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

Japan, Shiga Prefecture, Moriyama This article was originally published in this blog in May 2019. It chronicled my visit to Moriyama, a city in Japan's Shiga Prefecture. I had arrived in Moriyama from Takashima, another city in Shiga. My 2-day stay in Moriyama was planned to be a leisurely stop in my itinerary with nothing much planned except to enjoy the beautiful views of Lake Biwa. However, this short stay turned out to be a rather interesting part of my overall trip as I discovered lots of things to see and do. As I checked out of my hotel in my third day here for my onward journey to Tokyo, I left knowing I will return because there are still much to see and do here.  ****************** First Impressions My first view of the city was when the hotel bus rolled into the city over the scenic Biwako Ohashi Bridge over Lake Biwa. I had boarded the free shuttle provided by the Lake Biwa Marriott for hotel guests at Katata Station on the Kosei Line. With...

  "Let your wanderlust take hold and bring yourself to places unknown....... " - Timothy Tan, tankstraveltales Stairs, Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia (2017)

First personal trip of 2023.......  This February, I kicked off my personal travel year of 2023. Nothing fanciful, just a drive up north to Malaysia to visit the city of Ipoh. A total driving distance about 550km, one way. Including the return trip and other drives around Ipoh, I will typically clock more than 1,200km each trip.  I usually drive to Ipoh during the Chinese New Year (CNY) period for a short break. This year, CNY was in January. But I could not make the trip due to work commitments. However, in many ways, driving to Malaysia from Singapore during the so-called off-peak periods has many advantages. The main perk, less traffic congestions at the land border crossing. There will also be less traffic along the way, which makes the drive a lot more enjoyable. And in Ipoh, less crowd everywhere, from the restaurants to the cafes.  Looking forward to enjoying my annual road trip and the delicious food in Ipoh. And also, my favourite fruit, Durians! 😀😁  Duria...

It has been more than 5 years since I last visited London. There are many things that I missed about this city. From the great food, shopping, book stores, street scenes, parks and theatres to its tradition and culture. And of course, there are always that two major attractions for me in London, the Natural History Museum and the iconic British Museum. In all my trips to London, I had always spent time at these museums; marvelling at the displays, learning about its exhibits and getting enthralled by the richness of history. On each visit, there were always something new, something to learn, knowledge to gain and experiences to savour. I hope to be able to visit London again soon. And my first stop will undoubtedly be the British Museum. One of the iconic central pieces of the museum's exhibits that is always ready to greet each and every visitor who walk through its entrance, British Museum, London, England, United Kingdom (2017)