Travel Asia

In 2016, we took a sabbatical to travel through South-East Asia. Our Slow Travel had taken us from Thailand to Cambodia to Laos and back to Thailand.

While we were in Thailand, our idea of taking a longer break to see more of the world ripened. Nothing seemed more alluring than becoming the owners of our own time.

Less than two years later, our time had come. After first visiting family in Turkey and then Oregon, and with just our small backpacks and golf clubs, we were ready to discover the world. Just like two years ago, we were excited, as happy as little children, and couldn’t wait to start our unique adventure!

We took off to Hong Kong with just a one-way ticket. We had traveled to Hong Kong in the past and were looking forward to the reunion. A reunion not only with the city of Hong Kong but also with our dear friend John, with whom we were even invited to stay.

From there, a whole month of Taiwan was booked. I was really looking forward to this because I have had Taiwan on my wish list for a very long time. We maximized our visa for a whole month before flying back to Hong Kong to spend a few more days with John and to attend the spectacular Rugby Sevens.

Tip: The Taiwan visa for German citizens is currently free for three months. Since James is a U.S. citizen with an American passport, his free visa was valid for only one month. It is always best to inquire before your trip how long you can stay in a country, what the requirements are, and whether something is required when you enter.

Sumatra

Our next destination was Sumatra. We had also decided to stay in Sumatra for a month, which in hindsight was probably too long for us. You can read about why in our blogs.

From Indonesia, we flew next to Malaysia for three months. We had a wonderful time and have such beautiful memories of Malaysia that we would go back in a heartbeat. 

Our three months there passed far too quickly. However, when you travel from one breathtaking place to the next, the excitement and anticipation for what is to come triumphs! In our case, it was Bali that we could look forward to. A few years ago, we traveled to Bali and fell in love with it. And we wanted to see if our love affair was still there! We had planned a quiet time filled with yoga, good food, golf, and writing.

We love Asia and will certainly return in the future to continue our journey.