My Best in Travel 2012
Those of you who know me a bit will know that I don’t care much for Christmas, but the New Year is a big deal for me. The coming of a New Year is always a chance to think back on the last 12 months of my life and see how far I have come or what opportunities I’ve missed. It’s a time when I remember what a tiny scared girl like me managed to achieve and what she could have done way better. Most of all, as my life is so centred around travel, it’s a time when I think back at how blessed I am to have been able to see so many new places and learn about new cultures, even if, like all of you, I still always complain that I am not travelling enough.
So without further bla bla blas, here are my travel experiences of 2012, including the best and worst of each.
Berlin, Germany
January of 2012 was one of the most exciting, scary and emotional months of my life. I was excited because I knew that I was about to leave Switzerland for good to travel in Vietnam and Singapore for 2 months, and I was terrified at the same time of the change that would bring. I was all emotional as I had 3 jobs to quit – 2 of them involving young children – and goodbyes to say. I was also super-stressed as it was hard work getting rid of all the stuff which I had accumulated in my flat – and compared to many people who have years and years worth of stuff, I had relatively nothing! – and choosing what to keep, what to give away, and what to chuck out.
In between all this maihem, we still managed to scqueeze a short trip to Berlin. We had grabbed a great accommodation deal online, and didn’t want to leave Europe without checking out the German capital. I must admit I didn’t have any expectations, but it turned out that Berlin is just amazing: good and cheap food, friendly people, a rich history and so so much culture.
Favourite Photo:
This photo was taken at the Pergamon Museum, and I love the colours of the ancient gate, coupled with the fact that you can see how huge it is because all the people beneath it are providing a sense of scale.
Best Bits:
-Checking out Museum island
- Walking along the East Side gallery, even if it was freezing cold
- Going on a walking tour of Berlin, with a stop at the Hackesche Hofe (courtyard)
Worst Bit:
That I didn’t have more time. Due to basically needing to be back in Switzerland to pack boxes and say teary goodbyes, I only had three nights in Berlin, but that didn’t do it justice, at all.
This is what Switzerland looked like when I left at the end of January…
Foolish me. The ‘warm’ weather (i.e. not subzero and not snowy) had held up until the middle of January. I had but a week left in the country, and when my expensive snow shoes broke, I simply threw them away and didn’t think much of it. I also threw away most of my thickest clothes in preparation for a move to South East Asia. And then it happened. The snow came, as did -10 degrees temperatures. I didn’t want to spend money on snow clothes I wouldn’t use again, so it wasn’t fun, and it was painful, and I ended up boarding my plane bound for Hanoi a week later with frozen feet and drenched socks after walking through 15 cm of snow in the world’s most inappropriate shoes.
And then, I ended up in…
Vietnam
The plan was to spend a month in Hanoi as I was doing a CELTA course, and explore the surrounding area during that time. I’d then make my way South in around 3 weeks, visiting Hue, Danang, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Dalat, Mui Ne, Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong delta.
Favourite Photos:
Rooftop views of Hanoi.
Misty, moody Halong Bay.
The colourful gates of the Imperial Enclosure, Hue.
Local women washing their containers in the river, Hoi An.
Locals having a dip in the ocean on a warm sunny day, Danang.
The Opera House, Ho Chi Minh City.
Riding on a motorbike/truck through small villages down in the Mekong delta.
Best experiences:
- Getting to know Hanoi and meeting lots of locals by staying there for a month.
- Visiting Halong bay over 2 cold and misty days (no crowds, more picturesque) and overnighting on Cat Ba Island.
- Hopping on a dragon boat and exploring temples and tombs along the Perfume river in Hue.
- Being almost the only foreigners in Danang, and enjoying the beautiful beach with views of Monkey mountain.
- Taking a cooking class in Hoi An.
- Eating one of the best meals in my life in Can Tho, and being humbled by life in the small villages in the Mekong delta.
Favourite city:
Hoi An, hands down.
Best meals:
- Amazing all-round menu at New Day, Hanoi: pop into the actual kitchen and pick and choose from the food on display, or order from the extensive menu. The staff is friendly and efficient, and this place is popular with travellers and locals alike
- Dessert at Cargo Club, Hoi An.
