Our Round-the-World adventure

[tacototheworld]

for the transport), who drove us to Trat in Thailand where we would take a bus to Bangkok and fly to Malaysia to meet the truck.

Not since negotiating to enter Nigeria with the truck had we encountered such a long and complex delay. We were relieved and delighted to get beyond the status of endlessly waiting for a return email or Whatsapp message to get us on our way.

As a follow up note to others on this route, at the time of writing land borders between Thailand and Cambodia are closed due to military skirmishes and conflict between the two countries. This means that currently, if you have a camper truck the only option is to enter from Laos and plan well in advance and apply for an FVP through an agency that can do the special permit for upwards of $1500. There are also reports that the Thai government is committed to increasing the restrictions and adding a layer of requiring people to hire a guide, but we cannot confirm this.

 

[tacototheworld]

Ha! Sharp eyes. I was trying to find it as well I guess I skipped over our Cambodia post. I'll post that up when I have better internet

 

[tacototheworld]

Sorry this post is a bit out of order.


Cambodia

Hey there to our faithful readers! We had been driving for six months from India, through Nepal, and China to Southeast Asia. We hate to sound like we are complaining because we know we are living an extraordinary life. Despite the welcoming people and cultural sites, we struggled with the heat and humidity. We were tired and reaching our saturation point for new experiences. The driving had been difficult and intense with rugged roads and crazy drivers.

As we approached the country, the Thai government was tightening up regulations for foreign overlanders. For over five years there had been a law forbidding overlanders to drive a foreign “camper truck or van” over the border.

At the time of writing this, the regulations stated that foreign vehicles must obtain a Foreign Vehicle Permit (FVP) through a licensed travel agency. If you could have your vehicle classified as a car (no toilet, kitchen etc) this was a relatively cheap and quick process - two weeks and $200-$300. However, if based on a picture of your vehicle the agency decided you were a “camper truck” you were either declined, stating it was illegal, or offered a “special permit” process for a cost of $1600 and a 4-6 week timeline. We did not have the time to wait as we were meeting shipping buddies in Kuala Lumpur to share a container to send our vehicles to South America.

Driving the length of Cambodia in a last ditch attempt to be able to cross into Thailand with the truck from the most remote border possible

The first week was a bust, we sat down and emailed dozens of shippers. We received no responses (it turned out there were three national holidays that week, Buddha’s Birthday, the Cambodian King’s Birthday and National Ploughing Day so we chalked it up to that). But starting the next week, still, crickets.

But it was REALLY hot for us. Dawn- red sweaty and miserable after being outside for an hour

Riverside walk in Kampot - an appealing pleasant city with a thriving riverfront filled with restaurants catering to local and foreign tourists

Hindu cave temple built in the 7th century dedicated to the god Shiva

Impressive and eerie at the same time

We were slowly working our way out of our funk, finding places and people to enjoy despite increasing worry about how we were going to get our truck around Thailand.

What we were finding was that although there was a huge port, Cambodian businesses were not set up for individual shippers, most agencies only wanted to work with large companies. We found our way to some freight forwarders who acted as intermediaries who promised to help. Things were looking up as we were in active communication with 5-6 companies. But we were still seeing people go silent and stop responding once they felt our situation was too complicated to be worth the time.

Colonial buildings in old town Kampot

Our saving grace was meeting up with some fellow travelers - Australians John and Lynda who had similarly been denied at several borders. They were trying to get their Man camper truck home. We had first ran into them in a campground in Kathmandu, shared stories over beers and enjoyed the camaraderie of fellow overlanders. Then, in a happy coincidence we ran into them near the southern tip of Cambodia at the border with Thailand which we had both thought we could pass, but were denied. Lynda had found an agent who agreed to transport their truck on a flatbed to Bangkok where they would ship to Australia. Dawn immediately started following up with Lynda’s contacts who were new to us.

So with some sense of renewed hope after a dry spell of non responsive emails, we continued some easy side trips in Cambodia.

Buddhist temples at Preah Monivong Bokor National Park

Hiking in the lava flows

With several people actively communicating with us about transporting the truck and with hope that it could be resolved in a week or so, we decided to wait it out in Phnom Penh.

Bassac street - full of trendy bars and restaurants

Visiting the Royal Palace in Cambodia

We spent a fascinating afternoon touring the Royal Palace, luckily we hired a guide to give us historical context. We learned about the life and role of the current king who was appointed in 2004.

