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

I attended a friend's wedding in the city of Thiruvananthapuram in India's Kerala State last year. The wedding ceremony was an amazing experience for me. Culturally, I learned much about a traditional Indian wedding.  The ceremony was also an awesome photo opportunity for me. Armed only with my iPhone 6S Plus, I proceeded to discreetly take photographs of the wedding proceedings, taking care not to interrupt the work of the official photographers and without being too intrusive on the guests at the wedding. Here is a picture of a group of bridesmaids waiting for the arrival of the groom. The colourful umbrellas, their beautiful dresses and the traditional gifts they bore provided a picture perfect opportunity too good to be missed. Bridesmaids at a traditional Indian wedding ceremony waiting for the arrival of the groom, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India (2016)

Travelling offers much opportunities to experience new sights and sounds. During a recent business trip to Hong Kong in January 2017, I was out for a late night supper and saw workers setting up a pop-up store for the coming Chinese New Year.  Moments later, this huge and magnificent figure can be seen fronting the pop-up store which was located in Mong Kok, along Dundas Street and just next to the Bai Yu Business Center. The photos below were taken with my iPhone 6S Plus. When travelling, always keep a camera handy for that unexpected photo opportunity! And smartphones, with their in-built cameras, are the convenient choice for me. Giant figure fronting a Pop-Up Store, Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China (2017) The Pop-Up Store located just next to the giant figure shown in the above photo, Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China (2017)

Bangkok is the capital city of Thailand. It is also the most populous city in the country with a population of over 8 million people. And that is not including people who lives within the Bangkok Metropolitan Region.  And so, if you have just 1 day to spend in this bustling and vibrant city, how do you spend your time here within that 24 hours? Silom Complex, , Si Lom, Bang Rak District, Bangkok, Thailand (2017) I recently spent a day in Bangkok as part of a business trip. Not one who really enjoys jostling with crowds and yet not a hermit as well, I tried to strike a balance between the crowds and nature. Here's how I spent my one day in Bangkok. 10.00 am - 12.00 pm Woke up relatively late at 9.00 am as I do not have to attend any meetings. After a couple of minutes lazing in the hotel room, a quick shower followed and I was soon out on the streets. Took the BTS Skytrain to the Ma Boon Khrong Center. This popular tourist haunt in Bangkok is also regular...

Located in Gopeng in the Malaysian state of Perak, Gua Tempurung is one of the longest cave system in Peninsula Malaysia (a.k.a. West Malaysia). New to caves and caving? Gua Tempurung is a cave where beginners could breeze through with zero prior caving experience. A natural opening allows some sunlight into the cave near its entrance, Gua Tempurung, Gopeng, Perak, Malaysia (2016) History and Geography Estimated at around 10,000 years old, Gua Tempurung is a cave system that runs under the limestone hills of Gunung Tempurung and Gunung Gajah.  This is just a sign for visitors and is not the entrance to the cave, Gua Tempurung, Gopeng, Perak, Malaysia (2016) Gopeng and Gua Tempurung are about 25km from Ipoh, the capital city of the state of Perak. The total length of this cave system is estimated to be about 3km and there is a subterranean river spanning about 1.6km that runs through it. The main trail spanning both openings of the cave is about 1.9km in len...