Luxury #Cambodia getaways win worldwide deluxe resort awards

Cambodia used to have the unwanted reputation of a “land of conflict and sorrow”. But that has dramatically changed in recent years. The Kingdom is now known as the place where you can find dome of the best and most alluring luxury destinations in the world.

Last week, that new reputation was strengthened with reports that Shinta Mani Wild and Song Saa Private Island bagged more than a few recognitions in the Destination Deluxe Awards 2019.

The Destination Luxury Awards are the brainchild of Destination Deluxe, a travel and wellness publication that picks and recognizes the top hotels, spas, treatment, skincare and wellness brands in the world. This is the inaugural edition for the awards.

There are 28 categories for the awards. The winners are chosen by a group of distinguished industry experts based on quality, transparency and originality. There are three ranked winners for each category.

Song Saa Private Island is the top awardee in the Eco-Hotel of the Year category. Soneva Fushi in Maldives and Morgan’s Rock Hacienda & Ecolodge in Nicaragua are also on the list.

The Khmer Tonic Spa in Shinta Mani Wild is number one in the Eco-Spa of the Year category. The others in the list are Fivelements Retreat Bali in Indonesia and FieldSpa GoldenEye in Jamaica.
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Shinta Mani Wild itself is the runner-up in the New Hotel of the Year and Hotel Design of the Year awards.

The other winners in the New Hotel of the Year category are Rosewood Hong Kong in Hong Kong and Amarla Boutique Hotel in Colombia.

For the Hotel Design of the Year, the others on the list are Datai Langkawi in Malaysia and Joe Lalli Resort Hotel in China.

“It is both an honour and very humbling that Bensley Collection-Shinta Mani Wild has been the recipient of ten awards in its first year of operation and a tribute to the GM and his team for their dedication, commitment and hard work on a daily basis,” Bill Bensley, the world-renowned designer behind Shinta Mani Wild, said.

“Shinta Mani Wild has an important eco and sustainability message, especially with our Wildlife Alliance partnership and their daily patrols to protect the forest and its inhabitants. These awards also bring much-needed awareness to the work we do in this regard,” he added.

The two Cambodian luxury destinations have reaped numerous international awards between them in recent years.

Shinta Mani Wild, which sits on 160 hectares of land between the Cardamon, Bokor and Kirirom national parks, said that it “provides the highest level of luxury while also working to protect the environment around it”. It opened two years ago.

Last year, it was included in the National Geographic Traveller (UK) Big Sleep Awards 2019, Time magazine’s “100 Greatest Destinations on Earth”, Condé Nast Traveller (UK) Hot List 2019, Harper’s Bazaar Ultimate Travel Guide 2019 (UK) : 100 Greatest Experiences in The World, among other recognitions. Located in Preah Sihanouk province, Song Saa Private Island is an ultra-exclusive and luxury getaway said to be frequented by some of the richest and most famous people in the world.

Last month, Luxury Travel Intelligence named it as among the “top 10 best luxury hotels built this decade”.

Source - Khmer Times

#Thailand - Maya Bay 'well on the road to recovery'

Coral reefs and ecosystems at the world-famous Maya Bay in the Andaman sea have been almost fully revived, but a date for its reopening to tourists has not been set. 

 

“After being closed for many months to facilitate natural restoration, the beach's green forests have started to recover and coral reefs in the bay area have also been showing recovery and these are encouraging signs,” Thon Thamrongnawasawat, well-known Thai marine biologist, wrote on his Facebook page on September 25.

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He also showed several photos provided by the marine national park operation centre, featuring lively coral reefs, crystal blue water and a shark swimming in its waters.

He praised the collaborative efforts for natural rehabilitation by many parties including nature conservation officials, staff of Kasetsart University, representatives from the private sector and volunteers.

There is still the problem of floating garbage spoiling coral reefs but the good news is that officials and volunteers are constantly collecting those garbages, he said.