The gardens and ornate architecture were spectacular

The palace is still the official residence of the king

Today the king holds a largely ceremonial role but is still a great source of national pride and unity. The current king was locked in the Royal Palace with his family during the terrorizing reign of Pol Pot.

Building of the complex started in 1866

While Dawn loved the traditional noodles for breakfast Andy is ready for some pancakes and bacon

Gorgeous Buddhist temple we ran into on our wanderings

In the end we really enjoyed Pnomh Penh with its unique blend of modern and traditional Cambodian aesthetics.

And then - success! One of the freight forwarders we had been in contact with (a person suggestion by fellow overlanders John and Lynda) said she could pick up our truck at the Cambodian/Thailand border in a few days and would transport it across Thailand to Malaysia for us in a three days. It was expensive - $1400, but less than an FVP and without the wait. So we left the city and headed for the Koh Kong border where we would meet her.

After many complicated conversations on the Cambodian side where officials told us we would not be let into Thailand with our truck, we finally were able to walk across and find our shipping contact who explained what was happening to the officials and loaded our truck.

Here we go! The truck was sealed by Thai customs to ensure it would not be offloaded. We said goodbye to it and hopped in the car with Ms. King (who had arranged for the transport), who drove us to Trat in Thailand where we would take a bus to Bangkok and fly to Malaysia to meet the truck.

As a follow up note to others on this route, at the time of writing land borders between Thailand and Cambodia are closed due to military skirmishes and conflict between the two countries. This means that currently, if you have a camper truck the only option is to enter from Laos and plan well in advance and apply for an FVP through an agency that can do the special permit for upwards of $1500. There are also reports that the Thai government is committed to increasing the restrictions and adding a layer of requiring people to hire a guide, but we cannot confirm this.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

That whole ordeal sounds like it was incredibly stressful and obviously really expensive. This just goes to show how rewarding travel is. It makes me think back (and appreciate) to my earlier days of travel when all I needed was a backpack and $1,500 would be enough cash to live for months.

What's your schedule for South America ? Do you guys have set plans yet ? I ask because I'd like to be headed that way in September, 2026.

Thanks for continuing to post. As usual.....great pictures and great writing.....

 

[tacototheworld]

That whole ordeal sounds like it was incredibly stressful and obviously really expensive. This just goes to show how rewarding travel is. It makes me think back (and appreciate) to my earlier days of travel when all I needed was a backpack and $1,500 would be enough cash to live for months.

What's your schedule for South America ? Do you guys have set plans yet ? I ask because I'd like to be headed that way in September, 2026.

Thanks for continuing to post. As usual.....great pictures and great writing.....

It was quite stressful indeed.

In next September, if all goes to plan, we should be northern Peru or southern Ecuador. Very happy to meet up if it works!

 

[tacototheworld]

Indonesia, well actually only a few islands...

Since we still had some time before our shipping date out of Malaysia, we decided to re-visit another favorite place from our decades earlier prior trip to Southeast Asia. This time around Indonesia called to us for the ability to see orangutans and Komodo dragons in the wild, and superlative scuba diving. Our first excursion was to Bukit Lawang in northern Sumatra where it is possible to hike in the national park with a guide and potentially see orangutans.

We arranged our trip through Sumatra Thomas Monkey House. They arranged for us to be picked up at the airport, brought to their guest house in Bukit Lawang where we spent the night, then for a guide to take us on an overnight trip in the national park, returning to spend the night in the guest house, then back to the airport they next day. All food was included as were guide and park fees. Brian, the owner of the business had grown up in the local jungle then moved to the village to attend school. He was an excellent and knowledgeable host and his guides were superb. His guest house was beautifully made out of local materials and he had personally added his artistry. The whole experience was the best $350 we ever spent.

Village of Bukit Lawang in Northern Sumatra

Andy is impressed by the size of those leaves

The next morning we woke early and set out with our small group and guide to find orangutans. We each carried a small backpack with overnight supplies and drinking wate

First sighting - a Thomas Monkey - we had never seen one before

And then - orangutans! It is hard to describe the magic of seeing these magnificent animals in the wild. They are graceful, huge, powerful and curious. Sometimes it was hard to say who was staring more at who. Our guides were excellent about protecting them and we maintained our space, until an orangutan decided to come closer which was both exciting and unnerving. Mostly we stayed still and watched.

