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

Travelling to a new city for the first time... This coming Thursday, I will be travelling to Laos for the first time. The purpose of the trip is for a short vacation to Luang Prabang in northern Laos and to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Town of Luang Prabang. Being a first time visitor to Laos and Luang Prabang, I did some research on the internet and in the libraries to find out more about the cultural and religious norms of the city. I usually try my best to conform to and more importantly, to respect the local culture and religion of the cities I am visiting. Besides the more practical aspect of not getting into trouble with the local authorities, the main intention is to show respect to the local people, culture and religions. This is because I am a foreigner and guest after all and it will be rude to behave in manners that may offend the locals as well as their cultural or religious beliefs. The areas where I show respect and conform to the local culture

Emirates operates the largest number of the massive Airbus A380-800 passenger planes compared to all their peers in the airline industry. At the time of the writing of this blog post, Emirates reportedly had 96 of these magnificent planes in operation with a further 46 on order.  The A380-800 is also my personal favourite. When booking my flights, if the flight schedules, plane availability and budget permit, I will usually select those flights operated using the A380. The comfort level of this plane, its relatively spacious interiors and its good handling of turbulences are exceptional. And of course, this plane looks absolutely beautiful. A marvel of engineering! I have never flown on Emirates before and thus have not had any chance to experience the A380s operated by this reputable airline. I had however flown on the A380-800 numerous times on flights operated by Singapore Airlines and thus got to experience the comfort of this plane in both 'J' Class (Business) and

Located at the far north-eastern corner of the Izu Peninsula of Japan's Shizuoka Prefecture, Atami is a small city by the sea that is less than an hour's journey from Tokyo if you are travelling by Shinkansen.  Also home to the famous Atami Castle, the city is a popular seaside resort for locals due to its  many museums, onsens (a.k.a. hot springs), ryokans and cultural heritage sites.  Visiting Atami for the first time in April 2017, I managed to get this bird's eye view of this seaside city from a vantage point high up in the hills near the Atami Castle. View of the city, Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan (2017) Take the relatively short train ride to Atami the next time you visit Tokyo and you will be transported to a small quaint city that is very different from the capital city of Japan. Stay over for a night or two at the many small hotels, hostels or ryokans here and enjoy the serenity of Atami. The JR Atami Station, Atami, Shizuoka Prefectur

Whenever we travelled to new places with histories and cultures different from where we came from, we will almost always encounter new experiences and new sights. When I was in Tallinn in May 2017, I decided to embark on a walking tour of the city. Basically, my walking tour took me from the ferry jetty where I disembarked after arriving from Helsinki, to the Historic Centre (a.k.a Old Town). Along the way, I was fascinated by the many sights and sounds of Tallinn because this was my first trip not just to the city, but also my first trip to Estonia and the Baltic region. I decided to walk rather than to take a transport because I wanted to experience the city more closely and walking allowed me to do just that. Near the Historic Centre of the city, I came across many old but magnificent houses. Many of these houses were built with wood, at least as far as my eyes could see from the exterior. I did not get any chance to visit and admire the interiors of these houses. But even

I have always view air travel on Business Class as an exclusive privilege, one in which I can only indulge in on rare occasions. This is because the exquisite touches of Business Class travel on premium airlines made the flight itself a separate and unique travel experience.  This is a review of my experiences when I flew on Business Class (i.e. 'J' Class) on Singapore Airlines (SQ) from Singapore to Taipei in December 2016. Check-in While Singapore Airlines offer a seamless check-in experience both online and via its SingaporeAir app, I have always preferred and enjoyed the experience of checking in at the check-in counters at the airport in person. I loved the feel of that Boarding Pass in my hand. Add the fact that I collect my Boarding Passes as mementos of my trips and the reasons for my in-person check-in preference become apparent. As with all premium class travels, separate check-in counters for Business Class are allocated at the airport by Singapore A

Trying out different cuisines is part and parcel of travel. Whenever I visit Thailand, I will always go for one of my most favourite Thai dish; Tom Yum. Tom Yum is a spicy and sour soup dish usually served with seafood; in particular prawns (a.k.a. shrimps). But variations of the dish may also see it being served with chicken or pork or some other ingredients. The level of spiciness can also usually be requested by the customers to either go with more or less spices to the dish, depending on one's preferences.  Besides being served as a pure soup dish, Tom Yum is also widely served with noodles. The standard noodle used is typically a unique translucent vermicelli (a.k.a. Thai glass noodles). Whatever your preference, Tom Yum is a unique dish originating from and closely associated with Thai cuisine. Although this dish is also commonly found in other South-East Asian countries such as Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore, I personally still prefer the "original"