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

Being environmentally-conscious during our travels....... We all know it from the well-publicised facts that the human race is causing huge changes and damage to the environment as our civilisation progresses. Yes, we cause damage to Mother Earth whether we are at home or traveling. But more so when we travel. Why is this so? Clear waters are a joy to look at and behold when we avoid pollution of our waterways , Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia (2016) Air travel contributes to many kinds of damage to the environment including carbon emission. As I am no environmental scientist or professional, I am unable to go into the details of all the damages, their causes and effects. What I know as a layperson is that whenever I fly, I contribute to environmental damage and degradation. While there is nothing much I can do about this, I can certainly help to be kind to the environment by generating less wastes in situations more controllable at the personal level. Plastics are a major...

Traveling opens our minds. It allows us to see and experience sights and sounds that may be vastly different from those that we are used to in our daily routines both at home and at work. This is usually true regardless of the country or city we visited.  Seoul filled me with much "wow" and "ah" during my visit. Each sight and experience was an amazing visual and in some ways, spiritual journey. Profoundly influenced by Confucian principles, Korean culture places emphasis on harmony, family, friendship, ancestry, tradition and respect for both elders and authority. This influence is evident both in the business world and personal lives of Koreans. During my short trip to Seoul, I was always intrigue by everything I saw and experienced. Due to the limited scope of my trip, I was not able to fully immerse myself in Korean culture. But I found another way to vastly increase my exposure in this area through visual appreciation of the many photographs on bil...

Many cities have their own weekend morning markets. These include local farmers' markets in many European cities to flea markets in Asian cities.  The most interesting aspect is that you never know what you are going to discover and see in the often varied and distinctly different stalls that collectively gave a vibrant and exciting feel to these markets. Because most of the stalls are typically operated by folks who do so on a part-time basis, this usually means that each time you visit the same market, you may not get to see the same stalls all the time. In a way, each visit can be a vastly different experience in itself. It is like going to a whole new weekend market on every visit, the only constant being the location and the operating hours. In the old city of Jaffa just north of the main thoroughfares of bustling Tel Aviv, there is a vibrant culture of weekend markets. From memory, I can count at least two that are usually open on Friday mornings. For those who may n...

Tallinn is both the capital city as well as cultural heart of Estonia. Located on the shores of the Baltic Sea, the city of Tallinn is both a reflection of new and old. The recent economic growth of Estonia has transformed the country greatly. Evident of this is everywhere including in Tallinn itself, mostly represented by gleaming, neat and artfully designed office towers. Yet, with its UNESCO World Heritage Site-inscribed Old Town, the Gothic-style Town Hall and historical Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tallinn retains much of its medieval heritage to give visitors unique insights into its rich history and culture. Those who are interested in history will be pleased to know that Tallinn itself is home to many museums and galleries. These include the Estonian History Museum, the Estonian Maritime Museum and the Tallinn City Museum. History and Geography The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was built in the late 19th century when Estonia was still part of the Russian Empire. The ca...

Self-Driving during Overseas Vacations....... While I am not a fan of self-driving when traveling overseas, I had done my fair share of driving in different countries while on vacation. These places include France, Germany and Israel. And more recently, in Australia. On the road while self-driving from New Norcia to Perth, Western Australia, Australia (2018) Having your own set of wheels while overseas has its conveniences. It allows you to venture a little off-road to see and experience sights and sounds off the so-called beaten track. It allows you the flexibility to change your itinerary as and when situation and mood necessitates. And it also means that you do not have to plan your travel activities around the operating hours of the public transport operators of the cities you are visiting. Self-driving allowed me to stop and enjoy the natural landscapes whenever I wanted, Negev Desert, Israel (2017) Stopping my vehicle to watch herders near the city of Bee...

Spring is generally a good season to visit any temperate countries. This is the season where wild flowers bloom aplenty and the weather is typically mild and cool. In Japan, a visit during spring is also often associated with the cherry blossom (a.k.a. Sakura ) season. Cherry blossom viewing or Hanami (i.e. flower viewing) is an age-old traditional Japanese custom. Every year during the cherry blossom season, thousands of foreign tourists visit Japan just to enjoy the experience of viewing the country's famed cherry blossoms. Visiting the city of Takashima and its surrounding region in April 2018, I was treated to the wonderful experience of walking and viewing stretches of cherry blossoms along Lake Biwa that continued for almost 4km (about 2.5 miles). This is in the Makinocho Kaizu area that is just 20 minutes walk from the Makino Station.  Sakura in  Makinocho Kaizu, Takashima, Shiga Prefecture, Japan (2018) Canopy of sakura that stretched for severa...

One of the things I enjoyed the most when travelling is to spend time in local cafes and eateries enjoying a breakfast or supper while watching the world goes by.  While visiting Perth in June 2018, I had the chance to self-drive to one of its suburbs, Guilford. Known for its buildings with colonial style architecture, Guildford is easily reachable from Perth. It is just a 25-minute leisurely drive away.  I had breakfast at a local cafe, tucking into my meal as I sat watching and enjoying the relatively slower-paced of life in the suburbs.  My simple breakfast of toast, egg, mushrooms and asparagus, Guildford, Perth, Western Australia Australia (2018) My usual cup of coffee, Guildford, Perth, Western Australia, Australia (2018) The small local cafe where I had my breakfast, Guildford, Perth, Western Australia, Australia (2018) Breakfast was followed by a leisurely stroll around the neighbourhood, taking in the fresh morning sunshine as I mar...