Travel Newsletter: 6 October 2023
Notes on Muang Xai, thoughts on guide books and travel writing, Anchorage, Đà Lạt's nomadic 'cafe', the Doğu Express across Turkey, and more travel reads.
Welcome to the Nomadic Notes Travel Newsletter, where I curate the best travel reads of the week.
This week I continue to chronologically blog my way through my travels. I’m currently in Laos last year, where I visited Muang Xai.
Latest posts at Nomadic Notes
Notes on Muang Xai: A stop on the Laos-China Railway
Muang Xai is the capital city of Oudomxai Province in Northern Laos. The city is one of the main stops of the Laos-China Railway, which was what brought me there.
Travel reads
• Whenever IVF sets me back, I travel
“Writer Annie Daly reflects on the trips that have gotten her through her in vitro fertilization journey.”
• Anchorage is one of the happiest cities in America
• Hiking Sri Lanka's tea trail
• Hẻm Gems: Đà Lạt's nomadic 'cafe' has no menu, no store, and one table
• Monster wrestling and other weird, wonderful sports from around the world
• Stay away: The pretty US town that has had enough of influencers
• Bandung travelogue by
“Journey to the birthplace of the Non-Aligned Movement.”
💻 Nomad news
• Bansko: Bulgaria's unlikely new digital nomad hub
✍️ On travel writing
• Welcome to midlife, Lonely Planet by
“As the iconic publisher marks its 50th birthday, it's trying hard to stay relevant. Where to now?”
• The future of travel writing byTalking Travel Writing
“What will we be writing in the next decade? Two seasoned pros make their predictions.”
• When travel writing isn’t travel writing
“As a travel writer, I rarely read a lot of travel articles. The reason is too many are examples of when travel writing isn’t travel writing.”
As a travel curator, this resonated with me. I try and find articles of interest that are not just guides or generic listicles. Guides are important, but they are better to read when you are researching.
🚆Train travel
• On the midnight express train across Turkey
“On the final journey in our long-distance rail series we take the Doğu Express, which runs east from the Turkish capital, Ankara, towards Kars and the border with Georgia.”
• Fast times on America’s slowest train
“A surreal train ride between Chicago and New Orleans proves that Amtrak still has a lot to offer. (Not including speed or the food.)”
• Indonesia launches China-backed 'Whoosh' high-speed railway
Indonesia now has one of the fastest trains in the world. For more news on Southeast Asia railways, subscribe to my Southeast Asia Railways Newsletter.
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[Cafes apartment on Nguyen Hue Walking Street. @nomadicnotes.]
James Clark – Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.