Thoughts on 50 in Koh Lanta
Greenland is the real Iceland, Misery Beach isn't miserable at all, living in a plane, falling from a plane, guessing airport codes, and more travel reads.
KOH LANTA - Happy lunar new year - the year of the tiger is upon us šÆ.
This week I celebrated my 50th birthday on the beach, which is where I tend to spend my birthdays these days. This half-ton milestone (as they say in the cricket) now allows me to apply for a retirement visa in Thailand. On the one hand, Iām offended that Iām now considered at an age of retirement. On the other hand, Iām like, hmm a one year visa you say š¤. Then I remember that Iām a nomad and when am I ever going to spend a year in a country (apart from the recent year in Vietnam due to the pandemic).
Koh Lanta turned out to be a great choice to see in this milestone, even though I wasnāt planning to be here up until about two weeks ago. I was waiting to see what happens in Laos, but they have just announced their convoluted reopening, so I will wait for another time. Looks like I will be staying in Thailand a while longer.
[Koh Lanta, 50 on 2/2/22 @nomadicnotes]
Where Iāve been
Cambodia
I saw in 2022 in Phnom Penh, mainly because Cambodia is currently the easiest country to travel to in Southeast Asia. Cambodia is one of the most vaccinated countries in the region, and as such, they are open for fully vaccinated travellers.
I keep track of how each country I am travelling to is faring, as I donāt want to end up in a place that is still struggling. This is what the daily case rate looked like up until I left.
And crucially, the death rate flatlined to zero during my stay in Cambodia.
Flights are starting to trickle back to the country, and being in Cambodia made me feel a bit hopeful for travel in 2022. This announcement by AirAsia resuming flights to Phnom Penh gave a hint of the joy of what it is going to feel like when more flights resume.
We are not out of the woods yet though. There were so many closed travel-related businesses, and those who work in the industry are still struggling. The government here is predicting a travel rebound by 2025.
While it was relatively easy to enter, you still have to get an RT-PCR Test when flying out. I found that there were very few places offering them in the city. I ended up going to a public hospital where it cost $130USD (my most expensive test to date). I thought they would take credit cards at that rate, but they only accepted cash payments. I had to run out to the street and find a bank. At the hospital cashier desk, they had a big box where they were putting the money (they use US Dollars for big money in Cambodia), so there must have been thousands of dollars just sitting loosely in that box.
Another risk of travel is testing positive when you arrive, as happened to an Irish visitor while I was there. He was taken to a quarantine camp after testing positive on arrival, and his updates of the camp conditions went viral.
Some people were commenting that he shouldnāt have gone there, but Cambodia is highly vaccinated now, and if you are fully vaccinated then the probability of you getting sick enough to need an ICU bed is slim. It felt good to be back here staying at family-run guesthouses and doing my tiny part in restarting the tourism economy.
With travel still ages away from getting back to normal, I havenāt been updating any travel content. I treated this month in Cambodia as a work trip for Future Southeast Asia. I did a construction report for Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville, surveyed the situation in Koh Rong, and stayed in Kampot to assess proposed developments in Kampot and Kep provinces. I will have trip reports for all those places at Nomadic Notes at a later date.
Thailand
When I returned to Thailand in December last year I did so with the 1-day quarantine program (Test & Go). That program was then put on hold (and restarts today), so I had to come back to Thailand via the Phuket Sandbox program. For this quarantine system, you have to stay on the island of Phuket for a week before you can travel anywhere else in Thailand.
I have been to Phuket a few times before but I have only been on brief visits. This enforced stay (yes a hardship, I know) was a good chance to explore some other parts of the island I havenāt seen before. In fact, being in Phuket has given me some new inspiration for some travel and digital nomad articles.
After my seven days in Phuket, I got a boat to Phi Phi. This island group was made famous for being the filming location for The Beach, and then it became an example of over-tourism. That reason alone had put me off revisiting for years. The boat from Phuket to Lanta stops at Phi Phi anyway, so I figured I may as well have a look around again while it is in this tourism lull. Iām glad I went because it really a beautiful, even with the remnants of over torism.
Koh Lanta feels nothing like Phuket or Phi Phi. Even before covid it was an island known for its laidback charm. I will have trip reports for all three islands.
As for the rest of this month, Iām still making it up as I go. I might end up staying on in Thailand for another month. I feel like Iām circling around in a holding pattern, waiting for the best time for me to return to Australia, and for Vietnam to reopen.
Ultimately I would like to get back to Vietnam and stay there for a while (and write all these new articles Iāve been thinking about). That might be by April. While I am in nomad mode I am making the most of being able to visit some places to feature on Future Southeast Asia. Iāve just had my best month again for website traffic, helped by the fact that I am cranking out new content every week. I also have a big life milestone coming up, which has me thinking about where to be. I will expand on that next month.
Assorted travel reads
My friend Jodi from Legal Nomads wrote this article for CNN about how a medical procedure gone wrong changed her life in an instant.
ā¢ Greenland: how the Arctic destination is becoming an unlikely mecca for extreme sports enthusiasts
ā¢ Misery Beach, on Western Australia's south coast, named Tourism Australia Best Beach 2022
ā¢ Discovering the unexpected wonder of Mumbaiās coastal wildlife
āPhotographer Sarang Naik is reintroducing his hometown to its rich biodiversity, from glowing corals to dazzling sea slugs.ā
ā¢ A long-overlooked necropolis in Naples reveals the enduring Influence of Ancient Greece
āThe Ipogeo dei Cristalliniās well-preserved tombs will open to the public as soon as summer 2022.ā
ā¢ The discovery of Egypt's lost city
āMass tourism may have ended with the Covid-19 pandemic, but Chinese independent travellers are making the most of Southeast Asia with no thoughts of going home.ā
ā¢ This man lives in the plane that flew Jackie O to a funeralāand youāre welcome to join him
ā¢ Youāve surely heard of Wordle by now (or at least seen images shared on social media). There are other language versions, and now there is Airportle.
ā¢ The Great Resignation has morphed into the Great Sabbatical
āMid-career sabbaticals have tripled over the past four yearsāand the gap year is losing its stigma.ā
ā¢ An air stewardess fell 33,000 feet and lived to tell the tale 50 years ago today
ā¢ Iām drawn to lighthouses, even if they are meant to keep you away (or ships at least)ā¦
ā¢ Kek Lok Si Temple in Penang looking great for the Lunar New Year. Iāve spent a few Lunar New Years in Penang (the last being in January 2020), and I miss it.
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TheĀ Nomadic NotesĀ Travel Newsletter is a weekly newsletter of the best travel reads and interesting travel news from around the web, and random ramblings by the editor.
- James Clark
Airportle! LOL. As a former flight attendant, I would rock at this. (And I've long been fascinated by the story of that flight attendant. Incredible story!) Also, happy birthday. We spent three months on Koh Lanta two years ago and it's indeed a great place for a birthday. Finally, agree 100% about nomad visas. I didn't become a nomad to park myself anywhere for a year!