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

Indigenous art typically consists of symbols and date far back into the earliest histories of mankind. The earliest indigenous art that we still have today are those carved into rock faces and preserved in the dwellings of our early ancestors, such as caves. Australian indigenous art probably holds the record as the oldest traditional art in the world. In the aboriginal culture, life is typically based on the foundation of "The Dreaming"; the beginning, ancestors, life and death, and power. All Australian Aboriginal beliefs shared this common foundation. Today, indigenous art is often depicted on canvas, sculptures and even body art. I have always been fascinated with Australian indigenous art. The flowing patterns created by the symbols and the artistic deployment of vibrant colours used to depict the stories in each art piece is as fascinating as the talent of the artists who brought these art pieces to life. They all look so beautiful and similar but ye...

At all Shinto shrines in Japan, there are water-filled basins where worshippers will use to wash their hands and mouth as an act of self purification before approaching the shrine to offer prayers. This practice is unique to Japan and is followed not just at Shinto shrines but also at Buddhists temples throughout the country. The rite itself is known in Japanese as temizu and the areas where the water basins are located are known as temizuya . Wooden ladles are available at the basins for the worshippers to use to scoop up the water for temizu . In my travels around Japan over many visits to the country, the sight of a  temizuya  has become so common to me that I hardly take any photographs when I see one. Another reason is I usually avoid taking photographs if there are worshippers in the  temizuya  area because I think it is extremely rude to take photos of someone preparing to pray or praying since I personally view the act as both a private and solemn momen...

Local food....... Traveling often bring us out of our comfort zone. And this includes food....... what we eat during our travels. Local food encompasses the cultures and traditions of the place we travel to. Other factors that typically shape the local cuisine are economic development, climate and location. Lunch set consisting mainly of ox meat, Luang Prabang, Laos (2017) While I am always game to try out the same food that the locals delight in dining on, there are some "no-go zones" for me. And where does this red line begins? I generally do not eat anything raw; unless it is sashimi or sushi prepared in a clean environment. Health reasons aside, I personally do not delight in putting something that is uncooked into my mouth. Taking this a step further will be eating "live" food. That is another experience which I totally avoid. Besides the cruelty of it all, I am rather squeamish about eating something that is still squirming and moving. So whil...