a researcher in wet season and, well, you get wet photos (and a trashed camera). Moral of the story, skip wet season! Don’t forget about the 7% additional discount off hotels booked with Agoda. To get your discount, [go to this page]( search for a hotel you want to book and, as long as it is marked "Promotion Eligible", the discount is good. Enter the coupon code Tfishpromo (case sensitive) and you’ll score an extra 7% off. Please forward this newsletter on to any friends, family, strangers in bars, bus drivers, som tam ladies or massage men you think might be interested to receive it. Good travels, Stuart, Sam and the Travelfish team PS As this newsletter goes to electrons, Bali’s Gunung Agung has erupted (though it does seem minor). In the words of [Volcanologist Dr Janine Krippner]( "It has ash material in the plume, but it may be fresh ash or it could be broken rock from the volcano that was already there.". You can see a live video (be quick just about night time here) at our silly little [HasAgungEruptedYet]( website. Lets see what the morning brings. 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 »]( Soapbox The little things Earlier this week I popped a piece on the [Travelfish Facebook page]( titled “[In photos: The plastic chairs of Southeast Asia]( and it is, you may have guessed, a photo essay revolving around, well, plastic chairs. If you haven't seen it already, you can read the piece here. These are the simplest things I've taken for granted year in, year out: plastic chairs. I’ve sat on them at the bus station, airport, on a boat, by the road, in an embassy, in a park. I've slipped off them (or had them collapse under me—a common thread in the comments on the Facebook page) in bars, restaurants, street stalls and more places than I care to think about. But the photos do a great job of shining a light on everyday scenes, which after travelling in Southeast Asia for a while, you might take for granted: The weathered mustard walls, the intricately packed bamboo and rattan food baskets that street vendors carry, the casual uniformed boozing and, more than anything else, the way people just plonk themselves down and get on with it. Forest, trees and all that. Good travels Stuart Featured Than Bok Khorani National Park Visitors to Than Bok Khorani National Park can take a dip in an emerald waterfall before kayaking to view haunting 3,000-year-old cave paintings. Spanning a sharp ridge of limestone mountains and coastal mangrove forest in northern Krabi province, [the park makes for a worthwhile day trip](. What we're watching Perhentian: A moment in an island If you’ve [never been to Perhentian Kecil]( this may be interesting. Film by Sahrulazhar. What we're reading The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye by Sonny Liew Genre-busting Sonny Liew’s graphic novel The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye is not only one of the most beautiful books we’ve both seen and read on Singapore, but it easily counts as [one of our top Southeast Asian reads published in recent years](. Notes from the road BURMA: Banana Mountain (Ko Yin Lay) [BURMA: Banana Mountain (Ko Yin Lay)]( The spectacular Buddhist complex of Ko Yin Lay, commonly known as Banana Mountain, lies around eight kilometres out of town. Burmese come from afar to visit this [elaborate hilltop temple and monastery](. CAMBODIA: Baphuon [CAMBODIA: Baphuon]( The opening was the culmination of nearly 100 years of work, punctuated by wars, conflict and occupation, made possible by the tireless dedication and optimism of the workers. The final stage, over the last 16 years, has seen a 300-strong team tackle what had become [the largest three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle in the world](. INDONESIA: Climbing Gunung Tambora [INDONESIA: Climbing Gunung Tambora]( Before it erupted in April 1815, Sumbawa’s biggest volcano, Gunung Tambora, reached a height of around 4,300 metres. When it finished belching its contents out into the atmosphere, the cone of the volcano collapsed in on itself, [shaving more than an incredible kilometre off the height of its peak](. ISLANDS: Gala Gala Underground House [ISLANDS: Gala Gala Underground House]( Gala Gala Underground House is the folly of the late Made Biasa, a local farmer, dalang (shadow puppet master) and priest. Biasa may mean ordinary in Indonesian, but Made Biasa’s house is certainly not run-of-the-mill. Basically it’s a 500-square-metre hole in the ground, or [a labyrinth of tunnels]( to be exact, dug entirely by hand, with steep, narrow entrances and rooms. LAOS: Konglor Cave [LAOS: Konglor Cave]( The Hinboun river flowing out of a nondescript opening at the base of a towering cliff hints there may be something wondrous inside. It is in fact 7.5 kilometres of wonder—a river passage through solid rock, and travellers can traverse the entire length to the other side on an exhilarating boat ride. This is Konglor Cave, [a highlight of Laos](. MALAYSIA: Batu Caves [MALAYSIA: Batu Caves]( The almost 43-metre tall statue of Lord Murugan stands by the entrance to the Batu Caves and is [one of Malaysia’s iconic images](. The epicentre of the annual Thaipusam procession, Batu Caves is famous for the festival, statue and main cavern behind it. SINGAPORE: The Istana [SINGAPORE: The Istana]( The Istana (palace in Malay) is the official residence of Singapore’s president, located at the very end of Singapore’s bustling Orchard Road behind a large white gate flanked by sentries. The