As part of the two-year natural restoration plan, officials currently are working on the tourists' walk trail to ensure tourists do not damage trees. They are also arranging a new boat pier, ticket booking, tourist quota and other things, he said.

He expected the famous beach could be reopened for tourists uninterrupted. After that it should not be opened and closed from time to time as in the past, he said.

The bay has been closed since June 2018 after overcrowding by tourists damaged the bay environment. The authorities announced in May this year that it would be closed for two years to allow natural rehabilitation.

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Thon said the latest developments pointed to growth of diversified coral reefs, blacktip reef sharks swimming freely and beach forests turning green.

“This is the mission for the future to ensure that later generations would not condemn us (for destroying nature),” he wrote.

He did not speculate when the bay will reopen for tourists, but hinted that it would not be far away, saying that “new hope is approaching”.

Many who commented on his post were excited about the updates but some suggested that the bay remain closed for a more fewer years.

Source - The Nation

Thailand - Mae Hong Son to open new nature trek route with waterfalls to tourists

The Mae Hong Son Tourism Office is planning to launch a new trekking route to allow tourists to walk through a fertile forest to visit two beautiful waterfalls, an official said.

 

The nature trek route along Mae Sakued creek in Tambon Pha Bong in Muang district was on Tuesday visited by Yothin Taptimthong, director of the Mae Hong Son office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, and his deputy, Atthapol Thaweesunthorn.

Yothin said the visit was made for his office to prepare a package for tourists who love nature, forests and waterfalls, to take the Huay Mae Sakued Trek.

According to Yothin, the trek is about 1,860 metres long, running along the creek and through a fertile forest with big trees.

He said the highlights of the trek are two medium-sized waterfalls, Kued Luang Waterfall and Mae Sakued Waterfall. The two waterfalls should be visited during the rainy and winter seasons, when there is an abundant cascade of water.

The nature-study trek is under the supervision of the Mae Surin Waterfall National Park and the area is protected by the third protection unit of the national park.

The entrance to the trek and the unit’s office is about 9 kilometres from Mae Hong Son’s provincial seat, with the road to the office another three kilometres along the entrance road.

Tourists can call the Mae Surin Waterfall National Park office at 053-061-073 to learn more about the trek.

Source - The Nation

#Cambodia - ‘Widow Island’ Where the past is stranded

On the Mekong and Tonle Sap, the two ‘great rivers’ in Cambodia that can reverse their flow as the seasons change, lies dozens of picturesque islands each of which is worth a visit in its own right. Some are located near the capital of Phnom Penh and have turned into attractive destinations for stressed out city residents in this era of eco-consciousness. Among these is Koh Ksach Tonlea, an agricultural islet on Bassac River, a distributary of the Tonlé Sap and Mekong River. While its beauty and unspoilt natural features are luring the discerning traveller, the tragic story behind it should make Koh Ksach Tonlea even more alluring. Taing Rinith brings readers to the islet also known as ‘Widow Island’.

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On the Mekong and Tonle Sap, the two ‘great rivers’ in Cambodia that can reverse their flow as the seasons change, lies dozens of picturesque islands each of which is worth a visit in its own right. Some are located near the capital of Phnom Penh and have turned into attractive destinations for stressed out city residents in this era of eco-consciousness. Among these is Koh Ksach Tonlea, an agricultural islet on Bassac River, a distributary of the Tonlé Sap and Mekong River. While its beauty and unspoilt natural features are luring the discerning traveller, the tragic story behind it should make Koh Ksach Tonlea even more alluring. Taing Rinith brings readers to the islet also known as ‘Widow Island’.

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 Supposing that you depart from the Independence Monument, head south on National Highway 2. About one hour later, after passing Ta Khmao town and entering Sa’ang District of Kandal province, turn to National Road Number 21. After another 20 minutes, you will reach a pier, where you can board a ferry to Koh Ksach Tonlea.

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This is the take-off point.

