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

This was my fifth cruise overall on Royal Caribbean's (RCL) ships and my first time cruising onboard Ovation of the Seas . The ship was on its re-positioning cruise from Brisbane and I boarded it in Singapore as it continued on its way to Vietnam , Hong Kong and Okinawa . My cruise was only from Singapore to Hong Kong in April 2025. It was a 5-night cruise with a single stopover in Vietnam's Chân Mây Port . Ovation of the Seas at port,  Chân Mây,  Huế Province, Vietnam (2025) On boarding day in Singapore, we boarded the ship on time at 11am as scheduled. This being my fifth time onboard a RCL ship, I was rather familiar with the embarkation day procedures, including heading straight for the safety briefing before taking the elevator to Deck 14 for my lunch at Windjammer .  Since it was only 11am, Windjammer was still not really crowded. It usually got really crowded around 12pm onwards when one could start to see folks walking around looking for tables. Rooms were usu...

Basket boats are rather unique. Typically made from bamboo strips , these lightweight vessels are also known as Thuyen Thung or Thung Chai in Vietnamese . Basket Boats, Da Nang , Vietnam (2025) While I have often seen photographs of these unique fishing vessels from Travel Guide Books or Travel Magazines, my very first time encountering these in-person was when I was in Da Nang (Đà Nẵng) in April 2025. Right before my eyes, the Basket Boats! With my DSLR in-hand, I could not resist snapping away, photograph after photograph. 📷 And, nope, I did not get the chance to ride in one of these! Basket Boats close-ups, Da Nang, Vietnam (2025) Basket Boats close-ups, Da Nang, Vietnam (2025) Fishermen and their Basket Boat, Da Nang, Vietnam (2025)