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

Singapore is a small city state. This means getting from one place to another takes a relatively short time. My home is just a 10-minute drive to the Singapore Zoo, River Safari and Night Safari. Unlike most conventional zoos and wildlife parks, the Singapore Zoo, River Safari and Night Safari are purpose designed to ensure that the animals housed here are allowed to live in environments as close to their natural habitats as possible. These parks are cleverly designed such that the boundaries between the animals and visitors are delineated atheistically; thus, doing away with the needs for physical cages and iron bars. As an animal lover and being one who stays so close to these parks, I am needless to say, a frequent visitor. If you are a tourist, getting to the 3 parks is relatively simple. There are public transports which run from several different locations within Singapore. You may refer to the respective websites of these parks for up-to-date information at the time of

Basel is located in North-western Switzerland near the borders with both Germany and France. This is a city rich in culture where many museums can be found. The city sits on the River Rhine and is the home base of many large Pharmaceutical companies including Roche and Novartis. Basel also bears the unique distinction as the only Port in landlocked Switzerland. This is due to its geographic location at an area where the Rhine is navigable. Another interesting fact about Basel is that it is near the exact point where the Swiss, German and French borders converged. The 16th century Town Hall (a.k.a. Rathaus) is the seat of the local government of the Canton of Basel-Stadt. This building is made of red sandstone and is located right in the middle of Basel's medieval old town, in an area known locally as the Marktplatz. Basel Town Hall, Basel, Switzerland (2009) The Author, Timothy, standing in front of the Town Hall's red sandstone structure, Basel, Switzerland (20