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

Anyone visiting Osaka or who had visited the city will know about Dōtonbori. This is the place in Osaka where people gather for entertainment, shopping and food. The bright lights of Dōtonbori at night is a sight to behold, with large creative signboards advertising everything and anything. On my second visit to Osaka in January 2026, I did the touristy thing and visited Dōtonbori for dinner and sightseeing on Day 2 of my trip. I was not disappointed. While the crowd was indeed overwhelming, the visual spectacles more than made up for the squeeze of humanity. Dōtonbori at night is truly a five senses extravaganza. Dōtonbori at night, Chuo Ward, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan (2026)

Travel taking backseat to work.......  I have been really busy with work since the beginning of the 2026. Work has been so hectic that I have been working 7 days a week, every week since the start of the year. The only break I had was a short 5-night trip to Hong Kong in February. In the midst of trying to beat each advancing deadlines, I often looked back longingly on my Japan trip during the first week of January when I visited Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto. Another Japan trip at the end of the year maybe, if I can find the time and budget. Things on the work front should be settling down a bit after this month, April 2026. I have another short 5-night trip to Hong Kong booked for the last week of May 2026. During this trip, I intend to spend some time cafe hopping and exploring more of the Sham Shui Po area, to check out interesting shops (fountain pens shops of course) and hunting around for delicious local food. This trip, I will be flying to Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific and staying ...

Kowloon, Hong Kong,  China A slightly different of version this article was first published on this blog in June 2024. While I have visited Hong Kong multiple times over the years, my typical travel itinerary has always been direct air flights between Singapore and Hong Kong. Sailing into Hong Kong via a cruise ship was thus a very different experience. I had since done that twice. This article describes the first time I sailed to Hong Kong from Kagoshima onboard Royal Caribbean's Spectrum of the Seas in August 2023.  ****************** The cruise ship was already berthed at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal by the time I woke up lazily in my cabin at about 8am. After a quick breakfast at the  Windjammer cafe  at Deck 14, I disembarked from the ship. This was the first time I visited Hong Kong via a port visit. While I had traveled to Hong Kong many times previously, all these visits were by air via either  Cathay Pacific  or  Singapore Airlines . A first fo...