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

Regular readers of this blog will know that whichever city I visited, I always make it a point to go to the local market places. I strongly believe that the culture and heartbeat of any city is usually depicted in the activities of its markets.  And in Tel Aviv, there are no other markets more popular amongst both locals and tourists than the Carmel Market. Shuk HaCarmel a.k.a. Carmel Market, Tel Aviv, Israel (2017) History The Carmel Market of today can be traced historically back to as early as the 1920s to a marketplace known as the "Hakerem". Over the years, this market morphed into what today is the Carmel Market. Officially known as the Shuk HaCarmel, this market is well known to locals and tourists alike and is almost always described in travel guides on Tel Aviv. Getting There The Carmel Market is located along HaCarmel Street and is bordered by Allenby Street and the Magen David Square. It is within less than 5 minutes walking distance from

Despite being the touted as the tourist strip of Lombok, Senggigi is a relatively small collection of hotels, hostels, restaurants, cafes and small businesses catering to the tourism industry of Lombok. Located north of Lombok's administrative capital of Mataram, Senggigi includes a few kilometres of beach front. While visiting Lombok a couple of years ago, I spent a quiet evening walking along part of the stretch of Senggigi to take in the evening atmosphere and observe the local businesses. My route that evening was alongside the sometimes busy small road that straddles the vertical length of the island. Some of the views I experienced are captured in the following photographs using my DSLR camera.  These "moments" reminded me that I should perhaps planned a trip to Lombok soon. :-) Senggigi in the early evening hours, Lombok, Indonesia (2014) Senggigi in the early evening hours, Lombok, Indonesia (2014) Senggigi in the early evening hours

The period between late-March and early-April is always a good time to visit Japan, in particular the Tokyo area. The main reason is this period usually coincides with the annual sakura or cherry blossom season. Huge blooms of pink and white sakuras are a sight to behold. The crowds and the high seasonal prices of hotels and airfares may be a put off but it is also important to remember that sakura only blooms once a year and as visitors, it is not always possible to plan a visit to coincide with this relatively short period. Sakura, Ueno Park, Ueno District of Taito, Tokyo, Japan (2017) Sakura, Ueno Park, Ueno District of Taito, Tokyo, Japan (2017) Sakura, Ueno Park, Ueno District of Taito, Tokyo, Japan (2017) Sakura, Ueno Park, Ueno District of Taito, Tokyo, Japan (2017) History The centuries old Japanese tradition off picnicking under a blooming sakura or ume tree is known locally as " Hanami ". The practice of hanami started with ume