So we took 100’s of photos. Only posting a few here.

Orangutan acrobatics behind Andy’s head

Our jungle accommodations - basic but all we needed. It was hot and wet. We were each provided with a sleeping pad and mosquito net.

Our guides made fantastic local food - this was our morning fruit snack

But the trail was TOUGH! We were at least 30 years older than our fellow travelers. But we made it - phew. The down hillls were tough on Dawn and her knees but one of the guides cheerfully hung back when she was slow.

Our next stop on Sumatra was Lake Toba. The lake itself was almost too big to be interesting to us, but the village we stayed in (Ambarita) was cozy and delightful. We spend a couple of relaxing days learning about the local Batak tribe.

Traditional Batak house - surprisingly cool inside with its peaked roof

Our final adventures in Indonesia both involved boats. Which are not Dawn’s favorite thing. She likes to walk and she likes to get away from people. Both are not easy on a boat. Andy has a dream of sailing around the world. Dawn is thinking she will meet him at interesting ports. So this was a bit of a mini test to see how she did with multi day boat trips. (Spoiler alert, her hypothesis that day after day on a boat is not her favorite thing was confirmed).

The first trip was traveling from the island of Lombok to East Nusa Tenggara where the Komodo Islands (and the dragons) are. We signed up for a budget 5 day 4 night boat trip

Our “cruise” ship

Our room down in the bowels of the boat

Views from the boat were spectacular and we had at least one opportunity a day to get off the boat and visit the islands. But the seas were rough and for at least one night everyone (ironically except for Dawn and the crew) was either vomiting overboard or comatose on the upper deck high on nausea medicine. Overall, a mixed experience but worth doing once.

Found a huge Komodo dragon!

Our guide taking the picture - they had simple sticks as protection

Island sunset hike

Swimming at shark beach (they were babies), boat hanging in the background

Dawn survived boat #1, we disembarked in Labuan Bajo and had one night on land before our second ocean voyage - this time on a scuba diving live aboard. We signed up with Scuba Republic for four nights and four days of diving in the Komodo islands.

As soon as we boarded the boat, things were looking up. It had multiple lounging areas, and a nice kitchen with a 24 hour expresso machine for Dawn. The crew and the dive masters were awesome. Dive briefings were thorough and accurate. It was some of the best diving we have ever done. Andy likes to say it was like diving in a billionaires aquarium. The currents were no joke and took some navigation but there were times when we felt like we were flying over the reef underwater. It helped that we had two pick up boats that were quick on the mark in picking us up wherever we surfaced. We saw every kind of sea life including a huge school of hammerhead sharks.

Dive briefing with hand drawn map

Despite having been divers for over 30 years, we had never done a live aboard before (that thing about Dawn and boats). But there really is no better way to dive the Komodo Islands - it gets you out to remote spots and allows for 3-4 different dive locations a day.

Dawn doing her giant leap into the water for the first dive of the day

School of hammerhead sharks swimming by - not the best photo but we were deep underwater hooked on to rocks so the current would not take us away - we floated and watched as the stream of ocean life went by

In the end our unplanned, last minute trip to Indonesia served up two of our travel highlights - hiking to see orangutans and scuba diving in the Komodo islands. So even without our home on wheels we can have fun.

Finally we were ready to meet our shipping buddies, Anouk and Hubert at Port Klang to load our vehicles into a container to send them to Chile.

Double checking to make sure our two vehicles would fit

Ready to go!

Well the last part of Asia had its highs and lows. We are looking forward to exploring a new continent, refreshed and renewed after some time with family in Oregon. Thanks for reading and safe travels everyone.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Wow ! What an incredible post ! Hanging out with Orangutans and diving with Hammerhead Sharks (I've dove with plenty of sharks in my past life but never with Hammerheads.....it was a dream of mine.....lucky you guys) ! Then the "Island sunset hike" ! The beauty of that place is unmatched !

So yeah, I ended every sentence with an exclamation mark.....it just seemed to fit. I'm trying to not live vicariously through you guys but damn I'm really not doing such a good job at that.....

Thank you.....

 

[ITTOG]

I had to document the name Sumatra Thomas Monkey House for when I am in the area. Looks like they did an amazing job. The picture of all the fruit looked amazing!

The water you were in looked refreshing.


Jerry, all the exclamation points were warranted. Looked like an amazing trip.

