After a wonderful trip to Hong Kong and Taiwan, we ventured back to Southeast Asia to explore Cambodia. Looking back, it might have been ideal to visit Cambodia in between Thailand and Vietnam. However, despite the short distance, the flight from Siem Reap to Ho Chi Minh City was prohibitively expensive, so we postponed our Cambodian adventure. Our focus during the 8-day stay in Siem Reap was exploring the magnificent Angkor Archaeological Park, more popularly known for one of its temples, Angkor Wat.

Overview of Cambodia

Cambodia is nestled between Thailand to the west, Vietnam to the east, and Laos to the north. It is one of the poorer countries in Southeast Asia due to its tragic recent past.

As mentioned in my Vietnam blog, we originally intended to stay longer, but a visa mishap led us to make new plans. After careful consideration, including researching flight costs, we opted to spend one week in Hong Kong and Taiwan each, before moving on to our next destination in Southeast Asia.

In the second part, I’m going to discuss our travels in central and northern Vietnam.

Hoi An

Traveling in Vietnam during the Tet holiday presents challenges, such as transportation being fully booked in advance. This was the case when we attempted to secure train tickets from Nha Trang to Da Nang, near Hoi An, but found none available. With bus travel being lengthy and inconvenient, we chose to fly despite the premium cost during this peak period.

Vietnam is the second stop in our trip to Southeast Asia as part of our round-the-world trip. We stayed close to a month there, but we wished we could have stayed more. We loved the food, the culture, the nature, and the highest bang-for-the-bucks travel experience we’ve ever had!

Overview of Vietnam

Vietnam, located in Southeast Asia, is a vibrant and culturally rich nation with a tumultuous history and breathtaking landscape.

Our major travel destination in this round-the-world journey is Southeast Asia, and we started it off by visiting Thailand. This is our first time in this region of the world and we are super excited for our time here.

Bangkok

We took a direct overnight flight from Tehran to Bangkok on Mahan Airline, and arrived in the morning in BKK airport. There is a special feeling when you arrive in a totally new place for the first time. Everything feels new, including the air.

In the first part, I discussed our visit to Tehran, Mashhad and Yazd, and in this second and last part, I discuss our visits to Hormuz Island, Qeshm, and Shiraz.

Hormuz Island

After a fantastic stay in Yazd, we took an overnight train to Bandar Abbas, which is a large city and port close to Hormuz Strait, and from there, took the first ferry to Hormuz Island, which took around 45 minutes. The ferries are a bit old, but the terminal was modern and clean, and we had no issues with the ride.

After Europe, the second major stop in our round-the-world trip was Iran, the homeland for my wife and myself. We enjoyed a solid two and a half months of visit, reconnecting with family, and exploring around the country as tourists.

Our final European destination was Greece, which we were visiting for the first time. We took a flight from Hamburg to Chania in Crete on a budget airline called Marabu. The flight was decent, but we had to pay for even a bottle of water! From the chilly and rainy Hamburg, we arrived in the warm and sunny Crete. Quite a change!

Crete

Crete is the largest island in Greece, and we spent a week there, staying in Chania and Heraklion.

We kicked off our long-term travel by a road trip starting in Frankfurt. Our flight from Seattle was with Condor (a German low-budget airline), and was largely uneventful, i.e. it went well. Our son happens to LOVE flying, so he is super excited to be on the plane, and after playing some games and watching some cartoons, he slept most of the way to Frankfurt.

Long-term travel comes in many flavors. Some prefer to hop between many places, while others embrace "slow-travel," settling in one spot for weeks or months. You'll find long-term travelers as backpackers catching flights, or camping with RV or campervan, or even crossing the sees on sailing boats. Some go the extra mile, walking or biking long distances. Regardless of your style, embarking on a long-term journey demands preparation.
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