So for me, 2012 was quite the year of traveling - I spent almost 4 months abroad, visited 9 new countries, and took what appears to be hundreds--if not thousands--of pictures (enough that they've slowed down my computer's iPhoto application to a virtual standstill). On the off chance that anyone's still subscribing to this blog (and so I can look back on this 30 years from now when iPhoto has, in fact, lost all my photos), I decided to put together a top 12 travel moments/experiences of 2012, in chronological order. Thanks so much to all the people that made these moments possible this year!
1. Visiting the Harpoon Brewery (Boston, MA)
While in some travel locations it's imperative to stop for afternoon tea (or even a strategic pint) while exploring, in Bali we always stopped for fresh squeezed juice, which usually cost on the order of $2-3 USD. At this little restaurant we met a local flying a kite with his son over the rice paddies at the back. He let both Chris and I try it out, and we had fun wandering around the paddies trying to take artsy photos of ourselves.
3. Meeting Tiger Cubs in Thailand (Tiger Temple, Kanchanaburi, Thailand)
On our second day in Bangkok, Lexi, Chris, and I took an excursion to ride elephants and pet tigers in western Thailand. While we thought that the elephant rides would be the highlight of the day, the Tiger Temple was actually amazing - the three of us got to pet this little guy in addition to a lot of full-grown (and very scary) tigers.
4. Swimming in the Marina Bay Sands Infinity Pool (Singapore, Singapore)
One of our last weeks in Singapore, a few of us decided to split a room at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel to gain access to the rooftop infinity pool (pictured above). We spent our stay hanging out by the pool, swimming, and at the hotel's casino...perhaps one of the most luxurious 20 hours of my life. Definitely something I won't be forgetting any time soon!
5. My First Flight in a Prop Plane (Tioman Island, Malaysia)
For our journey back from Malaysia, Chris, Melanie, and I traveled via Berjaya Air, which runs exactly two flights per day out of Tioman Island, Malaysia (one to Kuala Lumpur and one to Singapore). I had never flown in that small a plane before and am notoriously afraid of heights, so it was a slightly stressful experience (to say the least). After only forty minutes, however, we landed in Singapore safe and sound--it was way easier than the bus/ferry combination we had taken to get to the island, for sure!
6. Walking Fish (Outside of Ko Panyi, Thailand)
An entirely inconsequential part of our trip, these walking fish were by far the coolest little bugs I've ever seen in my life. While on a kayaking tour around a bay off the coast of Phuket, our guide showed us these little guys, who swim during high tide and then wander around using their fins as legs during low tide. They're also really aggressive and fight all the time--the big one with his mouth open in the photo above is actually yelling at the smaller one!
7. Staying at the Kelebek Cave Hotel (Goreme, Turkey)
Between delayed flights, airline changes, long customs lines, and an overnight bus ride, Alice and I had a LOT of trouble getting to Goreme, but the Kelebek Hotel was worth the wait! This gorgeous boutique hotel overlooked all of Goreme, and the breakfast buffet (a sample of which is pictured above) was to die for. We also treated ourselves to a spa night at the hamam (Turkish bath), which was located in the basement of one of the cave pillars. I've stayed in some pretty cool places, not gonna lie, but this one has to take the cake!
8. The Istanbul Spice Market (Istanbul, Turkey)
I adored pretty much our whole visit to Turkey, but the Spice Market was definitely one of the cooler experiences we had. For a while Alice and I just strolled around taking everything in, then we both made some amazing purchases that I'm still using in my kitchen today. Weird to say, but also one of the best-smelling places I've ever been....
9. A Beach Day on the Aegean (Outside of Thessaloniki, Greece)
As a special treat, Katerina, our guide/hostess in Thessaloniki, brought Vivek, Megan, and I to her favorite beach outside of Thessaloniki for a wonderful break during our trip. We swam, drank frappes, and had the most amazing lunch with a view of the Aegean. Like any good grad student, I brought some light reading to pass the time (pictured above).
10. Dinner Overlooking Volos (Mount Pelion, Greece)
I tried hard to limit the number of meals included in this list (not a bad effort, eh?), but this dinner was too wonderful to overlook--we had warm feta with honey and sesame seeds, rabbit stew, wine, and many other things we were too busy eating to remember to photograph. Like most greek restaurants do, our waitress brought us a dessert on the house at the end of the meal, after which we returned full and happy to our small hotel in the next village.
11. Day Trip to Colonia (Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay)
After the conclusion of our conference, Katerina and I decided to take a day trip to Colonia del Sacramento, a small city in Uruguay about an hour by ferry from Buenos Aires. Although we were only there for a few hours, the city was beautiful and we had a fantastic time--we met lots of wonderful people, bought some souvenirs, and ate a fantastic lunch. Although Buenos Aires was also fabulous, I really loved the small-town feel of Colonia and how friendly all the locals were.
12. Visiting Iguazu Falls (Iguazu, Argentina)
Thanks to the recommendation of my Uncle Mark, I made the trek from Buenos Aires to Iguazu, Argentina, a city on the border with Brazil home to one of the world's greatest waterfalls. I spent about a day here exploring the national park that surrounds the falls, and it really was one of the more beautiful and amazing places I've ever been.
