Well...we're fast-approaching the February 16th departure for our around-the-world trip, and I don't think either of us could be more excited. Except of course, if we didn't have to focus on packing for the trip, packing up our homes for what's after the trip, quitting a job, getting insurance, selling a house, and all that stuff. But in about 2 weeks we'll be off for our first trip together, and what we hope will be the trip of a lifetime!
Here's a little snapshot of the itinerary (note this is just the plan...we may tweak as we go):
Starting in Italy, we'll spend a couple of days in Florence, 1 day hiking Cinque Terra, 2 days in Siena and Tuscany drinking wine, 2 days in Amalfi, 2 days in Rome, the Truffle Festival in Norcia, a day in Venice and then a quick stop in Trieste on our way to Slovenia!
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| Italy: February 17-28 |
We'll see the island in Lake Bled, a quick stop in the Capital (Ljubjana) then off to see the Plitvice (Pleet-vee-tsay) lakes. We'll then head to Split and pop over to a couple of islands (probably Vis and Hvar), then to Mostar, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We'll then stop in Dubrovnik, then to Kotor, Montenegro for a day or two before we fly to Athens via Belgrade.
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| Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro - Feb 28 - Mar 8 |
Sierra's brother Aaron and his lovely girlfriend Celinie will join us in Athens on March 8th, and we'll head to a couple of islands. We're still working this out because ferries aren't in full force and stores aren't open in the Cyclades in March, but some of the big islands (i.e. Crete and Rhodes) have a bustling lifestyle year round. A&C will head home to Ireland on the 15th and Sierra and I will have a few days to play with before our planned arrival in Istanbul on 3/18. We may stop into Dalyan, Turkey, right near Rhodes.
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| Greek Islands: Athens / Crete / Rhodes - March 8-16 |
The only plan for Turkey is about 4 days in Istanbul and 2 in Cappadocia. We'll probably fly to Cappadocia and spend two days there. We've heard great things about Turkey so it will undoubtedly be nice to wind up with a couple of extra days there!
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| Turkey: Istanbul, Cappadocia, and maybe Dalyan - March 17-25 |
We paid $60 to add a stopover in Cairo. We figured while we're headed to Bangkok, why not ride a camel by the Pyramids, and take a Felucca ride on the Nile?
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| CAIRO: Just an 8-hour stopover on the way to Bangkok |
On March 25th we land in Bangkok and meet up with Sierra's friends Marin, Alissa and Tyler. We plan to spend a couple of days in the Islands. Since I've been to the Phuket side three times now, I'm pushing for a trip to the east side to see Koh Tao and Koh Pha Ngan. It's hard to not take the opportunity to show them Maya Bay (Koh Phi Phi) though, so we'll see if I get swayed.
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| Thailand Islands: Koh Samui, Koh Tao, Koh Pha Ngan - March 26-30 |
This part of the trip seems so exciting! We'll fly or take a night train up to Chang Mai, where we will meet Sierra's friend Cailin, who is currently living and teaching English in Northern Thailand. We'll spend a couple of days in Chang Mai, maybe ride an elephant and a raft, see some tigers then head up to Cailin's hometown. We'll pop to Huay Xai for the Gibbon Adventure (ZIPLINING!) and then to the beautiful river town of Nong Kiaw to see the 100 waterfalls. We'll head to Luang Prabang, a cool old French-influenced town, to trek and see the Kuang Si waterfall and take a slow boat on the Mekong. We'll head to the capital city Vientiane to see some temples, and maybe pop over to Tham Kong Lo Caves if we have time before we head to Cambodia.
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| Northern Thailand and Laos: Tubing, Riding Elephants, Ziplining, Caving, and riding slow boats - April 1-10 |
Siem Reap, Cambodia is home to the famous ancient kingdom of Angkor, and will be our first stop in Cambodia. We want to make our way over to the 4,000 islands in southern Laos, but we'll see if that's doable. Then to the capital, Phnom Penh, for some city life and fine Cambodian food. Next we head south to see the beaches again! Sihanoukville is a beach town, and from there we'll hit up the island of Koh Rong. Supposedly this is what the Thai Islands were a few decades ago, before they started getting their own airports and 5-star hotels.
After all that fun, Sierra and I will make our way to Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon) for our flight home. If we have time we'll stop into another Vietnamese town or see the Mekong...but it might be nice just to chill in Saigon an extra day (surprising that anyone can "chill" in such a bustling city, but I feel like it can be done!).
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| Cambodia and Vietnam: Angkor/Phnom Penh/Koh Rong (Islands)/Mekong - April 12-21 |
On April 21st we head home! We'll land in Sacramento on 4/21...and then more adventures begin back here in America :)
