Travelfish #317: The Bukit + Island hopping + Hello, Shadowlands

Everywhere is on the way to somewhere Hi all, Back to our regular programming this week after our Happy Birthday to Us email of last week—thank you those who wrote in with a personal congrats :) New on the site this week we have the [Bukit Peninsula]( in South Bali—don’t think it is just for surfer bums—yoga bums are well catered to as well! Stuart has a considerable backlog of research from Laos and Thailand to get online, so more will be rolling out in the coming week. The soap box this week is about spending your island time sensibly, so as to squeeze every last moment out of your beach time—our advice? Don’t move! In books, Sam takes a look at Hello, Shadowlands: Inside the Meth Fiefdoms, Rebel Hideouts and Bomb-Scarred Party Towns of Southeast Asia. It's a bit of an overblown title, but the book is worth a read, shining a light as it does on some of the dustier, dirtier corners of the region. In breaking news as we were doing the newsletter, a dam collapse in Attapeu Province in southern Laos has left 100s missing. Torrential rain in many parts of the country have seen Konglor Cave near Tha Khaek closed and waterfalls near Luang Prabang looking extremely dangerous. Please take care and adjust your travel plans accordingly. 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 Island hopping We often see itinerary enquiries pop in that read like they were spat out of an island random name generator. Stuff like: “I'm going to be in Thailand for two weeks and plan to go to Ko Lipe, Ko Tarutao, Ko Bulon Lae, Ko Muk, Ko Kradan, Ko Ngai, Ko Lanta, Ko Jum, Ko Pha Ngan, both Ko Changs and maybe Ko Samet, but I'm struggling to figure out the best way to fit them in and how to sensibly order it. Can you help?” Yes, I can. You shouldn’t, and you can’t. This isn’t only the case with Thailand of course—anywhere with clusters of islands has its fair share of punters wanting to go island hopping. But the question begs, should you? There is no hard and fast answer. After all, there is no “right” way to travel, but here are a few considerations to keep in mind. The clock is ticking Moving islands, even if the next island is 30 minutes away by boat, means you’re going to lose more than that 30 minutes. You’ll need to pack up, check out (generally by 10:00), head to the pier, buy a ticket, jump on the boat, float across, get off the boat, arrange transport to wherever you’re heading, find a room and check-in (generally after 14:00) then unpack, settle in and walk down to the beach—from where you can gaze across the water to where you were six hours ago! A beach is a beach is a beach right? Wrong. Not all beaches are made equal. Thailand (for example) has spectacularly beautiful beaches, spectacular beaches and beautiful beaches (okay and plenty of crappy ones too), but if you have limited time, giving up a day of travel to get to a different stretch of sand which you have read is even more beautiful might not be the best use of your limited time. Each island is different Yes, of course, every island is different, and each will have a different vibe to it (to a degree). But, like the beaches, the differences can often be quite subtle and if your main concern is just improving that tan, does it matter if you are on Phuket or [Ko Phayam]( Take an honest appraisal of your own interests and organise you trip accordingly. Switch beach not island While this will still necessitate the whole check-in, check-out time suck, moving from one side of the island to the other (should) take far less time and still can deliver a massive change in experience. Especially on larger islands like [Ko Chang]( [Ko Pha Ngan]( and [Ko Lanta]( moving along the coast even just a few bays can deliver an entirely different experience—without needing to leave the island. Break up the trip Last but not least, if you are going to island hop, slow down, smell the coffee and experience some of what the mainland has to offer! If you are moving from Thailand’s Gulf islands to the Andaman coast islands, why not break the trip at [Khao Sok National Park]( Moving up to the east coast islands, try spending a night or two in [Prachuap Khiri Khan]( or [Chanthaburi](. Hopping to the far southwest? Overnight (at least) at [Trang](. Most importantly, pick the right island for you. Do your research—Thailand has [more than 30 islands]( that are at least semi-popular with travellers. So read up, let your fingers do the walking, and score yourself some extra beach time at the right strip of sand for you. Happy planning. 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 Hello Shadowlands: Inside the Meth Fiefdoms, Rebel Hideouts and Bomb-Scarred Party Towns of Southeast Asia by Patrick Winn In Hello Shadowlands: Inside the Meth Fiefdoms, Rebel Hideouts and Bomb-Scarred Party Towns of Southeast Asia , Patrick Winn crawls right into the underbellies of selected criminal (and colourful) subcultures across Southeast Asia. If you’re looking to read something to balance out endless Instagram snapshots of sunny Southeast Asian beaches dotted with umbrella-stabbed coconuts, [this dark book is it](. Featured The Bukit Peninsula "The sequence at Uluwatu was a two-day affair. The first time I went to Ulu’s it was two feet … the smallest I’ve ever seen it even after visiting Bali countless times. A few days later the beach break came up so we decided to go to Ulu’s and see what it was like … when we walked to the edge of the cliff there were lines all the way to the horizon … it was about ten feet. We surfed and filmed there all day much to the amazement and amusement of the locals who had never seen surfing before and spent the night against the cliff on the small beach next to the cave. It was a full moon and with Rusty playing his guitar, a few Balinese fisherman perched on the rocks against the cliff face and an exploding sea not far in front of us it was a pretty memorable experience." So wrote Albert Falzon about the 1970s seminal surf classic, [The Morning of the Earth]( and while it is fair to say Bali’s Bukit Peninsula has changed massively since the 1970s (and, as is near always the case, not for the better), it remains one of those places on this planet that is just so stunning no amount of human interference can really stop your jaw from dropping ... though perhaps now it will drop for more than one reason! Back in Falzon’s day, the Bukit was largely undeveloped—dotted with small villages among the scrub, farmers and fishers eking out a living off the land or the