Boarding the ferry very early in the morning is highly recommended since you will not miss the spectacular sunrise on the river while the air is cooler and the ferry is less crowded. For a fee of 1,000 riel ($0.25), you get a pleasant ride across the river, but remember to look after your own skin since the poor boatman does not have a lifejacket to hang on for dear life.

When approaching the wooden pier on the island, you will be able to tell the differences from the mainland, when the cool, fresh breeze hits you in the face. Almost everywhere is a blanket of tropical trees and flowers, emanating a fragrance that wipes out the car fumes of the dusty city. Look over your shoulder, and you will witness the life of hardy fishermen working on their boats, which with the river, framed by a picture of lazy tranquility.

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Next to the island’s pier is a small but beautiful beach, the best known attraction of the islet. People build small huts on the beach to be rented out over the weekends or on national holidays. The beach offers the same elements as coastal beaches, of course except for the salty water.

Many visitors spend their entire day at the beach and see their stress sailing off into the river, but that cannot be enough for an enthusiastic traveler. It is time to move on.

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The island infrastructure is naturally mostly underdeveloped, including the road. However, this very fact makes it an ideal spot for hiking and cycling. On a dirt road, lined with different species of trees, you can see the agrarian life of the islanders, who live off the vegetable and fruits they grow and fish from the river. There is not a market either, and now and then, you may see a grocery vendor fleeting from house to house.

Their life has seen almost no change in the last few decades. Nothing has changed. You will also see the island children, unlike the city youngsters who are going crazy with heads bowed to their smartphone, playing old-fashion games like tag and hide-and-seek.

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About 1km north of the pier is the home of Ech Mok, the only traditional boatmaker in the area. The friendly craftsman invites curious travelers to his workshop. And have some tea.

“The main means of transportation are bicycles and boats while there are a few motorbikes and barely any car,” Mok says. “I’ve been making boats for the people here for almost 30 years.”

According the 51 year-old boatmaker, Koh Ksach Tonlea has another name: Koh Memay (translates to Widow Island). The name has a tragic story behind it.

“During Khmer Rouge regime, the island was the place where the Khmer Rouge kept the wives of the murdered male victims,” he revealed. “Not many people know about this. One of those women was my late mother.”

Many of the widows are still alive and willing to tell you their stories. The stories are always sad, full of abuse and great losses. No one knows how many widows were kept here. Some say a few hundred while others say it runs into the thousands. The rest is up to your imahination.

The area on the other end of Koh Ksach Tonlea is perfect for kite-flying or old-fashioned fishing, if that happens to be your hobby, and the best spot on the islet to view the sunset.

As the orange sun sinks into the river and fishermen beat a retreat, it is the time to reflect on your journey to virtually nowhere, and ponder the dark secret sheltered by this idyllic and innocuous islet so near Phnom Penh city.

Source - Khmer Times

Jump in domestic tourists to Thailand’s west during rainy season: study

Thailand’s rainy season is typically associated with travel to the western region, where nature becomes its most beautiful during the period. 

 

Despite the weather, new data from Hotels.com has revealed a 26-per-cent jump in searches among Thai travelers for accommodation in the Western region from 2018 to 2019.

According to search data from Hotels.com, local searches for hotels located in Thailand’s western region, including Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, Phetchaburi, Tak and Prachuap Khiri Khan, increased by 26 per cent during May to September 2019, compared with the same period of last year. 

Perhaps surprising to some, the most desired province for Thai tourists in the Western region this year during the rainy season is Ratchaburi – which experienced an 83-per-cent rise in searches for overnight accommodation in 2019. 

Other Western provinces experiencing an increase in search volume included Phetchaburi (31 per cent), Tak (19 per cent) and Prachuap Khiri Khan (18 per cent).

“The data indicates a positive, upward trend in travel to Thailand’s Western region, especially during the rainy season. Come rain or shine, locals are still willing to travel to great lengths to explore regions with natural, untouched beauty for truly rewarding experiences,” Jessica 

 Chuang, the Hotels.com regional marketing director for Greater China, Southeast Asia and India, said. 

