TANKS Travel Tales - a travelogue.......

  Busy work schedule impacting travel plans.....  The month of July 2025 and the upcoming month of August 2025 will see my work schedule spiked so high I can hardly find anytime for anything else besides work and more work.  I took a short weekend trip in mid-July to travel to Hong Kong to meet my partner. But even over that short weekend, I was so busy with work that I hardly had time for my partner except for a few moments in the evenings. Teams Meetings, Work Calls and the rush to churn out Project Documents and Reports were the orders of each day, weekends included. As my busy work schedule continues into August 2025, I am looking forward to a less hectic work schedule as the the final four months of 2025 beckon. In the last week of September, I will be travelling to Kuala Lumpur to attend a Pen Show. In-between, I need to plan short weekend trips to Hong Kong to spend time with my partner. Then in December, I am planning a trip to Japan. Hoping my travel plans for th...

Indonesia,  Bali, Ubud This article was first published on this blog in June 2024. Planned as an idyllic vacation stay in Bali's Ubud, I instead had the opportunity to witness a religious festival. An unplanned Travel Bucket List item accomplished. ****************** During a recent trip to Ubud, I serendipitously came upon a religious festival. Following the colourful procession from a respectful distance and only using the zoom function of my camera to "get close", I make sure to stay as inconspicuous as possible. I certainly did not wish to be seen as "intruding" upon the locals celebrating their culture and religion. Offerings in a religious festival in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia (2023) Thankfully, all the locals were really friendly and they did not mind me walking behind, from a distance. They smiled continuously and even explained to me the significance of the festival. The following video on this blog's  TANKS Travel Tales YouTube Channel  was sewn from a...

Busy months of work and travel await.....  The month of June and the next couple of months to follow will be busy ones for me, both in terms of work and travel. I will need to be working every day, weekends included. And when I travel, work will definitely be on the agenda every day. Finding the right balance between work and rest during this busy period will be critical to keep myself in peak condition to fulfil both my professional responsibilities and my commitments to my family. One key strategy is to manage situations as they happen, keeping my plans and daily schedule flexible enough to adapt to changing circumstances. When this busy period is over, I will be writing in this column  to share how I navigate between a heavy and packed work schedule whilst still being able to travel regularly, at least regionally! 🌏 Latte and scones, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, China

Kuala Kangsar is located along the Kangsar River near Ipoh, the State Capital of the Malaysian State of Perak. The Kuala Kangsar of today is a quaint town with several historical attractions. These include the Ubudiah Mosque, the Perak Royal Museum (previously the Istana Kenangan), the Istana Iskandariah and the Kuala Kangsar Clock Tower amongst others.  The  Ubudiah Mosque, Kuala Kangsar, Perak, Malaysia (2024) I visited Kuala Kangsar for the first time in February 2024 during a short road trip from Ipoh. I was particularly awed by the majestic facade of the Ubudiah Mosque. and the beautiful and artistic structure of the Istana Kenangan. 3 months later in May 2024, I passed by Kuala Kangsar on my train journey from Bangkok to Singapore. But I did not have the time to stop over for a second visit due to the need to keep up with the train schedules between Kuala Lumpur, Gemas and Johor Bahru. I will surely return again to Kuala Kangsar to enjoy the peaceful and serene atmospher...

Thailand,  Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, Hua Hin This article was first published on thus blog in August 2024. I visited Hua Hin for the first time whilst on a backpacking train journey from Bangkok to Singapore. I had always thought of Hua Hin as a place where upscale resorts abound. But the Hua Hin I visited was unlike what I had imagined. Maybe it was because I was on a backpacking trip. But my short sojourn in Hua Hin was one where I blended in seamlessly with the friendly locals at the local night market, eating what the locals eat, walking around in my flip flops, enjoyed myself at the beach despite the scorching heat of the day, had a great chat with a wonderful gentleman from the Netherlands who now stays in Hua Hin and of course, simply enjoying myself as a backpacking traveler would! For me, this is a real Bucket List experience.  This article focuses mainly on my night market experience in Hua Hin.  ****************** I had so often heard about Hua Hin but had ...

Balancing Work-life in the month of May 2025.....  The month of May 2025 has been a busy month for me. My work-related projects all started getting into high gear. In-between, I managed to squeeze in a short 5-nights trip to Hong Kong. During the trip, I was still working remotely. Having online meetings with my clients and constantly on messaging apps with my colleagues. While I had visited Hong Kong many times before, there were still many things I get to experience for the first time during this trip. More on those experiences in a subsequent article to follow on this blog. My busy work life has translated into being a bit "laggy" when it comes to updating this blog and posting more articles. June and July are likely to be busy working months as well. Beyond these two months, hopefully things cool down a bit. I look forward to more short trips soon, especially in August, September and November.  I am still planning to go to Japan in winter but I cannot confirm this trip un...