Travelfish #360: Food food food + Cameron Highlands

Everywhere is on the way to somewhere Hi everyone, Ok, the Cameron Highlands update is now online—apologies for the delay. It was, unfortunately, not our favourite destination in Malaysia—in fact it was a bit of a big disappointment, but live and learn right? You can read our full write-up, and why we didn’t particularly like it, [here](. [Fancy a cuppa with a view? Photo: Stuart McDonald] Fancy a cuppa with a view? Photo: Stuart McDonald I’m off to Vietnam on Wednesday for a quick bike trip up through the northwest of the country. Last time I was there it was 1994 and we were hitching around in the back of concrete trucks. If nothing else, I’ve heard the roads have improved ... well they could not have got much worse! Expect more from Vietnam in the coming week. In the meantime, 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 What is it with food? The other day I was off getting a foot massage, felt a bit bored, and so posted a quick poll on Twitter. I was pretty gobsmacked to see that 24 hours later, some 944 people had voted (and a whole bunch had commented)—below are the results. You can [see the poll and read the comments here](. In your opinion, which country in mainland Southeast Asia has the best food? (Sorry Burma, Cambodia & Laos, polls only allow four choices!) Malaysia 21% Singapore 11% Thailand 47% Vietnam 22% Now Twitter polls are far from scientific (keen eyes will note the percentages don’t even add to 100%), but as a general indicator, Thailand was well out ahead. The feedback though was more interesting. Aside from people pointing out Singapore isn’t part of mainland Southeast Asia (look it is connected by a bridge ok! ;-), or complaining I didn’t include Cambodia, Laos or Burma (or, perish the thought‚ combine Malaysia and Singapore), quite a few suggested people were voting for Thailand because they didn’t know any better, or because they were eating the wrong dishes in the other countries. You’re not doing it right dude! Food is a very subjective thing. Personally, I’ve long been of the opinion that if you move to Southeast Asia and start off living in Thailand or Vietnam, it doesn’t matter where you move to in the region afterwards, you’ll be hankering for those dishes from the first place you lived. I reckon they’ve the best two cuisines in the region. That said I’ve friends who would say the same about the food you’d get in Malaysia, Indonesia or Burma. Of course, there was no right answer to this quiz, but many seemed to think there was. Food is funny. I love to eat. I’ll try anything once, sometimes more, sometimes never again, but I’ll always try it. Often though I have no idea what I’m eating and that is part of the fun. A couple of Vietnam trips ago I thought I was in the Delta, and in a beer hall I just pointed to what the table next to me was having. What came out I thought was a beef hot plate topped with testicles of some description (much ridiculous sign language was involved), but later, I sent it to Tu, a mate in Hanoi and half the brain behind arguably the best street food tour in the country (see below), and he said they were not testicles, but rather unlaid eggs from a chicken (ie., removed from inside the chicken when it was slaughtered). Firmly falling into the category of things I never thought I’d type, I wish I had been eating testicles. Even if you’re one to turn your nose up at tours, doing a street food tour on your maiden visit to a country can really pay big dividends. It can help you get past what some people find a bit intimidating—that there’s no menu (nor often walls) and not a lick of English is spoken—and it can also give you a brief introduction to what a cuisine can really offer. Yes there is far far far more than pad thai, pho and chicken rice! Over the years we’ve been lucky enough to try a bunch of food tours—we much prefer walking to the scooter ones—and here are a few to get you started: Hanoi: [Hanoi Street Food tours]( are not cheap, but worth it. Bookings in advance essential. Hue: Contact [Sy Trann (Tu) on Facebook](. Ho Chi Minh City: contact Trang Le (Trang) by email on letrang2468@gmail.com Phnom Penh: [Phnom Penh Food Tours]( provide excellent hands on street food tours of the Khmer capital. (Disclosure this is co-run by an ex-Travelfish writer). They also offer street food tours in Siem Reap. Siem Reap: [Dine with locals]( We’ve not tried this idea personally, but it comes highly (and repeatedly) recommended. Bangkok: Contact Chin at [Chili Paste]( for all your eating needs in Bangkok. So get out there and eat! 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 21 Things to know before you go to Ho Chi Minh City This is [a solid primer]( on one of Southeast Asia’s great cities. Respect the hammock, one of humanity’s greatest creations “[Their utility is obvious]( They elevate the sleeper well above the ground, away from tropical insects and reptiles, and the woven netting maintains airflow—vital in the heat.” Orangutans are our closest relative but we are neglecting them? “Unfortunately for orangutans, the space for them to live in continues to [dwindle drastically](. ” Smile for the camera: Reconsider Réhahn’s works “I also hope he stops asking An Phuoc, the blue-eyed girl, to stand next to her portrait [so that visitors can cuddle her and take her picture](. These activities further objectify ethnic minorities to a remarkable level.” (Old piece, from 2017) Former ‘killing caves’ become a sobering tourist destination “[Grade 5 student]( Sok Sonita serves as an amateur local guide for children. She takes time from her studies to tell tourists about the history of the caves.” Takeo: How to get there, where to stay, and things to do “Looking to get out of Phnom Penh life for a day, or spend a quiet weekend away? Takeo province may not be the most obvious tourism destination, but it offers [a host of interesting things to do]( and is a short two-hour drive from Phnom Penh (or a longer train journey).” Date with the wrecking ball: The last transmission from Dai La Once the French radio transmission station, the villa was [the first home of radio station The Voice of Vietnam](. For Indonesia’s child jockeys, time to retire at 10, after 5 years of racing [Terrific pics!]( The 14 essential restaurants in Chiang Mai, Thailand “Where to find pork curries, spicy fried chicken, and bowl after bowl of the creamy regional specialty, khao soi, in [the calm, creative haven of northern Thailand]( Deep fakes could have real consequences for Southeast Asia “For Southeast Asia’s fragile democracies, the lack of resolve [could lead to disaster]( Something to read Eating Viet Nam: Dispatches from a Blue Plastic Table “Eating Viet Nam: Dispatches from a Blue Plastic Table is [a memoir of avid street-food-diner-turned-blogger]( Graham Holliday.” Travel shot [There is no shortage of tea. Photo: Stuart McDonald] There is no shortage of tea. 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](