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

On a rain-soaked morning, I arrived at the monastery town of New Norcia after slightly more than  3 hours of driving from Perth's city centre. Along the way, I had stopped briefly for breakfast near Joondalup before continuing on my road trip. Besides the many historical heritage of this small town, I came across a small olive orchard with trees neatly pruned and meticulously maintained along a straight line. This was actually the first time I had seen an olive tree in person, much less an orchard of them! Walking along the orchard alone and soaking in the peaceful and tranquil environment, I of course took lots of photographs to record my trip. Here I was, getting all excited over olive trees! But of course, the simple things in life can be awesome too. This is something that I have learnt and re-learnt many times during my travels.  Olive trees in a row, New Norcia, Western Australia, Australia (2018) Olives on the branches of the tree, New Norcia, Western Au

"What is life but a form of motion and a journey through a foreign world "  - George  Santayana Hakone Shrine Mototsumiya at the Komagatake Peak of Mount Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan (2018)

United Kingdom, Scotland, Loch Ness Nessie, also known as the Loch Ness Monster is the legendary (or should it be mythical) creature that has fascinated me since I was a 9-year old when I first read about it in a magazine in my primary school library. From then on, I had believed in the truth and existence of Nessie. Well, I still do now. Just that, I also know that the myth of the creature is unlikely to be proven. Neither is it going away either. Thus, when I visited Scotland for the first time in 2011, my priority was to find a way to visit Loch Ness. Driving was not a very viable option as I was travelling alone. Thus, I decided on the easy way out by joining a day tour to Loch Ness from Glasgow. Reaching the famous Loch, I was extremely excited and fascinated as all those landmarks such as Urguhart Castle which I had seen countless times on books, magazines and the internet, materialised right in front of my very eyes. Finally, I had arrived at Loch Ness, home of Nessie

Beginning a whole new monthly series of travel snippets; the Bucket List, in this blog from the month of September 2019. All of the items in this list are stuff from my personal bucket list which I had completed. They ranges from the mundane to the interesting. Some may be downright boring, stupid or quirky. Some, a little bit adventurous and out of the norm. None are disrespectful, dangerous or illegal. All are affordable, a little bit of saving up may be required for the occasional item on this list if you are an average person like myself. The idea of this list is to share my bucket list escapades. It is meant to inspire the reader to come up with his or her own list. Everybody have their own idea of adventure and fun. May this series be an inspiration for you to plan and enjoy your very own bucket list and to add that little more excitement and zest into your travels. The author enjoying the view of Lake Biwa, Takashima, Shiga Prefecture, Japan (2018)

They were of all shapes and sizes and caught my eyes as I turned the corner of the narrow road on my way to lunch. Located just behind the hotel that I was staying were several small shops selling local items. I wouldn't exactly called them crafts because these items were not meant as art pieces. Neither were they created in one's leisure time nor were they meant to be peddled to tourists. Instead, these were obviously items used in the daily lives of the locals.  Fish traps? Just my guess which could be wrong. Luang Prabang, Laos (2017) There were baskets, food containers, fish traps (my guess, I could be wrong) and brooms. Intricately hand-made, I moved closer to marvel at the skills of those who made them. Presumably a skill handed down through the generations. These traditionally-made items whilst interesting to me, were meant to serve the daily needs of the locals. Hand-made baskets, Luang Prabang, Laos (2017) Whenever I travelled, these are the little