My 10 best moments of 2012

Again it’s the end of the year. I’ve been busy lately, with a lot of work trips. 2012 has been amazing for me. Just like last year, I’m listing up my 10 best travel-related moments for this year. Check out my list for 2011 here.

So here we are, just to share with you my 10 best travel-related moments of 2012

10. Going scuba diving in Koh Phi Phi
After 6 months obtaining my scuba diving license in Perhentian Island, I went out on my first diving trip. The destination was Koh Phi Phi, an island in the middle between Phuket and Krabi. Spotted a few turtles, eels and also beautiful corals during the dives.

diving-koh-phi-phi**photo by existentialcrisis

9. Experiencing living in a farm house in Gingin, Western Australia
I was in Western Australia in between Summer and Spring. I moved on from Perth city and end up at Marwa Farm, a Malaysian owned farm house in Gingin. The farm was really huge, about 7km long x 1km wide. We had to moved around the farm using the Quad-bike. It was a wonderful experience chasing the lambs, feeding the Alpacas and touring around the large farm area. Check out my entry about Marwa Farm here. (Entry written in Malay)

marwa-farm14

8. Trying out sea-kayaking in Ao Thalane
During my stay in Krabi, instead of heading for some beach activity, I opted to try out sea-kayaking. With the help from the guesthouse, we managed to secure places to join the activity. We paddled from the creek through the narrow mangrove and off to the open sea. It was fun, but quite a tiring activity. Check out the post about Ao Thalane here.

ao-thalane-5

7. Riding a motorbike around Da Nang and up to Hai Van pass
I was in Da Nang, central Vietnam in September. We rented a few motorbikes there to move around Da Nang city. Not only that, we even ride up to Hai Van pass which is more than an hour ride from the city. It is one of the scenic mountain pass in Asia.

bike-ride-danang

6. Feeding the kangaroos at Caversham Wildlife Park, Perth
Another exciting activity that I did in Australia this year was feeding the kangaroos. At Caversham Wildlife Park, visitors are allowed to feed the kangaroos, touch the koalas and take photos with other animals. Although it was not my first time there, I still had a great time there. Check out my post about Caversham park here.

caversham-wildlife-3

5. Exploring the ancient town of Hoi An in Central Vietnam
Hoi An is an ancient city in central Vietnam, is one of the UNESCO heritage site. The town is full with tailor shops, old heritage buildings and also beautiful lanterns. I like the place because it’s so peaceful and very beautiful at night. Check out the post about Hoi An here.

hoi-an-4

4. Enjoying the beautiful sunset in Promthep Cape, Phuket
I enjoyed the best sunset view in 2012 while I was in Phuket. Promthep Cape, located in the south-west corner of Phuket, offers a lovely sunset view from higher grounds. Check out my post about sunset in Phuket here.

phuket-sunset-4

3. I got interviewed by Astro Awani to talk about travel trends
My 1st time being interviewed by a local television through Skype. I was given the opportunity to talk about travel trends alongside Tune Hotels CEO.

dan-astro-awani

2. Wonderful time in Redang Island with #TravelholicAwesome
I got hooked up with #TravelholicAwesome, a group of Malaysian travelholics. Joined the first trip to Taiping and Redang was my 2nd trip with them. I’m definitely looking forward from more awesome adventures in 2013. Most importantly, Redang trip was the starting point for me & Mas.

redang2

redang1

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt7Dk1lLebU&w=500&h=333]

1. Swimming with the sharks in Karimunjawa
After nearly 3 hours of flight time, 2 hours van ride and another 3 hours of ferry ride, I arrived in Karimunjawa Island. This hidden paradise is definitely worth the hassle. Swimming with the sharks in Karimunjawa tops my travel list in 2012. Check out my post about Karimunjawa here.

karimunjawa-17

karimunjawa-29

karimunjawa-30

So how was your year in 2012? Hope you guys had a great time too

Looking forward for more wonderful moments in 2013! Goodbye 2012! Hello 2013!

20 Responses so far.

  1. Great year you have especially finding another partner of your life =D. I tot you guys main-main only but seriously one. Hahaha.. It’s great news especially when both of you share the same passion

  2. azuan says:

    You are a true legend when it comes to travel and blogging bro. Aku memang every few days visit blog kau. I like the way you choose your destinations. Unique.

    2013, more adventures i am sure 🙂

    • danarif says:

      amboi perli aku ker apa nie? haha.. apa pon mana la bole lawan artis kena interview live kat tv dgn sambut bday atas flight.. hehehe.. thanks bro.. hopefully 2013 will be a great year for u too..

  3. masMZ says:

    Wahhhhh siap ada ranking lagi! ekekekeke…

    Nice meeting you Dan… Can’t wait for 2013 😀

  4. tansree coco says:

    keep up good work Dan.
    (masih terharu…clipvideo itu diattach lagi sekali!)

    nice knowing you…and nice you met your soulmate!

    (mana plak icon smiling face?)

  5. Ajlaa says:

    wah. upload video banyak2 lagi.
    berbaloi2 tgk. happy new year!

  6. Jeff says:

    Wow, what an amazing year you have. I totally agree with you on the riding motorcycle through the Hai Van Pass and exploring Hoi An. Both were my best memories for 2012.

    • danarif says:

      Happy new year bro.. yup.. a great experience in vietnam at that time.. I can see that u had a great time in Myanmar too.. Myanmar is in my wishlist.. but dunno when can I visit it..

  7. mas says:

    Beautiful 7 months, thanx dear..

  8. Fatt says:

    Dan, awat muka aku ada bintanggg?? *pitam*

    HAHAHAHA….ok takpe lets get serious. aku paling cemburu dgn pglmn diving ko sbb aku teringin sangat nak amik lesen tapi masih lagi takut2 sbb tak berapa confident dgn laut. anyway…itu akan aku ikhtiarkan.

    selamat menempuh tahun baru 2013 dgn lebih cemerlang insya Allah…jgk semoga tahun ini lebih bermakna dgn insan yg tersayang (amboi ko tak sebut pun psl dia nanti majok plak..kekeke)

    goodluck! 😀

  9. Zara~AB says:

    Scuba diving license! Definitely one of the thing that i really wanted to do since high school. Keep postponed the programme. Konon2 nk buat lepas amik SPM, pas tue lepas abis foundation, pas tue lepas abis degree. Sampai skrang jugak tak sempat buat.

    You’ve been to a lot of interesting places. But one of your 2012 destination that really inspired me (kind of influenced me to swim with the sharks) is definitely Karimunjawa, Semarang.

    Happy New Year and hope to see more destination to be explore and discover by you in 2013!

  10. Wow ! awesome pics in different places…….. I love trailing so I liked these different places.

  11. Nice list! I have relatives living in Semarang and they are always asking when I will ever visit them. Got another reason to head over there soon: Karimunjawa (cool review btw!).

    Nice top10 list btw. I am interested in your comparison between Phi Phi (Don?) and Perhentian/Redang. We did quite some diving in Malaysia and Indonesia, but not yet in Thailand. Perhaps you can compare those spots better as you’ve been to all three :).

    Ilya

  12. Tman BBI hse mate says:

    Dasyat


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