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

Flea markets are always interesting places to visit when traveling. After all, it is at these markets where all manners of used goods, collectibles and antiques are sold. Flea markets are where old items deemed no longer important or useful by its current owners are given a new lease of life by its new owners. I love to wander through flea markets, sniffing out a collectible or two to be bought and brought home as souvenirs of my travels. It is also at flea markets where I can mingle freely with the local crowd, share a chat or two with new acquittances and given an insight into the culture and lives of the local people. A vendor pedalling used and refurbished electric fans, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia (2019) To me, a flea market is more than just a place to browse or buy used goods or collectibles. It is also a window into the heart and soul of the city which I am visiting. My most recent visit to a flea market was  on a Sunday in Ipoh, the state capital of the...

Self-Driving during Overseas Vacations....... While I am not a fan of self-driving when traveling overseas, I had done my fair share of driving in different countries while on vacation. These places include France, Germany and Israel. And more recently, in Australia. On the road while self-driving from New Norcia to Perth, Western Australia, Australia (2018) Having your own set of wheels while overseas has its conveniences. It allows you to venture a little off-road to see and experience sights and sounds off the so-called beaten track. It allows you the flexibility to change your itinerary as and when situation and mood necessitates. And it also means that you do not have to plan your travel activities around the operating hours of the public transport operators of the cities you are visiting. Self-driving allowed me to stop and enjoy the natural landscapes whenever I wanted, Negev Desert, Israel (2017) Stopping my vehicle to watch herders near the city of Bee...