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

Indulging in travel  fantasy....... With international travel still greatly restricted, leisure travel is all but impossible. While the body cannot physically travel, surely nothing can stop the mind wandering, even to faraway places. Yes, travel fantasy is an indulgent one must not discard when one needs to stay at home to wait out the Covid pandemic. Instead of slouching on the couch and rue what could have been if there had been no pandemic, one can take the time to read, explore (within the mind, of course) and plan for the next great personal travel adventure if and when this nasty Covid pandemic is eventually over. Go on, don't be shy. Explore the world with your mind through books and other published materials. Who knows, your next opportunity to travel, explore and enjoy the world could be nearer than you think would be possible. Meanwhile, I am taking national health advice seriously and getting myself vaccinated. My small bit in the national and international fight agains...

"Wherever in the World I travel to, The Moon is my constant companion, Whenever I look up at the night sky, I see the same Moon that accompany me in all my journeys."  -  Timothy Tan, author of this blog - tankstraveltales Street Vendors, Hoi An, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam (2018)

Visiting sites of ancient and past civilisations is a fascinating journey into the history of humankind. From these sites and the artefacts found there, we gained insights into how people of the past lived and worked.  In the ancient ruins of Angkor Thom, I came face-to-face, literally, with hundreds of smiling stone faces. Said by some to represent the bodhisattva of compassion Avalokitesvara (or Lokesvara), the 216 stone faces engraved onto the towers of Bayon stood smiling serenely, as they had for more than 700 years, silent witness to the history of humankind. Bayon was built as the Buddhist temple of the Khmer at Angkor Thom. Located near present-day Siem Reap, Angkor Thom was the capital of King Jayavarman VII.  Infused with both historical and mythological wonder, Angkor Thom is one of the most visited sites for visitors to Siem Reap. And when one mentions Angkor Thom, the images of Bayon will undoubtedly flashed through the minds of almost everyone who had visited thi...