Couchfish: The week in review
Good morning!
Something a little different this week, but first the business end of the stick.
In the past week, Couchfish went from 539 to 580 free and paid subscribers. Having over 500 subscribers just five weeks in has far exceeded my expectations. Thank you.
Coming this week: In the hills of Nan. Photo: Samantha Brown.
As regular readers will know, when I launched Couchfish, there were free and paid tiers. I also said the first 100 paid subscribers would get in for US$5 per month. Well, we’re almost there. In fact there are just four spots left at $5, after which the subscription fee jumps to an enormous $7 per month.
So if you’re enjoying Couchfish and want to save two whole dollars, become a paid member today!
What exactly do paying members get? They get a daily Monday to Friday email detailing a virtual trip through Southeast Asia.
Here’s where we covered this past week.
On Monday I left Phitsanulok behind and headed to Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park. Once a battlefield (and, on occasion a battle to reach), today it is home to a bazillion butterflies.
Tuesday took me to another national park, this time Thung Salaeng Luang National Park. Home to “Thailand’s Niagara Falls” I found them to be somewhat less Niagara-like than I hoped.
On Wednesday I was back on the train and north to Phrae. Once a teak town, now with an amazing food scene, I sampled a bit of each. By the comments, not all are a fan of pig’s blood for brekkie.
Thursday had me still in Phrae, but in the countryside. I explored hilltop temples and a gigantic sandpit. More food too, though no bowls of blood.
I rounded out the week on Friday, heading to one of my favourite Northern Thai towns, Nan. It was easy to fill up a day visiting temples and scoffing down delicious food.
This coming week, I’ll be spending a few days in the mountains of Nan then crossing into Laos as my 30-day visa is up. From the border I’ll overland to Pakbeng, aiming for the Gibbon Experience by Friday.
On the free side of things, I skipped across a couple of countries. This week’s Couchfish Diversion was Pu Luong in Vietnam—a stunning weekender from Hanoi. On Friday I related an experience from years ago in Takeo, Cambodia. What I expected to be a temple visit became a far more magical. This last one was also the most popular read of the week.
I’ve (finally) updated the Couchfish map, so you can trace out where Couchfish is going.
And that’s a wrap!
See you on the couch.
Stuart