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

Busy months of work and travel await.....  The month of June and the next couple of months to follow will be busy ones for me, both in terms of work and travel. I will need to be working every day, weekends included. And when I travel, work will definitely be on the agenda every day. Finding the right balance between work and rest during this busy period will be critical to keep myself in peak condition to fulfil both my professional responsibilities and my commitments to my family. One key strategy is to manage situations as they happen, keeping my plans and daily schedule flexible enough to adapt to changing circumstances. When this busy period is over, I will be writing in this column  to share how I navigate between a heavy and packed work schedule whilst still being able to travel regularly, at least regionally! 🌏 Latte and scones, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, China

This trip, almost exactly a year ago, was part of my annual travel up Malaysia's North-South (NS) Highway from Singapore to Ipoh to celebrate the annual Chinese New Year holidays. The NS Highway actually extend further north but the furthest drive up north for me is always up to Ipoh.  One of the many colourful wall murals in and around the vicinity of Old Town, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia (2024) This trip in February 2024, was no different. It typically took about 7 hours for me to get from Singapore to Ipoh, with one or at most, two stops in-between for washroom breaks and meals. The 7-hour journey only accounts for total drive time and does not take into account the time needed to clear immigration and customs on departure from Singapore and arrival at Johor, via the land bother points between both countries. Depending on traffic conditions, it can take up to 2 hours to complete the immigration and customs processes at both departure and arrival checkpoints. Waits of up to 3 hours are...