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

Seychelles, Mahé, sea west of  Mahé This was a previous article written by myself and posted in this travelogue blog in September 2014. Those were the times when fishing was a favourite personal past-time. I had not been on open waters fishing trips for more than 10 years since, except for the occasional fishing trips to commercial fishing ponds. ****************** The main purpose of my visit to the Seychelles in  May 2000, was for some big game fishing action. One of my fishing buddies, Kenneth, was there with me for the same reason. But the dates of our visit in the month of May, did not coincide with the big game fishing season which normally starts around September. Therefore, we learnt to our disappointment that big game fishes may not be easily targeted during our fishing trip. Still, we decided to go ahead and charter one of the specialised fishing boats. We contacted the organisers and chartered a small sports fisher for our fishing trip. The sports fisher was the Striker II.

Looks like 2021 is going to be another year of staying at home... for many of us....... While we were all told that 2020 was not going to the year where leisure travel was possible due to the pandemic, many of us thought that 2021 would be the time when international leisure travel will be able to resume, albeit slowly. However, amidst the news that new mutant strains had started to rear their ugly heads coupled with slow and lethargic vaccination programmes in many countries, 2021 is now more or less looking like it is going to be a lot similar to 2020. Renewed social distancing measures and stay-at-home practices are going to be the norms for at least another year. While the US, UK and many EU countries are looking to slowly reopen their borders to international leisure travel, countries in Asia are firmly keeping their borders shut for now. And that is for good measure. I personally believe that rushed border re-openings when things are still bleak with respect to the pandemic can b

The Sungnyemun Gate is one of the 8 Gates of the Fortress Wall of Seoul during the Joseon Dynasty (July 1392 to October 1897). Its location is near to the Seoul Station, next to the Namdaemun Market. Its exact address is: 40 Sejong-daero, Namdaemunno 4(sa)-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Designated as a National Treasure of South Korea, the gate was first built during the reign of King Taejon in the year 1398.  On a trip to Seoul in November 2019, I stayed at a nearby hotel and took the opportunity to walk out late at night to photograph this iconic structure. As it was close to midnight, there was almost no one on the streets and I had unrestricted views of the Sungnyemun Gate, by just standing across the street. This was one of the photographs I took. Canon EOS70D, 27mm, f4, 1/40 Sungnyemun Gate,  Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea (2019)

"The world is a book, And those who do not travel read only a page. "  -  St Augustine (13 Nov 354 - 28 Aug 430) - Theologian, Philosopher and Bishop of Hippo Regius, Roman North Africa) Glencoe, Scottish Highlands, Scotland, United Kingdom (2011)

I am sure all of us will remember some of our outings or excursions when we were kids. To take time out, leave the boring four walls of the classroom behind and to venture into the outdoors. The excitement of a day out with our classmates and friends to explore new experiences and learn new things. Those were the good old days. While visiting the Bank of Korea Money Museum, I chanced upon this scene of kids crowding around an exhibit, excited and eager to learn. Sensing a photo opportunity, I took this photo with my DSLR. I like that this photograph showed the kids with their inquisitive nature crowding around the exhibit. Even with their backs to the camera, their excitement at seeing something new were still clearly "visible". Day at the Museum, Bank of Korea Money Museum, Seoul, South Korea (2019)

Mount Kinabalu, Kinabalu National Park, Sabah, Malaysia -  UNESCO World Heritage Site This was a previous article written by myself and posted in this travelogue blog in September 2014. Mount Kinabalu is located in the island of Borneo and is South East Asia's highest peak at 4,095.2 meters (13,436 ft) above sea level.  ****************** Note from the  Author : Unlike my other older travel articles on my visits to cities, Mount Kinabalu has probably not changed much over the years. Thus, what I experienced on my trek up this mountain in Dec 2000, is also likely to be what anyone who is ascending the summit today will experience.  My first encounters with moutains were in Nepal in 1998 while I was trekking around the Annapurna region of the Himalayas. I also clocked my first peaks there and the highest of these peaks were at altitudes of 3,600 to 3,800 meters (11,811 to 12,467 ft). More than two years later on Christmas Eve of December 2000, I was at the foot of Mount Kinabalu in t