- La Carambole French restaurant, Hue
- A little local restaurant behind the Victoria Can Tho resort, whose name I can’t remember, where I had the best Vietnamese pancake ever, complete with bugs.
Worst bits:
- The super expensive restaurants along the beach in Danang, which caused me to practically go hungry for two days.
- Getting sick: Boyfriend started running a horrendous fever on the second day in Nha Trang. He had to endure a 5-hour bus trip to Dalat, where he didn’t get out of his hotel room for 3 whole days. I was worried about him, so I mostly kept him company and basically didn’t see anything of Dalat. We then caught a 5 hour bus to Mui Ne, where he got better but I developed a massive fever. By the time we reached Ho Chi Minh city, I had a bad throat infection and needed to see a doctor and get antibiotics. I was miserable and unable to appreciate eating for the first couple of days in Hoi Chi Minh, until the antibiotics started working.
Singapore
At the end of March, we took a short flight from Ho Chi Minh city to Sinagpore, and stayed there for a week.
Favourite Photo:
Lanterns at the Singapore History Museum.
Best experiences:
- Staying at the funky Hotel 1929
- Visiting the Singapore Zoo with its free range orangutans, and visiting the beautiful Orchid gardens.
- Walking along the waterfront as day turned into night
- The amazing, and often cheap (if you know where to go) food
- The crazy busy China town
Worst Bit:
- The heat during the day when it’s not overcast. I really don’t enjoy sightseeing when it’s that hot.
Melbourne, Australia
The last stop on a journey which took me halfway across the globe to a new life, a new home, and a new job involved landing in Melbourne, Australia. As I have no plan to leave at this point in time, I have been very lazy and very slow at exploring what’s around me. After all, what’s the hurry!
Favourite Photo (so far):
The colourful beach boxes at Brighton Beach, worth around 400,000 dollars each…
Best and Worst? Too early to say yet!
Christchurch, New Zealand
Just when I thought I wouldn’t be ticking any more boxes on my travel wish-list, I got the opportunity to go to Christchurch, New Zealand, on a work trip which was aimed at finding ways to promote the earthquake-struck city and encourage travellers to return to this fascinating and dynamic place.
Favourite Photo:
A beautiful mountain view while jet boating.
Best experiences:
- Discovering the many ways in which the city is ‘popping back up‘ on its feet with creativity and colour.
- Never having one boring moment with all the things to do in and around Christchurch.
Worst bit:
- Not fully being able to enjoy views of Christchurch from high up in a helicopter because the movement was giving me motion sickness!
So what’s in store for 2013?
I am absolutely crazy excited that I’ve booked flights to Japan for an epic three-week holiday starting at the end of April. Other than that, I’ll probably avoid long periods of time on planes, and focus on seeing more of Victoria via easy day trips or weekend breaks, and perhaps exploring North Australia during our Winter. Darwin? The red centre? Not sure yet.
A merry Christmas and a very happy New Year to you!
What were your best and worst travel moments of 2012? If you have a similar wrap-up post, please leave the link in a comment, as I’d love to check it out. What are you travel plans for 2013?
-Text and Photography by Denise Pulis @www.theartofslowtravel.com. All rights reserved.
17 Comments → “My Best in Travel 2012”
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Hey Denise!
Great wrap-up. I LOVE two of your photos from Vietnam– the women washing in the river and the rooftop views of the motorbikes in Hanoi. Looks like you still managed to do a lot of traveling this year, even with all the changes in your life.
A few days ago, I wrote a similar type of year-end review post here: http://www.mappingwords.com/2012/12/19/2012-in-photos-the-year-that-i-never-fully-unpacked/
Sarah
Hi Sarah,
Thank you for stopping by. Yes, I have already seen your beautiful post, and I got excited when I saw your Japan photos as I’m finally going there next year!Your photos of Seoraksan National Park are my favourite, and I really wanted to visit it when I was in South Korea, but I never made it as it was a bit too cold.
I’ve also been reading all the really interesting articles about Korean culture. I used to dream of being able to work and teach there (I never could because I don’t have the right passport), and I must say that, even if I have lots of Korean friends and was there for a month, I never knew anything about all the issues which you mentioned. They were real eye openers.
