Tag: Newsletter

A derelict French colonial villa near Kep, Cambodia, the kind of ruin Knai Bang Chatt's own buildings once were. Image by Adam Jones
Newsletter

Unmasked Weekly – Issue No. 15 | 2 July 2026

Around the Region Hello from Europe, where I’m currently trading Bangkok’s humidity and incessant rain for a rather more restrained kind of summer, though I won’t pretend I don’t miss the smell of a night market and being able to grab a bite to eat from a street stall at 9pm. Westerners do have stricter

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the view over Luang Prabang from Mount Phousi
Newsletter

Unmasked Weekly – Issue No. 14 | 26 June 2026

Around the Region We’re well into the wet season here in Bangkok and the city has settled into its slow, sweaty rhythm. The roads are always busy but the streets are much quieter, the afternoon rain is reliable, and anyone who knows Southeast Asia knows this is actually a good time to be paying attention

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Aerial view of Bohol's coastline in the Philippines showing turquoise water with boats moored along a white sand beach, framed by lush green hillsides
Newsletter

Unmasked Weekly – Issue No. 13 | 18 June 2026

Around the Region Low season is upon us, and the region is feeling a reduction in visitor numbers at community level. Each nation has its own way of attempting to plug the gap – and in Thailand’s case, that means taxing your arrival and your departure. If you’re flying out of Thailand this weekend, your

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Aerial view of a white sand beach and turquoise water at Koh Kong, Cambodia, with traditional wooden fishing boats and palm trees
Newsletter

Unmasked Weekly – Issue No. 12 | 12 June 2026

Around the Region Regular visitors to this region will understand that Southeast Asia’s natural environment is under more pressure than ever, yet the people working to protect it are making measurable progress. We attempt to champion the good, while recognising the bad. This week Thailand has announced a sustainable development plan for one of its

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Dense tropical rainforest canopy with tree-top walkway in Southeast Asia with morning mist rising above the treetops
Newsletter

Unmasked Weekly – Issue No. 11 | 4 June 2026

Around the Region For those of us in Bangkok who found ourselves knee-deep in flood water this week, this is merely a sign of things to come. Briefly, messily, typically a storm can see the water table in Thailand’s capital rise quickly. And this is why you’ll find many older Bangkok residents seeking retirement in

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Limestone karst peaks and waterways of the Trang An Landscape Complex, Ninh Binh, northern Vietnam
Newsletter

Unmasked Weekly – Issue No. 10 | 28 May 2026

Around the Region Not everything that calls itself ethical always is. Operators and outlets across the region claim green credentials that don’t survive much scrutiny – and those of us seeking genuinely sustainable travel experiences know exactly what that looks like. The region is waking up to the reality that visitors don’t just want eco-friendly

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image of Auko Phong Nha canopy lodge exterior
Newsletter

Unmasked Weekly – Issue No. 9 | 21 May 2026

Your Insider Guide to Southeast Asia Around The Region That low season feel is upon us here in Bangkok. Heat, humidity and daily downpours is the norm as the monsoon sweeps Southeast Asia. A strange time then, one would have thought, for the government to announce it’s ending the 60-day visa exempt trial and increasing

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The Andaman coastline in Thailand showing a strip of sand adjacent to a forested area with limestone karsts in the background
Newsletter

Unmasked Weekly – Issue No. 8 | 14 May 2026

Your insider guide to Southeast Asia asiaunmasked.com Around The Region Bangkok in May has a quieter quality to it. The crowds have thinned, the streets feel like they belong to the city again, and the afternoon downpours have become part of the daily rhythm. It is, for those of us who live here, one of

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Layered rice terraces on a misty mountainside in Mu Cang Chai, northern Vietnam, farmed by H'Mong communities
Newsletter

Unmasked Weekly – Issue No. 7  |  7 May 2026

Your insider guide to Southeast Asia asiaunmasked.com Your Week in Southeast Asia This week, in what is possibly the region’s most progressive country, Vietnam’s northern highlands, the world’s largest bamboo resort has just opened inside a national heritage landscape – offering us a reminder that luxury and environmental responsibility don’t need to pull in opposite

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Asiatic black bear cubs rescued from illegal wildlife trade Laos sanctuary 2026
Newsletter

Unmasked Weekly – Issue No. 5 | 23 April 2026

Issue No. 5  |  Thursday 24 April 2026 Your insider guide to Southeast Asia asiaunmasked.com Your Week in Southeast Asia This week the region produced a mix of wins and warnings worth paying attention to. Two bear cubs were pulled from a Facebook listing in Laos within 24 hours of it going live – a

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