Well, that's it, folks! 2012 really was an amazing year for my travel, and although I don't expect that 2013 will reach the same level (how could it?) I'm sure I'll have more to update this blog with in the future. To all of you that have patiently read this thing for the last six months, thank you so much...and have a happy and healthy new year!
Lots of love,
Dara
1. Visiting the Harpoon Brewery (Boston, MA)
So yes, this was not technically MY travel experience, but when Chris and Steph came to visit Boston in the spring, we went with Alistair on the Harpoon Brewery tour, which was absolutely fantastic and maybe one of the more fun hours and a half of my year. This visit also led to the infamous "Wobble" experience at our TPP Memorial Day barbecue.
2. Juice Breaks in Bali (Ubud, Bali, Indonesia)
3. Meeting Tiger Cubs in Thailand (Tiger Temple, Kanchanaburi, Thailand)
On our second day in Bangkok, Lexi, Chris, and I took an excursion to ride elephants and pet tigers in western Thailand. While we thought that the elephant rides would be the highlight of the day, the Tiger Temple was actually amazing - the three of us got to pet this little guy in addition to a lot of full-grown (and very scary) tigers.
4. Swimming in the Marina Bay Sands Infinity Pool (Singapore, Singapore)
One of our last weeks in Singapore, a few of us decided to split a room at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel to gain access to the rooftop infinity pool (pictured above). We spent our stay hanging out by the pool, swimming, and at the hotel's casino...perhaps one of the most luxurious 20 hours of my life. Definitely something I won't be forgetting any time soon!
5. My First Flight in a Prop Plane (Tioman Island, Malaysia)
For our journey back from Malaysia, Chris, Melanie, and I traveled via Berjaya Air, which runs exactly two flights per day out of Tioman Island, Malaysia (one to Kuala Lumpur and one to Singapore). I had never flown in that small a plane before and am notoriously afraid of heights, so it was a slightly stressful experience (to say the least). After only forty minutes, however, we landed in Singapore safe and sound--it was way easier than the bus/ferry combination we had taken to get to the island, for sure!
6. Walking Fish (Outside of Ko Panyi, Thailand)
An entirely inconsequential part of our trip, these walking fish were by far the coolest little bugs I've ever seen in my life. While on a kayaking tour around a bay off the coast of Phuket, our guide showed us these little guys, who swim during high tide and then wander around using their fins as legs during low tide. They're also really aggressive and fight all the time--the big one with his mouth open in the photo above is actually yelling at the smaller one!
7. Staying at the Kelebek Cave Hotel (Goreme, Turkey)
Between delayed flights, airline changes, long customs lines, and an overnight bus ride, Alice and I had a LOT of trouble getting to Goreme, but the Kelebek Hotel was worth the wait! This gorgeous boutique hotel overlooked all of Goreme, and the breakfast buffet (a sample of which is pictured above) was to die for. We also treated ourselves to a spa night at the hamam (Turkish bath), which was located in the basement of one of the cave pillars. I've stayed in some pretty cool places, not gonna lie, but this one has to take the cake!
8. The Istanbul Spice Market (Istanbul, Turkey)
I adored pretty much our whole visit to Turkey, but the Spice Market was definitely one of the cooler experiences we had. For a while Alice and I just strolled around taking everything in, then we both made some amazing purchases that I'm still using in my kitchen today. Weird to say, but also one of the best-smelling places I've ever been....
9. A Beach Day on the Aegean (Outside of Thessaloniki, Greece)
As a special treat, Katerina, our guide/hostess in Thessaloniki, brought Vivek, Megan, and I to her favorite beach outside of Thessaloniki for a wonderful break during our trip. We swam, drank frappes, and had the most amazing lunch with a view of the Aegean. Like any good grad student, I brought some light reading to pass the time (pictured above).
10. Dinner Overlooking Volos (Mount Pelion, Greece)
I tried hard to limit the number of meals included in this list (not a bad effort, eh?), but this dinner was too wonderful to overlook--we had warm feta with honey and sesame seeds, rabbit stew, wine, and many other things we were too busy eating to remember to photograph. Like most greek restaurants do, our waitress brought us a dessert on the house at the end of the meal, after which we returned full and happy to our small hotel in the next village.
11. Day Trip to Colonia (Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay)
After the conclusion of our conference, Katerina and I decided to take a day trip to Colonia del Sacramento, a small city in Uruguay about an hour by ferry from Buenos Aires. Although we were only there for a few hours, the city was beautiful and we had a fantastic time--we met lots of wonderful people, bought some souvenirs, and ate a fantastic lunch. Although Buenos Aires was also fabulous, I really loved the small-town feel of Colonia and how friendly all the locals were.
12. Visiting Iguazu Falls (Iguazu, Argentina)
Thanks to the recommendation of my Uncle Mark, I made the trek from Buenos Aires to Iguazu, Argentina, a city on the border with Brazil home to one of the world's greatest waterfalls. I spent about a day here exploring the national park that surrounds the falls, and it really was one of the more beautiful and amazing places I've ever been.
Well, that's it, folks! 2012 really was an amazing year for my travel, and although I don't expect that 2013 will reach the same level (how could it?) I'm sure I'll have more to update this blog with in the future. To all of you that have patiently read this thing for the last six months, thank you so much...and have a happy and healthy new year!
Lots of love,
Dara
