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

I am sure most of us have been on many trips to different places all over the world. And we all have our own favourite and most memorable trips. These are the trips that never fail to bring a smile to our faces when we look back at those travel photographs, read about the same places on travel blogs and articles or sharing them with family and friends. What are your most memorable trips to date? Among my most memorable trips is my first and only visit to the Maldives. There are many things I did not get to enjoy or experience during that trip. I did not get to swim with Manta Rays, I did not get to see a Whale Shark in the sea, I did not get to stay in a luxurious 5-star beach resort and I certainly did not get to dive and swim with the fishes. But I did get to experience living and interacting with the locals, eating locally cooked food, walking along the pitch dark beach at night with only the moon and stars illuminating my path, welcoming local fishermen back from a nig...

Low Cost Carrier....... With Low Cost Carriers (LCC) sprouting like mushrooms after a heavy tropical downpour, many are jumping on the air travel bandwagon. In a way, this is a good thing for those travellers who otherwise may not be able to afford to travel to far flung destinations due to the previously relatively prohibitive costs of air travel. A Scoot A320 plane on the tarmac of the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport, Ipoh, Malaysia (2017) But for those where cost is not such a big deterrent, is LCC the way to travel? As the name suggests, LCC basically means no-frills air travel. And because most LCCs operate on very tight schedule amidst other business-related constraints, this usually means that if there is a technical issue either with equipment (i.e airplanes) or operations such flight delays due to inclement weather, staff shift planning and other related issues, there will be downstream impact on the traveller such as prolonged delays at airports or even last-minute c...

I have been fortunate to be able tio visit many UNESCO World Heritage sites in person. One of these is the Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn.  Town square of the Historic Centre, Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia (2017) Visiting sites inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List allow travellers like myself to experience and appreciate the natural, cultural and historical wonders that had and still grace the world we live in. However, the one and only time I had come across an actual plaque describing a site's inscription in the World Heritage List was when I was visiting the Old Town of Tallinn. Nothing beats seeing the real thing in person! Plaque in the Historic Centre describing the site's inscription in the World Heritage List, Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia (2017) The historical medieval building where the Plaque is displayed, Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia (2017)

Reigning in the overlapping years between the 12th and 13th centuries, King Jayavarman VII of Angkor built a terrace for him and his subjects to review and view his armies. This terrace its today known as the Terrace of the Elephants. It was built towards the end of the 12th century. What remains today of the original 350-metre long terrace are carvings of elephants; including the often photographed and famous parade of elephants and their mahouts towards the end of the eastern face. The Terrace of the Elephants was part of the Palace of Phimeanakas. Only small sections of the palace ruins remain today; mostly the foundation of the original palace complex. Strolling quietly amongst the ruins during my visit, I tried to envisage the grandeur that the original palace and its surrounding structures could have been in their hey days. This definitely forms part of the unique history not just of the Khmer people, but also for South East Asia and the World. Part of the history of man...

Of all modern wide body airliners, none is arguably more impressive than the Airbus A380-800.   And its not just the aesthetics that made the A380 the favourite airliner for most travellers. The interior of the plane is spacious and grand. More importantly, it does not gives one the claustrophobic feel. Take offs and landings are usually smooth and turbulences encountered in-flight are typically  less disturbing to the passengers, probably due to the size and bulk of this massive aircraft. The cabin is also relatively quiet as the plane cruises to its destination, providing a good ambience for the passengers to rest or catch up on some sleep, especially on those red-eye flights. Personally, the A380-800 is my number one choice when it comes to flying. This is especially so during long haul flights. Whenever possible, I usually try to select flights serviced using the A380 when booking my flight tickets. I will even go as far as to give up the so-called premium flight ...