 

[Sierra Valley]

Another great trip report! Wow great experiences! I am jealous! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

I had to document the name Sumatra Thomas Monkey House for when I am in the area. Looks like they did an amazing job. The picture of all the fruit looked amazing!

The water you were in looked refreshing.


Jerry, all the exclamation points were warranted. Looked like an amazing trip.

"Sumatra Thomas Monkey House for when I am in the area. Looks like they did an amazing job"

Same, added to my google maps pins

 

[tacototheworld]

Taiwan - Part 1

Downtown Taipei

Our last Asian island side trip was a twelve day jaunt to Taiwan. Our son Trevor mentioned the idea and it intrigued us. As we were in the general area, the truck had left on its own journey across the ocean to South America, and we had some time, we added it in at the last minute.

Once again we were faced with trip planning without our home on wheels. So we downloaded the Lonely Planet Taiwan guide book and did our best to plan a route by public transportation which hit the highlights. As a side note, we have noticed even just during the last six years of our full time travel a drastically reduced reliance on what had always been our “go to” resource - Lonely Planet travel books. We have replaced it with an increasing reliance on Google, Reddit and general AI recommendations. For a quick trip outline, online resources feel increasingly simpler, faster and more current than diving into a book that may have been written five to ten years prior. But we feel a sense of loyalty to our old friend Lonely Planet and still partially rely on it.

The good news for us in navigating without the truck was that the transportation system in Taiwan is modern, fast (Andy clocked one of our trains at 128mph), inexpensive and easy to use. Dawn booked hotels in advance through Booking.com and Agoda. We stayed in mid range hotels and guest houses which typically ran $40-$50 a night including a hearty cooked breakfast. Accommodations were all spotlessly clean and the hosts welcoming and kind. We found English to be widely spoken and never had to use Google Translate. Public transportation was highly organized. We were amazed at the orderly crowds at the train stations where passengers waited in neat lines between painted guidelines on the floor in front of each gate which then opened when the train arrived, directly into a train carriage door. The total cost for the two of us for our 12 day trip, not including airfare, was $950.

A full democracy since the death of its authoritarian ruler, Chiang Kai-shek in 1975, Taiwan felt prosperous. We were highly aware of its complex tension with China, with Taiwan claiming its sovereignty but China claiming ownership. We remain hopeful that the Taiwanese people can retain their autonomy. In visiting, we enjoyed the sense of freedom, and a culture which embraced independence and yet was community oriented at the same time.

Even in the middle of the city, gardens flourished in side alleys.

Our first stop was the capital, Taipei. The city was a study in contrasts with a sleek urban center with high rise buildings and shopping malls alongside small food stalls selling flavorful noodles and mom and pop grocery stores. The city felt vibrant and artistic.

Every kind of garlic and ginger

We loved the sites and smells of the streetside markets and were convinced that you could buy anything you wanted if you just knew where to go.

Colorful street art

Pedestrian shopping area (apparently motor scooters allowed too)

The city was bustling with life all day and night. We always felt safe, which is rare for a city of almost 2.5 million people.

Red House Theater Building - built in 1908, now a cultural center

Taipei 101 - a 101 floor skyscraper which was once the world’s tallest building until the Burj Khalifa was built in Dubai in 2010

National Theater, Taipei

Liberty Square, Taipei

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

Chiang Kai Shek ruled China in the 1930’s and 40’s, was instrumental in unifying the country and defeating the Japanese invasion. But in 1949 he lost the Chinese Civil War to Mao Zedong's Communists and retreated to Taiwan. There he established a one party state, ruling for 25 years until his death. To this day he remains a controversial figure.

Our first stop out of Taipei was Jiufen, a historic mining village which is now a charming tourist destination with narrow streets lined with food and craft shops.

Ocean views across the rooftops of Jiufen

Narrow streets lined with tourists and shop

And beautifully carved old temples

Whimsically decorated Jiufen old town shops

Lots of dumplings!

Beautifully carved temples in the hills above town

Touching a 220kg gold bar currently valued at over $693 million

Walking back out of town to the bus, colorful lanterns line the streets

Our next stop was the town of Hualien which we would use as a base to visit the nearby Taroko Gorge National Park.

Visiting the enormous night market for dinner

We opted for delicious pancakes with hot sauce (based on the fact that there was a long line of locals so we assumed it would be good - it was)