After a very full 30 days in Vietnam, Samantha and I were very much looking forward to our next stop. Our friends Greg and Kathy live in Honolulu and we felt like a visit with some friends was in order. We planned to spend two weeks in total in Hawaii, and split that time evenly between one week on Kauai followed by a week with them on Oahu.
Read MoreAfter exploring the center of Vietnam at Hoi An and Hue, we flew south to Can Tho, a city on the Mekong Delta. The delta is filled with canals, rivers, swamps and rice paddies. There isn't all that much to do there, but we booked several extra days to relax after a busy travel schedule. One of the highlights of Can Tho is the floating markets.
Read MoreAfter spending about 10 days up in the North part of Vietnam, we flew south to Da Nang in central Vietnam. In the north we were wearing our biggest jackets and many layers, it was probably 55-60 degrees, but we'd gotten so acclimated to 80-90 that we couldn't stay warm. Just an hour and a half flight south meant back to tropical temperatures and loads of humidity. We had heard only good things about Hoi An from all the tourists we met, and were really excited to spend the lunar new year there.
Read MoreWe arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam after a couple of flights from Bali, steeling ourselves for more crazy Southeast Asian traffic and bustle. And while it was definitely busy, it wasn't nearly as hectic as some of the other Asian cities we've visited. Sure, the roads were filled with a high number of cars, motorbikes, bicycles and pedestrians, but at least there weren't many cows.
Read MoreAfter our adventures in the camper van, Sam and I flew from Auckland to Sydney, Australia. We were excited about moving from our tiny little shared van to a bit more spacious AirBnb in a proper city. I was really excited about our time here, as everyone I know that has visited Sydney has raved about it, and I was also jonesing for a bit of urban exploring after a few weeks in New Zealand.
Read MoreWe took a ferry from Picton on the South Island of New Zealand across the Cook Strait to Wellington on the North Island. The seas were really rough that day, and unfortunately I had the worst seasickness of my life! When we got to Wellington all I wanted to do was sleep and do laundry. Chuck, Justin and Tania went out and met some locals and had a few beers. We didn't get to explore Wellington too much, but there's only so much you can do in a limited timeframe!
Read MoreAfter our weekend in Kaikoura, we had a few days to relax and take in Christchurch. Both Sam and I really loved the city, though it is a bit small and definitely a bit sleepy. Everyone we spoke to told us that before the big earthquake several years ago the city was a bit more bustling, and you could definitely see how that would be true. Though they have come a long way in rebuilding, the signs of the damage are all around in the central business district (where we were staying).
Read MoreThe main place to visit in Phnom Penh is the Khmer Rouge Killing Fields, which is actually a collection of sites where about 2 million out of the total population of about 8 million people were killed in the 1970s by the Khmer Rouge regime. In order to save ammunition, the Khmer Rouge executed this genocide by using all manner of horrific tools to try to kill as many people as quickly as possible. That included children, whose heads were bashed against the trunks of trees before they were tossed in mass graves next to their parents.
Read MoreAfter our relatively sleepy few days in Ayutthaya, Sam and I headed up north to Chiang Mai. We'd heard from a bunch of people that Chiang Mai was a highlight of their trips to Thailand, so we were super excited to check it out. It's a much sleepier city than Bangkok, and it was definitely much easier as a tourist. We had a hotel booked right in the middle of the old city, which was a perfect hub for seeing the sights. It's a city that is filled temples and history, and we spent a few days taking it all in.
Read MoreWe flew from Khao Sok to Bangkok directly after our night on the raft boat. It was definitely a shock going from serene and peaceful jungle to the hustle and bustle of Bangkok. When we arrived we were unable to find an Uber, and were facing about a three hour line in the taxi queue due to a local festival and increased traffic. Fortunately, after about 30 minutes of spamming for rides, we eventually got an Uber and made it to our hotel.
Read MoreWe arrived in Jaipur in the evening, still super excited about our fantastic luck with the tigers. Because we wanted to fit a lot of India into the time we had before being back in Delhi, our itinerary didn't leave much time for relaxing. We woke up in the morning and began our sightseeing tour of Jaipur, a very remarkable city. It is commonly referred to as the Pink city, due to still-on-the-books laws that require the old city to be painted in the same shade of pink. This is due to the pink sandstone that was originally used on many of the forts and palaces in the region.
Read MoreAfter our brief stay in Jordan, Samantha and I flew to India for a fairly busy itinerary we had built with the help of my friend Rohan, who lives in Delhi. He was generous enough to put us up at his family's house located centrally in Delhi with his parents, Anil and Renu. It is a beautiful bungalow that, coupled with their incredible hospitality, began feeling like home almost immediately.
Read MoreAs of a few days ago, we’ve been traveling for six months! We looked back over our photos and our travels so far, and decided to post the top photos from every country we have visited so far. We’ve taken 4,059 photos, visited 18 countries, and stayed in 63 different hotels / AirBnbs. These are our favorite 77 photos.
Read MoreWe spent a grand total of 40 hours in the country of Jordan. Since we were in Sharm El Sheikh, we decided to make the short trip to Petra, one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. We didn't see anything in Amman, but it did seem a lot more cosmopolitan and modern than the cities in Egypt.
Read MoreWe spent a quick three days in Alexandria after our time in Cairo. To be completely honest, this is a city I should have researched a little more before visiting than I did. Maybe even just Googling it. I didn't know that the ancient lighthouse was no longer standing.
Read MoreI’ve been to Egypt once before, in 2013 with my friend Chris Simpson, and absolutely loved it. Seeing the pyramids at Giza and the Valley of the Kings near Luxor is an unforgettable experience. Unfortunately, on that trip we didn’t get to visit Abu Simbel, so Chuck and I decided to visit Egypt on our travels so I could check that off my list, and so he could see Egypt for the first time.
Read MoreSamantha and I took the train from Marrakesh north to Casablanca. It was exactly what you expect a train in Morocco to be like, hot and crowded. It was only a three hour ride, but in the 100+ degree heat it felt like an eternity.
Read MoreMarrakesh is a city filled with color. Bright blues, yellows, teals and pinks coupled with dizzying mosaics and symmetrical design make for lots of gorgeous photo opportunities. The city is modern, but at the same time packed with tradition, history and culture.
Read MoreArriving back in Lisbon was a bit hectic. The apartment we booked was in a very compact, old residential neighborhood and it was definitely not designed with cars in mind. Construction and police road closures complicated things even more, but eventually we found our way and got settled in. We had two full days before Luke and his girlfriend Elena would arrive, and wanted to make sure we saw as much as we could in that time, though obviously we wouldn't be able to see everything.
Read MoreAs our Uber drove us from the Lisbon airport to our AirBnb, I couldn't help but stare out the window at the gorgeous ceramic tile covering the front of most buildings. The bright colors and patterns seemed to convey a sense of fun and joy that was less serious than Italy's vibe.
Read MoreSamantha and Charles Parsons went a little overboard when planning their honeymoon. Instead of a few short weeks of travel, they opted for a year-long adventure around the world! Follow along as they leave their home in Denver, Colorado in the United States to travel the globe.
Just click on the logo of the store you want to shop at, and every purchase you make at that retailer will get the Parsons team around 4% - 8% of the cost of your order!
It costs you nothing!
Charles & Samantha Parsons
parsonsworldonline@gmail.com