sea. Today much of the scrub remains—the Bukit is famously arid—but tourists are the new crop, and it is a far more diverse crowd than surfers and their sticks feet up in wooden beach lean-tos. The west and south coast are lined with breathtaking cliffs—they really will take your breath away on the hike back up—overlooking some of the [best white and golden sands]( on the entire island of Bali. Near all are surf beaches, home to some of the island’s most famous waves, but even if you don’t surf, it is often safe to swim in close and the beaches themselves, now lined with everything from bamboo shacks to salubrious beach clubs make for fine spots to while away day after day. There are also [loads of excellent places to stay](. Back up off the beach, the area has a new age tilt to is, with no shortage of yoga retreats, [healthy eateries]( (not just surfer food!) and some fabulous hideaways ideal for families looking for some down time with perhaps a pool and a beach within easy walking distance. The Bukit is also home to [Pura Luhur Uluwatu]( of the most spectacularly situated temples on Bali and also home to the kecak dance—yes it is a touristy affair, but the sunset setting is simply sublime. Unfortunately, it isn’t all good news—as with much of Bali, development is cranking along at an unsustainable pace and the area is firmly in the grip of the local transport mafia, meaning you’ll be paying about four times what you would pay in a metered taxi for getting around—because of this many choose to hire a scooter or car. In the scheme of things though, this is more of a financial inconvenience than a trip–buster. So even if you can’t tell a surf board from a jet ski (spoiler: one has an engine), the Bukit is still well worth a look see, and, as with so many places now, you’re better off to go there today rather than tomorrow. [Read more about the Bukit here](. Travelfish partners [Head to Indonesia with Intrepid Travel]( If you thought Indonesia was all big resorts and Bintang, it might be time to check your atlas -- Intrepid Travel offer [20 adventure trips to Indonesia](. News from the region CAMBODIA: What has gone wrong in Cambodia? “It is China’s support that has enabled Hun Sen to weather repeated criticisms of his regime while building up the military strength [that ensures his survival]( INDONESIA I: Palm oil from Indonesia's shrinking forests taints global brands “Clarke from WWF said trading firms “need to [make it very clear to the mills]( that they won’t buy from them until they can provide assurance that it is 100 percent legal.” ” INDONESIA II: Hunting the con queen of Hollywood “Before long, he was on a plane to Jakarta.” [Bizarre story!]( LAOS I: Laos dam collapse: Hundreds missing after flash floods hit villages “[Hundreds of people are missing]( and an unknown number dead after a dam under construction collapsed in south-east Laos, state media reported.” LAOS II: How worried should Laos be about its debt problems? “What the Lao government is betting on (and it is a gamble) is that by indebting itself today future revenue will grow quicker than future outgoings, in terms of debt repayment. It’s not an uncommon bet, and some governments have won handsomely. The problem for Laos, however, is that [the odds of success are slim]( SOUTHEAST ASIA I: Impunity rules in Southeast Asia “And it is hard for some to accept Western nations` insistence on accountability, when efforts to hold former colonial powers accountable [have been strongly resisted]( SOUTHEAST ASIA II: Trans-Asian Railway chugs closer to becoming a reality “The bamboo railway is unsuitable for hauling large amounts of freight.” [Slight understatement!]( THAILAND: An onslaught of tourists is stressing out Thailand “Many of the overseas travelers head to Bangkok, beach hot-spots like Phuket or the popular northern city of Chiang Mai, [straining local resources]( THAILAND II: In reversal, city won’t spare Khaosan, Chinatown vendors “A year after the world-famous district was spared from a long campaign to clear the capital’s streets, a deputy governor said [stricter regulations]( would go into effect Aug. 1 to prevent street vendors from occupying spaces meant for pedestrians.” VIETNAM: Critically endangered giant fish on menu at luxury restaurants “Lang Nghe is part of a growing trend of restaurants across Vietnam that are aggressively cultivating a new, dangerous market for megafish. The species they offer are so rare that the removal of even a few individuals—up to six a month in the case of Lang Nghe—may [tip the animals toward extinction](. ” VIETNAM II: Yok Don National Park receives financial grant to stop all elephant rides, activities “Under the condition of the grant, the park will suspend all elephant rides and activities that involve direct contact with elephants and minimize elephant use in festivals. Instead, the park will be working towards building an elephant tourism model where tourists can [observe the animals in their natural habitat]( and learn about them.” Travel writing CAMBODIA: Lost World “For over a decade, the government of Cambodia has granted several private companies concessions to mine these mangrove forests for sand. Each year, millions of metric tons of sand are shipped to Singapore to enlarge this island nation’s land mass, [while Cambodia destroys its only natural protection against erosion]( rising sea levels, tsunamis, and hurricanes and lays waste to a vital and fragile ecosystem that thousands of families depend on for their livelihood.” INDONESIA I: The island of Sumatra “Hear about travel to the island of [Sumatra]( in Indonesia as the Amateur Traveler talks to Luke Mackin from wildsumatra.com about this far-flung destination he now calls home.” INDONESIA II: Visiting Komodo Island and island hopping around Flores “I’ve seen photos of Pink Beach on Instagram and I thought they were all Photoshopped. I didn’t have a high expectation. But it turned out that the pink beach [is really pink!]( INDONESIA III: How to spend six weeks in Java [Use Travelfish of course!]( OVERTOURISM: Crowded out: The story of overtourism “A powerful short documentary exploring overtourism, [featuring interviews with local residents and global experts]( Interesting site The Spice Route End Plenty of [interesting information]( about travelling in Indonesia here. Travel shot [No shortage of sand at Padang Padang. Photo: Sally Arnold] No shortage of sand at Padang Padang. Photo: Sally Arnold 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! 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