Thanks, Denise! First of all, you’ll love Japan. I only stayed for 2 weeks, but I really want to go back. I was considering hopping over for a week in January, but am contemplating Hong Kong instead, since I’ve never been there and it will be much warmer.
Also, thanks for reading and finding interest in my latest articles. Like any country, there are lots of “dirty secrets” hidden beyond the surface. Honestly, if you still want to teach in Korea, it is quite possible despite not being from a native speaking country. It’s harder, but there are lots of hagwons (private academies) that will hire you, and you can also tutor English privately under the table on a tourist visa, making visa runs to Japan when necessary. (It’s technically illegal, but tons of people do this– even those who have a full-time teaching job.) I know Dutch, Finnish and Swedish people who teach English here, as well. Anyway, if you ever have any questions, just send me an email and we can chat more.
Good luck with everything and have a great time in Japan!
That first photo with the blue gate is so pretty. Somehow, it’s not what I expect to see in Berlin. And how in the world are those Brighton Beach boxes so expensive?? I spent a week in Japan last April when the cherry blossoms were in bloom and loved it. I’m sure you will, too. Hopefully, I’ll get to see Halong Bay and Hoi An in 2013. I did a similar year-end wrap up on my blog. http://malaysianmeanders.blogspot.com/2012/12/best-of-2012-highlights-from-year.html
Love the Hanoi Intersection from above. I have similar ones myself. It is like Babies being particularly lovely when they are asleep. Hanoi traffic looks lovely when viewed from above!
Here is the link to my 2012 post http://www.budgettraveltalk.com/2012/12/24/2012-fun-lasted/
What a fabulous collection of experiences. Look forward to reading more of your adventures in 2013! Happy New Year!
I loved Vietnam too, and especially Da Lat. My friend and I hired a motorbike and just went around. We loved the night market; so many delicious street dfoods there!
Love these photos and memories you picked out. I agree about the New Year. It always makes me feel like refreshing my life and making changes to get to my goals faster.
It sounds to me like it’s been a year of a lot of personal growth. Moving half way around the world is no easy accomplishment. I love your Vietnamese photos – as they bring back good memories of a trip we did there in 2008.
Hope you have a wonderful time exploring Australia. That’s a country with a lot to offer.
Happy New Year.
It sounds like you have had a very big year!! I can definitely recommend making the most of your stay in Melbourne – we lived there for 10 years and had a fantastic time!
Make sure you visit Phillip Island, do the loop tour of Port Phillip bay (catching the ferry across the heads), drive the Great Ocean Road (make sure you also visit The Grampians on your way back to Melbourne), visit Bright and the alpine areas, the gold areas of Ballarat & Bendigo, if you can get to Mildura that is great, but also go a bit further to Broken Hill and surrounds. Oh, and there is also the Yarra Valley and the Dandenongs close by…
I could definitely relate to moving – deciding what to leave, what to take, what to chuck. I did the same thing last year.
You’ve definitely done a lot of traveling this year. I look forward to reading your posts from Japan.
Nice year-end wrap up and photos.
Hey Denise,
Wow, looks like you had a really great 2012! It’s so amazing to see something go from idea to reality – I remember us talking about our up and coming trips when we were planning them last year!
You’ve certainly peaked my interest in Christchurch. After looking at your pictures I’m going to have to try and visit!
Oh…and would you recommend staying for a week in Singapore en route across SE Asia? Did you think it was worth it or would you advise skipping it?
Hopefully see you in Australia by the end of the year!
Natalie xxx
You’ve experienced a lot in 2012. Best wishes for 2013. Plenty to see and do in Victoria. Walhalla is a quirky and interesting little place. About 20 inhabitants, up in the mountains not too far from Melbs.
What a fabulous year of travel, experiences and change for you. It looks like Melbourne and this move has treated you well. This was a great wrap-up of your year with beautiful photos. Australia is one of my favorite places and I’m looking forward to seeing where you go in 2013. We were in Japan in the summer of 2010 and loved it. Best wishes for the coming year.
Great adventures in 2012 , by the way what make you to miss Nepal one of the fabulous destination . Vietnam could be a best Buddhist pilgrimage place for you !!! peace form Nepal and Lumbini .