When 24-year-old Ariel Kang Chengxuan went to bed on June 12, she did not expect to wake up in the heart of the latest global conflict. It was the 11th day of her journey through Iran, and Kang, a seasoned Taiwanese traveler, had fallen asleep on a thick dark-red Persian carpet at a homestay in Isfahan, a historic city known for its majestic Persian blue-tiled domes.

While she slept, Israel was carrying out an attack on the heart of Iran’s nuclear, missile and military complex, beginning 12 days of intense strikes across the country.

The next day, Kang heard about the airstrikes through online messages from concerned friends. However, life carried on as usual in Isfahan; she says shops and supermarkets were still open, though there were fewer people out on the streets and less traffic. It wasn’t until the morning of June 14 that she became fully aware of the severity of the conflict, when she and her host family were sitting on a gigantic mat, watching TV.
“We were so shocked to see the scene of the missile attack. The family who hosted me said that they experienced similar military conflicts last year so there might be a closure of the airport,” she tells CNN.

“I was quite helpless at first hearing about the attack. I was there alone.”

The US, which operates sanctions against Iran, is among several countries that have long warned their citizens to steer clear.

“Do not travel to Iran for any reason,” says the US State Department’s Iran travel advisory, citing the risk of terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping or arbitrary arrest. But Kang, a Taiwanese copyright holder and a dedicated world traveler, was drawn by the beauty and heritage to make Iran the 51st country she’d visited in the past three years.
Since Taiwan does not have formal diplomatic relations with Iran, strangers online suggested she contact the embassy of China, which claims sovereignty over the self-ruled island.

After initially getting no answer, Kang was able to reach the embassy eventually, but the staff there told her an evacuation bus was not yet available.

Logistics aside, Kang says that the military action didn’t rattle her.

“I had heard that the target was the Iranian government, instead of the civilians, so I wasn’t too worried about my safety,” she says.

Nonetheless, she needed to figure out an exit plan, and fast.

‘You need strong nerves’
Kang began her solo travels in 2022 when she was a university student. With a part-time job providing the funds, she traveled трипскан сайт the world during school breaks.

She says visits to countries like India and Egypt, which she describes as “unorganized,” helped prepare her for her journey in Iran.

“I love challenges. They create unforgettable and deeply etched memories — ones I will never forget for the rest of my life,” she says.
For her trip to Iran, Kang says she applied for a 15-day visa from a travel agency online, for $15. After seven days she received her visa and paid another $134 when entering the country.

Iran is short on tourist infrastructure geared towards foreign travelers, she says, and the public transportation is unreliable and difficult to navigate if you are unable to speak Farsi.

“Traveling in Iran can be daunting,” she says, noting that the kindness of locals helped alleviate any early fears she had. “You need strong nerves to handle everything thrown at you.”

She booked homestays through a couch-surfing website, and in moments of difficulty, she overcame the lack of tourist support by turning to the people around her.

“You need to have the courage to ask others for help,” she says. “Paradoxically, it was because of the locals who guided me that the experience became profoundly memorable, and the warmth of human connection felt so special.”

Strangers often approached Kang on the street, but she says traveling in similarly challenging countries helped hone her instincts, allowing her to sense who was genuinely friendly.

She says people who didn’t speak English would show her the words “you are my guest” on their phone’s translation apps, which she enjoyed.

“Everyone, no matter the young or the old, men or women, they all looked at me on the street … They called me someone from the ‘Far East’,” she laughs.