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

Israel, Tel Aviv This article was originally published in this blog in April 2017. Some may ask, why is visiting a local market even a bucket list item? The simple answer from me is that anything can be a bucket list item depending on individuals. For some, even swimming in the local lake can be a bucket list item while for others; only climbing the highest peak on earth will qualify as a bucket list item, all other stuff don't even come near. Therefore, what is a bucket list item can only be defined by the individual making his or her own list.  For me, morning markets are the heartbeats of any city. In the markets, I can observe and interact with locals, indulge in local street food, buy souvenirs and simply soak in the local atmosphere. Ever wonder why the old Tsukiji Market of Tokyo was such an attraction for tourists worldwide? The precise reasons were what I had just stated. Located in a part of Tel Aviv just steps from t...

Israel, Caesarea The original article was first published in this blog in 2016.  Caesarea was an ancient port and administrative city on the Mediterranean coast of Israel.  Located between the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa, this ancient city sits within the Caesarea National Park. If you like history and are visiting Israel or the surrounding regions, I highly recommend a side trip to Caesarea.  For me, my visits to Caesarea were the fulfilment of a personal bucket list item.  ****************** Caesarea is a small town in central Israel. It is located along Israel's Mediterranean coastline and is situated 45km north of Tel Aviv and a similar distance south of the northern Israeli port city of Haifa. Caesarea was built sometime between 25 to 13 BC by Herod the Great (a.k.a. Herod I). In the Bible, Herod I was described as the ruler who ordered the "Massacre of the Innocents" based on a prophecy at the time of the birth of Jesus.  Walking amongst...

Israel, Capernaum, Historical Synagogue This article was originally published in this blog in November 2018. I love visiting historical places during my travels. For many of these places, what usually remain today are a fraction of the original buildings, structures and artefacts during their heydays. However  the remnants of these once-awesome sites remain hugely attractive to the inquisitive minds of visitors. They tell stories of bygone eras which collectively form the history of all of us. For me, each visit to a historical site is itself a study of history, culture and geography; not in the scholarly sense but one embedded in curiosity and personal interests. My visit to Capernaum and its historical synagogue is one such trip. Author's note (18 June 2022): It had come to my attention that I had previously re-posted this article for my Bucket List series. Nevertheless, I still believe this is a trip that...

Besides the sights, culture and people, food is an important part of the overall travel experience. The different styles of cooking, the use of local spices and herbs and the method of presentation differ from country to country and even between regions, cities, towns and villages within the same country. Thus, I always "feed" my camera before I feed myself when it comes to food. Photographing my food has very much become a routine for me wherever I travel. But of course, there are occasions when doing so is neither practical nor polite. Thus, I will refrain from photographing my food on such occasions, especially when I am an invited guest to a meal or during business lunches or dinners. There are always social graces and etiquette to consider wherever one travels.  But whenever I dined alone, then it was always the camera first before starting on my meal! Bon Appétit. Pan-fried Fish, Herzliya, Tel Aviv, Israel (2017)

Israel, Galilee, Capernaum, 4th Century Synagogue This article was originally published in this blog in November 2018. This was my only visit to Capernaum and for convenience, I succumbed to the touristy-thing and booked a guided day-trip which not only brought me to Capernaum but also to other biblical sites around the Galilee region. ****************** Traveling to places of historical significance has always been a favourite travel itinerary for me. These trips allow me to visit in person the locations of places I read about in the history books. Amongst the many historical places I had visited, one of my favourite and also an item on my travel bucket list is Capernaum. Frequently cited in the Gospels, Capernaum is located on the shores to the north of the Sea of Galilee in Israel. Reportedly inhabited since the 2nd century BCE, the town was abandoned in the 11th century. Capernaum was originally a small fishing village, probably because of its clos...

I always enjoyed photographing buildings and architectural structures wherever I travelled to. While I am no architectural buff, buildings have always been favourite photographic subjects for me. A photograph of a building tells us stories about the place where it stood as well as the history of the place between its construction and the present. It also tells us about the culture and people of the place. Depending on how one looks at and interpret a photograph of a building, it can be different things to different people. It can rejuvenate memories of previous experiences and people, and it can also invoke a longing to travel to the place. Building, Jaffa, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel (2017)

Tiberias and Galille, Israel Growing up in a Catholic family, I had been schooled and taught the bible since young. Thus, while the lands of Tiberias and Galilee were foreign to me, the names definitely were familiar ones. Having an inquisitive mind and a streak of wanderlust in me since my childhood days, I had told myself I shall visit these regions when I am a grown up. This bucket list travel item was fulfilled in 2002 when I visited the region for the first time as part of a packaged tour group.    Statue of St Peter in Capernaum, Nahums Village, Galilee, Israel (2002)   The Tiberias of today is a city on the western shores of the Sea of Galilee with a population of about 45,000. The region and the Sea of Galilee were mentioned many times in the Bible. The Sea of Galilee was where Jesus walked on the water and the surrounding regions were where Jesus spent much time with his disciples.    Sea of Galilee with the view of the Golan Heights in the background, ...