“With a wide range of accommodation options, [the brand] aims to provide more inspiration and opportunity for travellers to stay in hotels they never knew existed – whether they are in the forest, the jungle or even up a mountain!” she said.

Source The Nation

 

#Vietnam - 50,000 pilgrims visit Huong Pagoda on festival’s opening day

More than 50,000 pilgrims were at the Huong Son complex in Hanoi Sunday, overwhelming roads and cable cars. 

Tens of thousands of devout Vietnamese flocked to the Huong Son complex on Sunday, the first day of the Huong Pagoda festival.

The Huong Pagoda, in Huong Son Commune, Hanoi's rural district of My Duc, is a collection of many temples and pagodas built amidst mountains and forests.

Every year, on the sixth day of the first lunar month, February 10 this year, the three-month Huong Pagoda festival opens. 

The festival, one of the grandest religious festivals in the country, attracts hundreds of thousands of Buddhists in the early days of the Lunar New Year.

From early Sunday morning, the entrance to Thien Tru Pagoda, one of the main pagodas in the religious complex, was overflowing with people. This year, in an effort to ensure security and manage the place better, the organizing committee has not allowed business booths in the temple, caves, on narrow roads and at the Nam Thien Mon Gate.

"This year, the festival’s opening day is still a public holiday, and the weather is warm, so the number of pilgrims has increased dramatically compared to other years," said Nguyen Van Hoat, chairman of My Duc district people's committee.

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The entrance to Thien Tru Pagoda was obstructed as many pilgrims climbed over the fence to get in.

According to the festival organizing committee, more than 125,000 visitors visited the complex from February 7 to 9. On Sunday morning, more than 50,000 pilgrims thronged the sacred complex.

 Pilgrims prayed and made offerings at the pagoda’s altars, invoking divine blessings, peace and luck for the New Lunar Year.

 Thousands waited patiently in line for hours in front of the cable car station to catch a car to reach the Huong Tich cave.

 In 2018, the Huong Pagoda festival welcomed 1.4 million pilgrims, ticket sales feteched VND 112 billion ($4.8 million). This year, 1.5 million tickets have been printed.

 

The Huong Tich Cave, the heart of the Huong Son landscape, had no empty space Sunday morning. On the entrance to the cave, on a high cliff to the left, five words, "Nam Thien De Nhat Dong" (The best cave in the South sky) are carved. These were the words given in 1770 by Trinh Sam, a Lord from the Trinh family which ruled the country at the time.

The Huong Pagoda festival lasts from the sixth day of the first lunar month to the last day of the third lunar month, that is, from February 10 to May 4 this year. This is the longest Lunar New Year festival in the country.

Source - VNExpress

Investigation finds Thai wild tigers targeted by foreign professional gangs

Vietnamese poachers recorded their kills of wild tigers in Thailand

New findings from a three-month investigation have revealed that professional gangs were dispatched across Thailand’s borders to target the Kingdom’s wild tigers.

Freeland, a Bangkok-based international non-governmental organisation working in Asia on environmental conservation and human rights, on Tuesday congratulated Thai authorities for making this discovery and already arresting one of the gangs.

The investigation was initiated after the successful arrest of two Vietnamese men by Thai police in late October following a tip-off from a Thai driver-for-hire. 

The driver had been travelling between the west-central towns of Tak and Phitsanulok when he considered the baggage belonging to two foreign customers to be suspicious, so he called the police. 

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 Thai police inspect the remains of a poached tiger

 They arrested the owners of the bag, took the suspects and the tiger remains to Nakhon Sawan police station, and inspected the suspects' belongings, including their phones.

Police then contacted Freeland for analytical assistance. 

The NGO’s forensics experts were dispatched to the scene and provided on-the-job training. 

Using Cellebrite digital forensics technology, police found evidence that the poachers, originating from Vietnam, had crossed Laos into Thailand for targeted hunting in the Kingdom's forests. 

