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

Are short trips worth all the hassle? I am usually one who do not fancy the idea of short trips involving durations of 2 days/1 night or 3 days/2 nights unless these are overland trips to another city located within 100km of my home. However, at the urging of a friend and on the need to run a short errand, I just returned from a 3 days/2 nights trip to Bangkok this week. Bangkok is a 2-hour journey by flight from my home base of Singapore. Arriving at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport (a.k.a Bangkok International Airport, IATA: BKK, ICAO: VTBS) around 2.15pm local time, it took less than an hour for me to clear the necessary Immigration and Customs procedures before I'm on the subway from the Airport to the city.  Despite the short duration of this trip, I was not only able to complete my errand but also managed to take time out to shuttle around the city, enjoy the local food and even had time to sit myself in cafes to observe the mannerisms and dispositions of the

Taipei is full of pleasant surprises. One of these has to be the Weekend Flower Market known locally as the Jianguo Holiday Flower Market (directly translated from mandarin).  Orchids, Jianguo Holiday Flower Market, Taipei, Taiwan (2016) Opening Hours This market is only open on Saturdays and Sundays and is located beneath the Jian Guo flyover at Xinyi Road. Also located at opposite ends of the Flower Market are the Weekend Jade Market and Weekend Artists Market. Operating hours for the Flower Market are usually between 9am to 5pm although the closing hours can sometimes extend by about an hour due to the stall owners having to pack up their stuffs after a busy business day. Apart from its opening hours over the weekends, this area usually serves as parking lots as evident by the parking gantries and the road markings on the ground. Jianguo Holiday Flower Market, Taipei, Taiwan (2016) Local family shopping for flowers and plants, Jianguo Holiday Flower Ma

Every now and then, each of us will visit a place where we feel a certain connection. Never mind that we have never visited the place before but that sense of attachment seems to magically link ourselves to the place despite the first visit. In only my second visit to Taiwan, I decided to visit the small town of Jiufen. The town is located deep within the mountains in the north of the island where the industry of gold mining has long since seen its heydays and what remained today is a town thriving on tourism. My favourite anime film of all time, Spirited Away (by Studio Ghibli) is said to be loosely based on the old teahouse, alleyways and old lanes of Jiufen. From photos by other travelers prior to my visit, I certainly do concur that some of the scenes from the anime film bore uncanny resemblances to places in Jiufen. At night when the famous red lanterns lining the alleyways of Jiufen are all lit up, that fairy tale feel where magic and myth gravitate toward each othe

Singapore's Changi International Airport has consistently been ranked as being among one of the best airports in the world. And this amazing airport never fails to pleasantly surprise all who arrive, depart or transit through it. On my return to Singapore from a recent vacation to Taipei, I chanced upon this beautiful Peacock at Changi Airport's Terminal 3 Arrival Hall. It was located just before the escalators to the Immigration Clearance Counters. This beautiful peacock display was made up mostly of flowers, primarily orchids. This is another reason to ensure that I have my camera or smartphone ready whenever I am at this airport so that I will not miss those rare photo moments. Floral Peacock, Terminal 3 Arrival, Changi International Airport, Singapore (2016)