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

Travelling to a new city for the first time... This coming Thursday, I will be travelling to Laos for the first time. The purpose of the trip is for a short vacation to Luang Prabang in northern Laos and to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Town of Luang Prabang. Being a first time visitor to Laos and Luang Prabang, I did some research on the internet and in the libraries to find out more about the cultural and religious norms of the city. I usually try my best to conform to and more importantly, to respect the local culture and religion of the cities I am visiting. Besides the more practical aspect of not getting into trouble with the local authorities, the main intention is to show respect to the local people, culture and religions. This is because I am a foreigner and guest after all and it will be rude to behave in manners that may offend the locals as well as their cultural or religious beliefs. The areas where I show respect and conform to the local culture

Short trips allow us to get away from work for a few days, recharge and return to work with that extra zest. People often asked me how I manage to work so hard without being stressed or burnt out. My secret lies in the short breaks I took every 3 to 4 months. For such trips, traveling regional is the answer.  My favourite beach holiday destination, Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia (2016) In the month of March, I realised that I still have some vacation leave left over from 2015 and decided to take a short trip to my favourite regional destination of Bali. While I still chose to stay at the Nusa Dua area, I decided to modify my itinerary a little this time by staying further north of Nusa Dua at the Sofitel instead of at my usual accommodation at the Grand Hyatt. Sipping drinks by the beach at teh Sofitel, Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia (2016) The trip was a nice one. Everything about the Sofitel was awesome, the service was great and the food served at the hotel was delicious.

I usually travel to Bali for vacation once or twice a year because the island is only about a 2.5-hour flight from Singapore. Being a creature of habits, I will almost certainly stay in the Nusa Dua area due to its long stretch of white sand beach and also because of my familiarity with the surrounding areas. I have dined at the Bebek Bengil (a.k.a. Dity Duck Diner) restaurant in Nusa Dua each time I am in Bali. Bebek actually means duck in Bahasa Indonesia. The signature Bebek Bengil (a.k.a. crispy duck) dish at this restaurant is something I always enjoyed every time I dined here. The duck meat does not taste too gamey although at times, the duck breast can be a bit dry resulting in the meat being chewy. The accompanying condiments and side dishes are the highlights of the menu here and they are served together with the main course without any additional charges. Those who enjoy asian spices will definitely savour the rich tastes of these condiments and side dishes. Service