The poachers documented their trips on their phones, including tiger kills.

Freeland believes the poachers were working on assignment from a Vietnamese criminal syndicate. 

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“We do not think this was the poachers’ first time in 

Thailand, and we have reason to believe they were planning to strike again,” said Sangchai, director of Freeland-Thailand.

Following the discovery of the gang and the poached tiger, Thai rangers were put on high alert. 

“This gang has been removed as a threat, but we should be aware that whoever employed them may dispatch more hunters to kill our country’s tigers,” said Petcharat, adding, “Police, rangers and the public must remain vigilant.”

Freeland is now trying to create an information exchange to suppress cross-border poaching and trafficking, which it believes extends to the criminal exploitation of rosewood trees.

Source - TheNation 
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Vietnam - Tourists revel in rich Khmer culture

If you visit in mid-November to mid-December, the Ok Om Bok Festival, also called the Festival of Worshipping the Moon, takes place at the Ba Om Pond relic site.

Kim Ngọc Thái, deputy chairman of the province’s People’s Committee, said that the Ok Om Bok is one of the main traditional Khmer festivals in the south besides the Sene Dolta and Chol Chnam Thmay festivals.

The joyful and festive Ok Om Bok event has been recognised as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Vietnamese government.

The one-week festival includes cultural and sports events, trade fairs offering local specialties, traditional competitions such as tug-of-war and crossing of bamboo bridges, and a souvenir design contest.

But the standout activity is the exciting and colourful Ghe Ngo (Khmer boat) race on Bà Ôm Pond (which is actually as big as a lake)

Six rowing teams with nearly 400 athletes from different districts and cities in the province compete in a race that is seen as both a way to express solidarity and a traditional ritual to see off the God of Water to the ocean after the growing season.

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The Khmer believe that the Buddha blesses and protects them, so followers donate time, money and effort to build pagodas in their hamlets.

More than one million Khmer live in southern Việt Nam, which has a total of 600 Khmer pagodas. Some of them have existed for several centuries and have been recognised as national architectural relics, including the pagodas of Ang, Mẹt, Hang and Dơi.

The pagodas are always built on large areas surrounded by Dầu (Dipterocarpus alatus) trees, Palmyra palms or green cajuput forests.

A panoramic view of a typical Khmer pagoda includes a monastery, gate, fence, wall, main chamber, towers containing the ashes of dead monks, and the Sala, the place where monks and the Khmer gather to prepare for important ceremonies.
The main chamber of the Ang Pagoda, the most important part of the structure, is located in the centre and faces east. It is designed with a multi-layered roof decorated with four curved dragon’s tails on four of the roof’s corners.

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 Decorative reliefs on the pagoda’s walls include a fairy, statues of divine Krud birds, the ogress Yeak wearing armor, and the head of the Bayon with four faces, all expressing the spirit of the Khmer people. 

  The corridor outside the main chamber is decorated with Naga curving around the terrace that represent cruel forces subdued by the Buddha.

The Khmer, who account for 30 per cent of the province’s population, have enriched the local cuisine with traditional ingredients and distinctive flavours.

Bún Nước Lèo (noodle soup) is one of the most well-known. It consists of snakehead fish, roast pork and shrimp, with the essential “mắm bò hóc” (bò hóc sauce) to enrich the boldness and brackishness of the soup.
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Central: The pagoda’s main chamber, the most important part of the structure, is located in the centre of Khmer pagodas.

Source - Read Continue 
 

Nine Cambodians arrested for felling, processing Siamese rosewood trees

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Thai park officials and troops detained nine Cambodians for allegedly felling and processing Siamese rosewoods inside forest reserves in Sa Kaew’s Mueang district.

Pang Si Da National Park chief Panatchakorn Phobanthit said the arrests were made on Monday following a tip-off .

Panatchakorn said the informant told authorities a large group of Cambodians were felling trees in the Kaeng Dinso, Kaeng Yai and Satone national forest reserves.

