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

Japan, Shizuoka Prefecture, Izu Peninsula Geopark - UNESCO Global Geopark After a sumptuous breakfast at a local Ryokan in the hot spring resort town of Ito, we packed our stuff, checked out of our accommodation and drove to our next intended destination, the Izu Peninsula Geopark.    Visitors to the Geopark crossing the Kadowaki Cape Suspension Bridge, Izu Peninsula Geopark, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan (2017)   Designated as a UNESCO Global Geopark, the Izu Peninsula Geopark spreads over a large area on this peninsula located in the south-eastern of the main island of Honshu. The Izu Peninsula is the only part of Honshu that geographically sits on the Philippine Sea Tectonic Plate. The peninsula itself has been constantly shaped and re-shaped due to the geographical shifting of the tectonic plate on which it sits on. These constant volcanic activities and tectonic plate movements account for the abundance of natural hot springs that are found in the peninsul...

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...