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

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...

On my cruise from Singapore to Hong Kong in April 2025, the ship had a Port Day at Vietnam's Chân Mây. Taking opportunity of the day long port visit, I took a land excursion to Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary, a UNESCO World Heritage site. In Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary, ancient Hindu Temples built between the 4th and 13th centuries by the Champa Kingdom can be found. Some of the structures are now crumbling and in ruins as time progresses. Nevertheless, they stood as a testament to a civilisation's rich culture and history that spans several centuries. Ancient Hindu Temple of the Champa Kingdom from the 4th to 13th centuries,  Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary,  Quảng Nam Province, Vietnam (2025)

United Kingdom,  Scotland, Scottish Highlands This article was first published on thus blog in July 2018. Unlike many others, my Travel Bucket List do not include items like climbing Mount Everest, Skydiving in New Zealand or Scuba Diving the Great Barrier Reef. The items on my  Travel Bucket List are far more humble and mundane. I list places that I have read from books when I was a kid but was too poor to travel then. While I am still not well-off, I can at least still fulfil some of the items in my  Travel Bucket List through careful planning and budgeting.  One of the items on my not-so-awesome  Travel Bucket List is to travel through the Scottish  Highlands. This, I achieved in 2011 when I visited Scotland for the first time. My next  Travel Bucket List associated with Scotland is to travel through Scotland by train. I love trains and I love the countryside of Scotland. Combined, such a trip will fulfil not one but two items on my...