  

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 Park officials and troops later found around 40 Cambodians walking in line, each carrying a plank of Siamese rosewood on their back to smuggle the precious wood out of the forest. On seeing the authorities approach, they ran into the forest – but nine were apprehended.

Officials seized 75 planks and two chainsaws.

 The arrested Cambodians said they sneaked across the border at night and walked four days to the forest reserves. They spent five days processing the planks before starting to walk back when the authorities swooped.

Source - TheNation

Hungry elephants in Sumatra destroy local plantations

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Locals have called on authorities to take action to drive away three wild elephants, which came close to residential areas in Bengkalis regency, Riau province and destroyed palm and crop plantations.

The herd of the endangered animal had visited Jl. Rangau, Pematang Pudu subdistrict, Mandau district, in the past two weeks, but it was only in the past week that they began eating the local’s plantations, local Nimrot Sinaga said.

“They also destroyed an 8-hectare 3-year old palm plantation, which belongs to my parents,” he said on Friday.

The elephants usually came at night, he said, adding that he and the other residents tried to drive the elephants away using firecrackers. However, the elephants remained circling the area as other residents also tried to cast them away from the opposite direction.

He predicted that the three elephants are one family as they comprised of two adults and one calf around five years old.

“We expect the Riau Natural Resource Conservation Agency [BKSDA] will soon deploy a tamed elephant to lead the wild elephants away from the plantations and residences,” he said.

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 Tamed elephants are usually used to mitigate conflict between wild elephants and humans.

Nimrot said if authorities did not take swift action, he feared the local people would not be able to contain their anger as their palm plantations were eaten by the elephants. He said the elephants ate the palm shoots, which will kill the trees.

Besides palms, the elephants also ate other crops including sweet potatoes, beans and many other kinds of vegetables.

“If they keep causing restlessness among locals, I fear for their safety. They are protected animals, but their lives could be at risk,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mandau district head Djoko Edy Imhar said he had contacted Riau BKSDA to report the incident.

“BKSDA must lead the wild elephants away from local residences and plantations to prevent any possible conflicts,” he said.

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Agency official R. Hutajulu said his office had assigned a team to monitor the wild elephant’s movements. It was detected that they were around the Jambon public cemetery and the team would try to lead them to Talang Forest at night.

From this monitoring, it was known that the herds’ movements were slow as one of the adult elephants could not walk properly. The elephant’s leg was wounded from a trap, which struck it some time ago. The agency’s team had treated the wound, but he said the healing process might take a while as the wound was on the elephant’s foot.

Hutajulu urged people not to get panicky if the three wild elephants passed their yards while they were herded to the Talang Forest.

“People must remain calm as Riau BKSDA is following their movements. It is better for people to stay at a safe distance so the elephants do not feel threatened and chase people instead,” he said.

The rampant conversion of forests into plantations has increased the rate of human-elephant conflicts in the country. Data from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Indonesia in 2015 showed that Indonesia had the highest number of human-elephant conflicts in Asia.

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 Source - TheJakartaPost

 

Deep Forest Garden Hotel, Puerto Princesa, #Philippines

Located on Palawan Island, Deep Forest Garden Inn features an outdoor swimming pool, a hot tub and 3 dining options. It offers air-conditioned rooms with garden views. Free internet is provided in public areas.

 Rooms at Deep Forest Garden Inn are fitted with air conditioning, a flat-screen cable TV and a safety deposit box. Dormitory rooms are also available.

 The hotel operates a 24-hour front desk and provides daily housekeeping service. Massage service and airport shuttle is available upon request at a surcharge, while tour activities can also be arranged. Other facilities include bike rentals and a minimart.

The on-site restaurants serve a wide variety of international dishes and fine selection of wines for guests to choose from.

Deep Forest Garden Inn is a 5-minute drive from Puerto Princesa International Airport. Shuttle service from the hotel to the town proper may be arranged at an extra charge.

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