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

Singapore, Mount Faber Despite being born and raised as well as living and working in Singapore for almost the entirety of my existence, I had never taken the cable car in Singapore before. This is despite that cables cars are not a rarity here and have been around for as long as one can remember. Eventually, I did get to try out a cable car ride in Singapore. And not just a ride. I had booked an in-car dining experience to celebrate New Year's Eve of 2020 and welcome the arrival of New Year's Day on 2021. What an experience! This article, posted in this blog in July 2021, is all about a personal bucket list item fulfilled. For me, a bucket list item don't have to mean traveling to the ends of the world, diving into the deepest oceans or climbing that highest peak. It can be anything that one has always want to try or do but has never get around to actually doing it. Its not about bragging rights or awesome materials to post on social media. ...

First overseas trip in 29 months......  Yesterday, I returned home from my first overseas trip in 29 months. My last trip was in January 2019 before international border closures and restrictions commenced due to the COVID pandemic. Truth be told, the pandemic is still with us. Unlike the SARS-outbreak of 2003, there are still thousands of infections recorded worldwide every day; probably even tens of thousands. But a combination of vaccinations and previous infections coupled with the relatively milder current dominant Omicron strain of the virus meant that national authorities have been carefully peeling back on travel restrictions and re-opening their borders.  While this most recent trip of mine was certainly no bucket listed travel item, it was still an overseas trip. I left for a weeklong trip to Malaysia, driving up north to Ipoh to meet with relatives and friends before driving a little further north to Cameron Highlands. I had previously visited both places numerous t...

What is the most socially responsible way to dine-out in the current situation? How about a table for two within a cable car with only the two diners in the car! I enjoyed this cable car dining experience on New Year's Eve of 2020 to welcome 2021. Yes, it was a little pricey for my budget. But it was a small way to celebrate after a year of travel curbs and social distancing norms.  Cable Car Dining, Mount Faber, Singapore (2020) Cable Car Dining, Mount Faber, Singapore (2020)

Local food....... Traveling often bring us out of our comfort zone. And this includes food....... what we eat during our travels. Local food encompasses the cultures and traditions of the place we travel to. Other factors that typically shape the local cuisine are economic development, climate and location. Lunch set consisting mainly of ox meat, Luang Prabang, Laos (2017) While I am always game to try out the same food that the locals delight in dining on, there are some "no-go zones" for me. And where does this red line begins? I generally do not eat anything raw; unless it is sashimi or sushi prepared in a clean environment. Health reasons aside, I personally do not delight in putting something that is uncooked into my mouth. Taking this a step further will be eating "live" food. That is another experience which I totally avoid. Besides the cruelty of it all, I am rather squeamish about eating something that is still squirming and moving. So whil...

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 ...