building was completed in 1869 and originally served to [house the governors in the British colonial government](. THAILAND: Phra Pathom Chedi [THAILAND: Phra Pathom Chedi]( London has Big Ben, New York is the Big Apple and China has the really big wall. But only Nakhon Pathom can lay claim to having the world’s tallest Buddhist chedi (or stupa) rising grandly from its centre. Of Thailand’s countless chedis, [none can match Phra Pathom]( in either sheer mass or historical significance. VIETNAM: Ha Long Bay [VIETNAM: Ha Long Bay]( If you ask a travel agent or your hotel tour desk what the differences are between the various cruises to Ha Long Bay, they will all tell you the same: the more expensive it is, the better the boat and the better the food. But how different are they and [what’s going to suit you and your budget?]( 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 I: Should tourists still visit Myanmar despite the violence towards the Rohingya? "Tourists should inform themselves about the places they visit. In an age where clicks often drive editorial decisions, staying informed can also [keep the spotlight on critical issues like the Rakhine crisis]( BURMA II: Bullets and burns: Injured Rohingya refugees Viewer discretion advised: "Curled up in a ball, 11-year-old Ansar Allah shows a large, livid scar on his right thigh—[the result of a gunshot wound]( BURMA III: Shan State: Burma’s hidden humanitarian crisis "According to Charm Tong from the Shan Human Rights Group, conditions in the camps are already dire, “6,000 people have lost food. The situation is desperate. This is a crisis for all on the Shan border.” Unless the delivery of international aid is resumed soon, [these communities will run out of food]( CAMBODIA: The demise of the opposition sounds the death knell for democracy in Cambodia "This is [a tragedy not only for Cambodia]( but for all those nations who have worked for decades to help rebuild the country, after many years of genocide and civil war. " INDONESIA I: Exotic Indonesian birds smuggled in drain pipes "Dwi Adhiasto of the Wildlife Conservation Society believes the birds uncovered from Monday's raid were on their way to the Philippines, given links to '[a parrot smuggling network there]( INDONESIA II: Indonesia's Orang Rimba: Forced to renounce their faith "So that our children can have the same opportunities as the outsiders, the people of the light, we had no other choice. [We had to all convert to Islam]( INDONESIA II: 90% of Southeast Asia’s poor live in Indonesia and the Philippines "The high numbers of impoverished people in Indonesia and the Philippines can be [explained by their relative population size]( for more than 250 million and 100 million out of Asean’s roughly 700 million people, respectively." MALAYSIA: Marina Mahathir is on the front lines of Malaysia's culture wars "There’s this idea that the more like Arabs you are, the better Muslim you are. That’s [the very real obliteration of our cultural heritage]( THAILAND: The Bangkok type "[William Warren]( a legendary denizen, writer of dozens of books about Thailand including a biography of Jim Thompson and Gen Prem Tinsulanonda, and a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University for 30 years, died last Thursday aged 87." RIP. TIMOR LESTE: Toxic cost of rubbish scavenging in East Timor "Among them is Domingos, a 61-year-old man working at the landfill for six months. 'The valuable things are bottles and cans,' he says. 'If I collect a big pile of cans, [I can sell it for $1]( " VIETNAM: In search of Arabica in Vietnam's war-scarred soil "In Vietnam, unskilled and fragmented labor are major hurdles to growing coffee that meets international requirements. At the same time, shifting cultivation can also be a problem in Vietnam's rural areas, as it takes an average of three years to harvest coffee, which can [prompt poor farmers to abandon it]( for other short-term alternatives. " Travel writing BURMA/CAMBODIA: Angkor-Bagan ‘sister city’ deal: Why it matters "However, whilst Siem Riep has an international airport, the Nyaung U airport is only equipped for domestic travel, meaning [significant upgrades]( will be necessary for international flights to be possible." BURMA: Sparks and sponsorship light up Myanmar's Shan State "There are also suggestions that the [Taunggyi hot air balloon competition]( began under the British in the late 19th century, and that the colonialists' hobby was adopted and repurposed for the festival. But festival veterans like Soe Ngwe say the first proper competitions began in the mid- to late 1940s after the end of Japanese occupation." Also, [our report from a few years ago](. INDONESIA: Cloud forest [Enjoy](. VIETNAM Hẻm Gems: Chinese-Malaysian noodles and Saigon's new generation of street food "Opposite the small counter [where this noodle-making magic occurs]( a row of small tables lines the wall, opening onto the bustle and noise of District 5, a part of town that always seems to operate at double-time compared to its downtown neighbour." VIETNAM II: Bizarre banana tree with 200 bunches grown in Binh Dinh [Go bananas in Vietnam](. VIETNAM II: Luke Nguyen's guide to the best eating and drinking in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) [Go and scoff](. Interesting site Architectural guide Yangon Going to Burma? [This is a keeper](. Travel shot [At the Taunggyi Fire Balloon Festival.] At the Taunggyi Fire Balloon Festival. 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](